When the Ko Olina Resort & Mariana project was first conceived, one of the requirements put into place was that the resort was required to build a public boat ramp on its property. The Ko Olina Resort installed a public ramp in 2000, but it quickly became a controversial issue as the public complained about operating hours and fees, while resort residents complained about noise and heavy traffic. As a result, the resort closed and destroyed the public boat ramp in 2005 and stated that the public could use a ramp that a boat repair company used to transport boats to and from the water at the adjacent industrial Kalaeloa Harbor. However, fisherman and public boaters complained that the ramp was unsafe for them to use due to the fact that its design was made for larger vessels and had poor protection from larger ocean swells for small boats. In 2008, the Hawaii Land Use Commission ruled that Ko Olina was required by law to re-establish a public boat ramp in its marina, but did not specify a deadline for its construction to be completed.
Now, almost eight years from when Ko Olina Resort & Marina removed the public boat ramp and five years after the Land Use Commission required Ko Olina to rebuild a public boat ramp, no work has been done. Ko Olina Development LLC’s attorney, Wyeth Matsubara, stated, “We have no control over the permitting authorities and how long it takes to process permits. It is the process and it is what is required.” Matsubara added that once all of the permits and requirements were completed it would take about 12 months to build the boat ramp and cost a total of $2 million. Matsubara noted that the resort needs to get water quality certification permits, a conditional use permit, a conservation use district permit, a coastal zone management permit, a shoreline management area permit, a Corps of Engineers permit and finally a building permit to build the boat ramp. The resort may also have to conduct a cultural survey as required by the State Historic Preservation Division and a study to assess the impacts on fish as required by the National Marine Fisheries Services.
Meanwhile, local fishermen and boaters remain furious as the Ko Olina Resort & Marina and feel that the resort is intentionally delaying the project and permitting process. Many noted that the Disney Aulani Resort and Spa at Ko Olina, which costed over $850 million, was completed in just two years while a $2 million boat ramp has taken over five years and counting.
