Kauai Local News and Real Estate Update June 16
*****Kauai Real Estate Update and Local News Items*****
Join me for highlights of our Garden Islands news and a full update on last weeks new listings and closed transactions. You’ll see quite a few land sales in Koloa and that’s the Kukui’ula development. Also that great buy of a house here in Poipu sold for $1,000 below asking price of $299,000! For a full excel spreadsheet CLICK HERE
*****Boulders Crash on the Road To Hanalei*****
Around 4 pm on Monday (6/9/08) boulders and rocks broke loose and the debris was substantial enough to shut one lane down until 7 pm. One boulder was 5 feet in diameter. Fortunately nobody was hurt and there were no damages reported to any cars. The DOT spokeswoman said they are not sure what caused the landslide.
*****Don’t Sell That Land Quite Yet*****
29 States have joined Hawaii in asking the US Supreme Court to overturn a ruling that the Hawaii Supreme Court made disallowing the State to sell or transfer 1.2 million acres of former monarchy lands until Native Hawaiian claims have been resolved. The ruling had been based on former President Clintons 1993 Apology Resolution in which Congress acknowledged the wrongful overthrow of the Hawaiian Monarchy in 1887 (King Kalakaua was forced to sign the Bayonet Constitution in 1887, sharply curtailing his powers and diminishing the Native Hawaiians’ voice in government. Source: Hawai`i Visitors Bureau) The ruling was intended to protect the lands from private interests from buying the land but the appeal states the President Clintons Apology Resolution was meant to be symbolic only and shouldn’t be used to infringe on the State of Hawaii’s rights to their land. The Supreme Court will likely review this in October when they return from summer break.
*****Kiahuna Land Company Asked To Not Build*****
BG Kauai Holdings attorney urged the Kauai Planning Commission to not consider the permit for Kiahuna Land Company to build an adjacent shopping center to the existing Poipu Shopping Village. Current shop owners showed up on Tuesday at the Mokihana Building in Lihue to protest the new shopping center which will be 81,932 square feet and will include restaurants, retail and office space and off-street parking. The new shopping center is broken into 7 buildings of which 2 portions will be 2 stories high. The manager of the current Poipu Shopping Village stated that the former plans created a synergy between the two shopping centers but the proposed plans fall short of that. The Koloa Community Association, shop owners and community member expressed concerns over drainage, parking and access routes. The seven member commission will hear final arguments on July 8 thh. Public impute will not be taken after Tuesday.
*****Marriott Employees and Guests Help To Build Homes*****
The Kauai Marriott recruited employees and visitors to come help build a home for Habitat For Humanity in ‘Ele’Ele. Earlier in the year Marriott contributed $60,000 towards the project of which 11 out of the planned 125 homes have been completed. Five more home sites are in the works at this time. All homes are going to Kauai Residents. Way to go Marriott!
*****Matson Shipping Lines To Raise Their Rates*****
Citing rising fuel costs Matson Lines will raise their rates 38.25% the largest rate hike yet citing records oil prices. This impact will be felt by all companies island wide and business’s are needing to pass these rates on to customers and tighten their own belts says City Mill President Steven Ai. “With rising expenses, we just have to manage our business better and watch our expenses and be as lean as we can because we can’t pass everything on to our customers.”