Arete Collective, the company that purchased about 65 acres of land near Turtle Bay Resort, has delayed construction until December. This came after the city stepped in and allowed conversations about luxury properties to first take place.
KAHUKU, Hawaii (Island News) — A project to build luxury condominiums on Oahu’s North Shore is currently on pause.
Arete Collective, a Utah-based developer that purchased approximately 65 acres of land near Turtle Bay Resort in April, says it will delay construction until Dec. 1, 2024 to increase interaction with the community. Announced.
This comes after state Rep. Sean Quinlan sent a letter to the Honolulu City Planning and Permitting Department about a week and a half ago asking for a moratorium on issuing building permits for the project.
“This first unilateral agreement was in 1986,” Rep. Quinlan explained. “That was a long time ago. There were several owners before the current owner, which at the time was Hilton, and many in the area did not understand the terms of the unilateral agreement. So there’s been a lot of confusion, a lot of fear, and a lot of anger. ”
Quinlan said he was contacted by the Democratic Party on Thursday and was told that they could not suspend the issuance of permits because the developers were all acting legally.
Quinlan said the developers contacted him and expressed their desire to voluntarily halt construction to allow for more community involvement.
“It’s encouraging to see developers taking steps to collaborate with the community,” he explained. “I think it’s important that we all sit together to make sure the community’s voice is heard.”
The project had previously raised concerns from the community, including increased traffic along Kamehameha Highway.
“The second part is that this is a very ecologically sensitive area,” Rep. Quilan explained. “There are albatross nests and we want to make sure we are doing the right thing for endangered species.”
Rebecca Buchan, CEO of Areté Collective, released the following statement:
“We are voluntarily delaying vertical construction until December 1st in order to complete active community engagement and presentations to the North Shore and Koolaloa neighborhood committees.
Our projects have always been shaped by feedback from local residents. I look forward to building on my recent open house with over 250 attendees, dozens of meetings with local environmental leaders, and conversations with the hundreds of community members I have personally met. Masu. .
Areté Collective has taken significant steps to protect the coastline, including setbacks that exceed requirements. As DPP has confirmed, the project has received all the necessary approvals to proceed and ministerial approval for a final building permit is expected soon. ”
The developer plans to meet with residents at the Nov. 26 Neighborhood Association board meeting to share further information.
