2nd February 2011
Posted in Updates

As part of the Envision Laie process, presentations were made in September and October of 2010 to the Laie Community Association Board and other groups in the community about the Laie Inn hotel re-development. A target completion date of September 2013, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Polynesian Cultural Center, was then announced. That goal is now a little closer to becoming reality.

The City’s Department of Planning and Permitting recently announced a public hearing on a permit application for the hotel, to be held at Kahuku Public Library on Tuesday, February 15th at 10:30 a.m. The Special Management Area (or SMA) permit is one of the last permits required before work can commence on the hotel, and is triggered due to proximity to the shoreline. We’ve posted all of the hotel renderings and plans required as part of the SMA on our Flickr and Facebook sites.

The project is part of the integrated development of the region, along with projects such as the Malaekahana bike and pedestrian path. The construction phase of the 220-room hotel is expected to generate 150 jobs with $2.5 million in wages. On completion, the hotel will generate well over 100 jobs on site.

The hotel theme will feature contemporary Hawaiian architectural elements and was designed by a Honolulu architecture firm. “We would like the hotel to complement the neighboring Polynesian Cultural Center and enhance the surrounding area,” said Eric Beaver, president of Hawaii Reserves, Inc. “Everything from the Hawaiian architectural design to the rockwork and other details will help establish a Pacific Island sense of place.”

The hotel buildings will be staggered between one, three and four stories to provide a smaller site footprint while still staying within the City code’s 40-foot height limit. “I recently saw a similar design at a hotel on Kauai – the varied floor height makes the building feel less massive and is more interesting visually than one height throughout,” said Pane Meatoga, Jr., Laie Community Association President. The parking lot will be placed behind the hotel to further enhance the landscape appeal along Kamehameha Highway.

The site design also features an element at the corner of Kamehameha highway and Naniloa Loop which could include a family style restaurant, some shopping and public beach access for the entire community. Timing of the construction of this portion is unknown at this time.

If the SMA permit is approved, building permits will also need to be obtained before hotel construction can begin—likely not until the end of this year.