Hawaii Kai Real Estate Debate on Golf Parcel
Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board Debates Golf Academy
By Nina Wu at nwu@starbulletin.com Nine months after purchasing the lands, a Utah-based investor is envisioning a golf academy above the Hawaii Kai Golf Course.
The proposal is likely to spark another debate at this evening’s Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting, where the public has weighed in on previous controversial development plans for the preservation-zoned parcels.
Management Solutions of Fountain Green, Utah, which formed Kulia i ka Nu’u Estates, acquired 83 acres in Mauuwai and 98 acres at Queen’s Rise from QRM LLC in July.
City property tax records show two transactions occurred in July, one at $5.6 million and another at $3.5 million.
Project manager Skip McWhorter, who was in Honolulu this week, said Kulia envisions building a complete golf academy, with classrooms and simulators for individual and group instruction for just the Mauuwai parcel, although size and details have yet to be ironed out. McWhorter said he also was in discussions with possible pro golf sponsors for the academy. “We would like to use the golf academy as a place to teach and train junior golfers,” said McWhorter. “Our goal is to continue to promote the game of golf in Hawaii. We want to provide an opportunity that is fun, recreational and beneficial for locals and junior golfers all over the island.”
At the same time, McWhorter said it would make sense for there to be accommodations, possibly vacation cabins, at the site for out-of-town golfers. “If we don’t have that there, we’re left with people commuting back and forth from Waikiki,” he said.
The two parcels are Management Solutions’ first investment on Oahu, according to partner Allen Jacobson, from Utah. Jacobson said the company did 14 months of due diligence and has no plans for Queen’s Rise at this time. Permitted uses on P2 general preservation lands such as Mauuwai include cemeteries, outdoor recreational facilities and vacation cabins as an accessory to those outdoor facilities, according to city Planning and Permitting Director David Tanoue.
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