Punalu'u Village Project

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Project Components

Old Punaluʻu Village Restoration

Restore as a learning and living space for the community
Moving all commercial activities and parking off of the black sand beach to protect the honu, honuʻea, and other important coastal resources
Kawaihūokauila Pond rehabilitation
Restoring Native Hawaiian vegetation
Lands makai of Kawaihūokauila Pond will remain untouched
Creating an Information and Education Center
- Cultural and Education Programs
- Olelo Introduction to Punaluʻu history, wahi pana (legendary places) and historical sites
Restoring former restaurant and surrounding grounds for community gatherings, special events and other uses
Establish a Community Open Market with restrooms featuring a Fish Market, Farmers Market, and local arts and crafts
A restaurant that serves dishes prepared from the bounty of local fishermen and farmers.

New Punaluʻu Village & Wellness Center

Creating a Wellness Center, restore Tennis courts, Village Center, and 130+ accommodation units open to both residents and visitors who wish to experience the therapeutic effects of this special place through its wellness-related programs. Kamaʻaina programs will be available.
Punaluʻu Retreat—restoring existing Aspen Institute as a conference center with 25 retreat cabins for conference attendees.
Restore existing golf course, driving range and clubhouse.

Colony II

New 63-unit condominium complex on mauka-side of Colony I condominiums
Overall height will not exceed 2-1/2 stories, to preserve mauka-makai views.

Aspen Center

Originally constructed in 1977 in support of the non-profit Aspen Institute of Humanistic Studies
Renovation of Center to restore its function as a conference and educational center2
25 retreat units proposed around Center to provide overnight accommodations to members attending Center activities.

Rehabilitation of existing 18-hole golf course and clubhouse facilities

Restore existing golf course and driving range
Restore golf clubhouse complex and support facilities

Enhancing Punaluʻu Community Recreation Areas

Boat Ramp - Preserve access to this important facility, and create group to manage its use
Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Enhancements – remove structures and vehicle parking from black sand beach and managing visitors to avoid overuse.
County Punaluʻu Beach Park – work with the County to coordinate the use of the park facilities with a broader management program to protect the shoreline resources

Stewarding Conservation Areas and Wahi Pana

Community Driven Stewardship

Create a community-driven and community-led non-profit foundation to manage and steward conservation and shoreline areas and wahi pana. The non-profit 501c3 will be able to accept Federal, State and County grants to enhance management efforts.

Establish Shoreline and Conservation Management Areas to ensure the proper management of these areas for future generations. Management plans will work with community stakeholders to establish these managed areas, working to identify and protect marine life, natural resources, and to protect Native Hawaiian gathering

and fishing rights.

Punaluʻu Development History

From 1968 to 1975, C. Brewer Properties, Ltd. developed Sea Mountain at Punaluʻu, a 18-hole golf course community that included Colony I condominium project, Kalana I single-family residential subdivision, Aspen Institute Center for Humanistic Studies, Black Sands Restaurant and the Kaʻū Center for History and Culture.

The project changed hands many times over the years, sustained a tsunami in the 1970s and in 2006, the project’s sale fell through and no further maintenance, upgrades or development occurred at the site.

After nearly 30 years of neglect, the Punaluʻu Village was purchased by Black Sand Beach LLC in 2020. Since its purchase, Black Sand Beach LLC has spent more than a million dollars towards the upkeep of the land and maintenance of the existing private infrastructure systems that serves an existing community and is world-renown as an important natural, cultural and recreational resource. After listening to the community for three years, the project was downsized from a previous plan for 2,900 accommodation units to 225 units today.

Today

Punaluʻu Village is proposed as a low-density 225-unit project with an impressive shoreline set back of at least 1,000 feet or about a fifth of a mile away.

Proper management of the entire area including upgrading existing infrastructure, enhancing recreational facilities and protecting the environment ensures that this Punaluʻu Village will be restored in balance and in

harmony. Work has been underway to repair and maintain long-neglected infrastructure, facilities and

landscapes. It will be pono.

Existing Infrastructure

Punaluʻu water and wastewater systems meets all State and Federal compliance regulations and complies as regulated by U. S. EPA and the Hawaii State DOH Safe Drinking Water Branch Wastewater. Samplings are submitted monthly to State Department of Health.

A minor SMA permit was secured to construct fire breaks on the property. Management working with Hawaii County Fire Department to formulate a Fire Management Plan. Black Sand Beach, LLC maintains all established roadways, beachgoer parking challenges and general maintenance of the entire area.

Entitlements

There is an active application for a Special Management Area (SMA) Permit with the County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department.

Cultural, Archaeological and Biological studies have been updated. There is no legal requirement for an Environmental Assessment (EA). The analysis typical of an EA has been included within the SMA application.

Past studies have noted that 90% of the project area was previously disturbed or altered when Sea Mountain was built in the late 1960s.

Punaluʻu Village is consistent with the County’s General Plan and the Kaʻū Community Development Plan and will utilize only a fraction of the multiple-family, commercial and resort zoning that exists in Punaluʻu that once envisioned a much larger project. The SMA permit is required for the project to proceed under it’s proposed plans.

Black Sand Beach, LLC understands and embraces the many who are already caretakers of the lands in

Punaluʻu, Wailau and Ninole and strive to work together to malama legacy lands for today and tomorrow.

Why is Punaluʻu Village necessary?

Black Sand Beach, LLC solely provides for access, water, sewer, electrical, fire protection and security across 434 acres that includes important community resources such as the beach park, boat ramp, black sand beach and ocean recreational opportunities. The infrastructure that provides the community with access to these important resources are over half-a-century old, and requires constant maintenance along with managing the rest of the project area.

The proposed Punaluʻu Village presents the smallest footprint necessary to provide a consistent stream of revenue to support all of the systems that provides so much to so many within the Kaʻū community. Keeping Punaluʻu available for all who wish to enjoy these special lands is a shared responsibility between Black Sand Beach, LLC and the community.

Many within the community have complained about the lack of proper management of these lands over many decades. Black Sand Beach, LLC is trying to live up to its promise to care for these lands in a responsible manner, and is simply asking the community to join hands and help malama these lands.