Land Use Commission reclassifies Ka Iwi shoreline

Gov. Linda Lingle announced on June 4 that the state Land Use Commission in a unanimous vote has reclassified the Ka Iwi shoreline on Oahu’s southeast coast from urban to conservation. The area includes about 215 acres between Queen’s Beach and Makapuu Lighthouse.

The land is part of 300 acres that were acquired by the state in 2001 from landowner Kamehameha Schools and lessee Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. following a lengthy and controversial condemnation process. Nearby residents had fought for two decades to preserve the coastline from unwanted development.

“The reclassification should make future development of this portion of the Ka Iwi Coast a remote possibility in keeping with the wishes of the East Honolulu and Greater Oahu community,” Lingle said. But, she added, the mauka area of Ka Iwi is not designated conservation and the potential for development remains.