Lawsuit filed over potential development of Oahu’s Shark’s Cove

Shark's Cove is already a popular attraction for tourists on Oahu's North Shore.
Shark's Cove is already a popular attraction for tourists on Oahu's North Shore.(Shark's Cove Alliance (custom credit)|Save Shark's Cove Alliance)
Updated: Jan. 12, 2019 at 4:12 PM HST
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OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A group of concerned residents is suing the city and the developer of a controversial North Shore project.

The Save Sharks Cove Alliance has been critical of the City for approving plans by Hanapohaku LLC. to create commercial center on three parcels across from Sharks Cove on the Kamehameha Highway.

It’s already a popular spot for tourists who flock to the site for food trucks and small shops.

Opponents claim the development would attract thousands more of unwanted visitors to the north shore and threaten the nearby Pupukea-Waimea Marine Life Conservation District.

An attorney for the developer told Hawaii News Now the company has gone above and beyond to make sure that doesn’t happen.

“The science and the infrastructure requirements that we have to build were evaluated and determined that the impacts will be minimal,” Hanapohaku LLC.'s attorney Terry Lee said.

Opponents of the project claimed their voiced went unheard in the permitting process.

“At the same time, that community was objecting to this and asking for a contested case and a hearings officer, the city had largely ignored the community and gone ahead with the permitting to allow the development to go forward,” Save Sharks Cove Alliance’s attorney Tim Vandeveer said.

Hanapohaku LLC. has previously been fined more than $100,000 by the city for previous permitting and environmental violations. The company says those mistakes have been corrected and it’s working with everyone to develop the land properly.

We reached out to the City, but no one was available for comment.

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