Protecting Hawaii's natural & cultural resources since 1981
New Address:
335 Hahani Street #342132, Kailua, HI 96734
Hawaii’s Thousand Friends is a non-profit organization 501(c)(3) organization. Your donations are tax deductible. Mahalo!
Sharks Cove Protected
In 2019 Hawaii’s Thousand Friends joined Save Sharks Cove Alliance, Malama Pupukea-Waimea and three individuals as plaintiffs in a lawsuit to protect the heavily visited critical beach, ocean and tide pool.
A proposed mauka development of numerous 1 and 2-story retail and office buildings and a 126-space parking lot would have resulted in an anticipated increase of 926 new daily vehicle trips (337,990 trips per year) to Kamehameha Highway and increased pollution of nearby “Class AA” marine waters of Sharks Cove. We are pleased to report that this case was settled out of court in February 2021 with the acceptance of a detailed Settlement Agreement filed with Circuit Court Judge James Ashford. All legal claims were dismissed in consideration of numerous specific conditions. Those conditions include: requiring the Developer Hanapohaku LLC to comply with the law, all conditions of the Special Management Area Minor and Major permits, permitted uses in B-1 Neighborhood Business District zoning, and the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan. Non-compliance triggers the City penalty process. In addition, the Developer has to pay the City a record $30,000 fine for accumulated past violations. The agreement is binding on the Developer and any successors in interest and requires the Developer to update its website monthly with information about compliance and penalties, attend quarterly North Shore Neighborhood Board and Sunset Beach Community Association meetings, submit an annual Compliance Report to the City and Save Sharks Cove Alliance and establish a hotline on its website to accept community complaints. In the agreement the City agrees to: 1) uphold its public trust obligations, 2) immediately inspect the property, 3) improve its contested case processes especially challenges to permits, 4) revise its policies and procedures relating to the “transparent, just, and appropriate fine-collection policies, procedures and rules” and the public complaint process. The first City site visit Baseline Inspection Report 2/11/21 revealed numerous violations including multiple unpermitted tarpaulin structures, electrical work without required permit, unpermitted signs, and non-compliance of exterior light shielding. In addition, the Developer did not send the City a required Trash Management Plan or Spill Management Plan. Thank you for joining us in protecting this national treasure and fragile coastal ecosystem. |
Annual Report 2020
The Real Purpose of RailReal estate consultant Stephany Sofos said . . . “it goes back to the whole thing that rail was never about transporting bodies - it was to try and create housing” with the ability of residents to then use rail as transportation. (4/2/20 StarAdvertiser)
For information on rerouting rail to higher ground go to https://www.reroutetherail.org Know Your RightsThe goal of this website is to inform and empower citizens with information so that you can fight for free-flowing clean stream water, clean oceans, comprehensive land use planning, and insist that all Hawai'i's laws and rules are followed that conserve and protect Hawai’i’s natural and cultural resources and historic sites.
All of us who call Hawai`i home have a role to play to protect Hawaii’s natural beauty and natural & cultural resources. Read more about everyone’s duty to protect the environment in the Hawaii State Constitution, especially Article XI on Conservation, Control and Development of Resources. The Environmental NoticeTo receive periodic notices of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), Conservation District Use Applications (CDUA), Coastal Zone Management Notices, Special Management Area (SMA), Shoreline Certification Applications and Federal Notices go to the State Office of Environmental Quality Control and sign up for the The Environmental Notice.
Water Quality AlertsThe Hawaii Department of Health’s Clean Water Branch has launched a new water quality alert notification system with user-friendly features to keep the community updated about our beaches throughout our islands. To access the new notification system click here. If you have any questions, contact the Clean Water Branch at cleanwaterbranch@doh.hawaii.gov.
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