Punaluu landowner offers county free 10-year conservation easement

News admin August 31, 2026 0 Comments

Punaluu landowner offers county free 10-year conservation easement

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The landowner of Punaluu Black Sand Beach Park is now offering Hawaii County a free, 10-year conservation easement to keep the park open.

An attorney for Black Sand Beach, LLC, said the no-cost offer comes after the company was informed the county would deploy resources to Punaluʻu to help residents recover from recent storms.

“As a sign of my client’s appreciation, we will be extending a 10-year conservation easement over Punaluʻu Beach Park to the County at no cost whatsoever,” the attorney said in an email to Hawaii News Now.

The county has not yet said whether it will accept the proposed easement.

Black Sand Beach, LLC, said it remains committed to maintaining public access to Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park.

The county has leased the 6.8-acre site for the past 72 years, and that agreement ended on Aug. 29.

The new offer follows months of negotiations between the county and landowner over the future management of the property.

“We know how important Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park is to Ka‘ū and the entire island,” said Mayor Kimo Alameda. “During negotiations with the landowner, we made multiple good faith offers that would protect the public interest but unfortunately were unable to reach a solution that is acceptable to the community.”

The county said the current lease was executed in 1998 for $1 between SM Investments and Hawai‘i County.

Black Sand Beach, LLC, requested a new lease in 2024.

The county said that to protect community access to the beach park, make necessary park improvements, and maintain good stewardship of public funds, it proposed a 10-year lease with annual payments starting at $159,300, followed by 3% annual increases.

The landowner declined the county’s offer and chose to terminate the existing lease agreement as of June 30, 2026.

Both parties agreed to extend the lease for two months to provide additional time ot negoitate a potential agreement.

During that time, the county said it conducted an appraisal for a proposed purchase of the property through its Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resource Preservation Commission.

The county said the landowner declined to sell the property through the PONC program. The program requires a willing seller, and the county cannot offer more than the maximum purchase price established by the appraisal.

In a previous statement, an attorney for Black Sand Beach, LLC, said the county had declined another 30-day extension and that the landowner was considering offering a conservation easement.

The attorney now says that easement will be offered for 10 years at no cost to the county.

“My client places great value in the skilled leadership of Mayor Alameda during these times of crisis, and remains committed to ensuring public access to Punaluʻu Beach Park,” the attorney said.