Hawaii’s economy depends heavily on tourism, but several recent developments have raised questions about how far that should go, including a proposal that would transform the area around one of the world’s few black sand beaches into a resort and condo area.
Punaluu beach, on the Big Island, is one of only 20 such beaches in the world, and is also one of the few places in the world where endangered hawksbill sea turtles, extremely sensitive to light and noise pollution, make their nests.
The resort project, headed by a California woman, Eva Liu, who bought the 434-acre sight in 2020, would include 225 apartments, a restaurant, golf course, tennis courts, a boat ramp and education center, a wellness center, more commercial shops, and a conference center with cabin retreats and parking facilities.
The beach has long attracted visitors, many of whom unfortunately leave behind litter and worse, but the proposed future doesn’t sit well with many native Hawaiians, some of whom have centuries of connection to the site, or with conservationists concerned over the turtles. The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a suit to block the project.
Liu’s company, Black Sand Beach LLC, on the other hand, says she wants to create “a learning and living space for the community,” and says the area was in “terrible shape of disrepair” when they bought it. “Disturbed by the lack of local initiatives to revive the area, Eva felt an undeniable duty to intervene,” Black Sand Beach LLC said.
Elsewhere, Hawaii continues to struggle with housing shortages in some areas, linked to the growth of short-term rentals for vacationers. The issue is hottest on Maui, where several thousand local residents have had trouble finding new housing after the wildfires that devastated parts of the island last year.
A new law, waiting for signature from Hawaii’s governor, gives each Hawaiian island-wide county the power to redefine zoning ordinances, including converting short-term rentals into long-term housing in order to “guide the overall future development of the county.” It also provides fines of $10,000 per day for violations.
Image: Famartin/Wikimedia Commons
