An agreement has been reached between the State of Hawaii, City and County of Honolulu, The Trust for Public Land, and Turtle Bay Resort to establish a conservation easement on 665.8 acres of land at Turtle Bay Resort in Kahuku, Hawaii. Portions of this land had previously been planned for development but will now be protected in perpetuity.
The protected property covers nearly 79 percent of the land owned by the resort, which sits on 469 acres of land. With the agreement, total amount of preserved opened space reaches 1,134.8 acres.
The conservation easement will permanently limit land use to protect the ecological, recreational, and open space characteristics of Oahu’s North Shore. Turtle Bay Resort will continue to own, use, and hold title to the land, but it and future owners of the land will be bound by the restrictions. The easement will also allow restoration of critical marine and land ecosystems and Hawaiian cultural resources.
This agreement both preserves open space and provides public access to beaches in the area at no charge, and it allows public access to more than five miles of coastal hiking trails and opens up the area for traditional Hawaiian cultural practices. In addition, the agreement keeps recreational use available to the public and prevents the sprawl of urban development in the area.
The agreement was secured for $48.5 million. $40 million will be provided by the state, $5 million by the city, and $3.5 million by The Trust for Public Land. The final documents and details of the agreement are yet to be settled between the parties.
