Turtle Bay hotel developer must do new EIS, Hawaii Supreme Court rules

The Hawaii Supreme Court has blocked the proposed Kuilima Resort Turtle Bay expansion project on Oahu's North Shore, ruling that an updated environmental impact statement must first be performed.

In a 67-page ruling today, the high court overturned earlier decisions in the Circuit and Intermediate Court of Appeals which held that an original EIS performed in 1985 and partially updated later did not have to be replaced by a new supplementary EIS. Today's ruling means the developer will have to do a new supplemental EIS.

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Plans for Turtle Bay Resort remain uncertain

It has new owners, but any future development awaits Supreme Court

Turtle Bay Resort officially came under new ownership when lenders took title to the property last week, but the change will do little to create more certainty for the future of the 858-acre resort on Oahu’s North Shore.

The big question hanging over the property is whether the consortium of lenders that took back the property from Oaktree Capital Management in lieu of foreclosure will carry through on a 24-year-old development plan to build thousands of additional hotel and condominiums units.

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Hawaii Supreme Court takes Turtle Bay case

The Hawaii Supreme Court has agreed to take up the issue of whether Kuilima Development should be required to do an updated environmental study for its planned expansion of Turtle Bay Resort.

The court announced Thursday that it will hear oral arguments in the case Nov. 19. The Supreme Court will review a 2-1 decision by the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals that denied a request for an updated review of the project's impact on the environment.

The question is whether the project's 24-year-old environmental impact statement is still valid.

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