Hawai‘i County is moving to take a strip of private land in Puna so it can widen a tight, heavily used section of Government Beach Road, setting up the latest clash in a years-long dispute with Lum Family Enterprises LLC.
This week, a County Council committee voted to let the Office of the Corporation Counsel pursue eminent domain on roughly 3.74 acres bordering the Keonepoko ʻIki subdivision, clearing a path for the Department of Public Works to push ahead with a long-planned road expansion.
Committee advances condemnation resolution
According to Big Island Now, the Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions voted to advance Resolution 567-26 and gave Corporation Counsel the green light to head to court if talks with the landowner stall out. County officials say the move is aimed at securing the right-of-way needed for public-works upgrades and improving safety along the narrow coastal route.
Vote, valuation and next steps
The panel backed the measure on a 9-0 vote, and the full Hawai‘i County Council is expected to take it up in about two weeks, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Deputy Corporation Counsel Sinclair Salas-Ferguson told councilmembers that if the county files a condemnation case, the legal fight will center on how much the property is worth and what compensation is owed if negotiations fail.
How much land and why
The project calls for acquiring a strip about 55 feet wide and 1.5 miles long that runs alongside Government Beach Road, making room for wider travel lanes and related safety improvements, Big Island Now reports. Public-works officials say they first tried to buy roughly 3.74 acres in the Keonepoko ʻIki subdivision through a negotiated sale but could not reach a deal with the owners.
Landowner pushes back
Wayland Lum, manager of Lum Family Enterprises LLC, told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that his family has held the land since about 1922 and that he now runs it as a 72-year-old organic farmer and rancher. Lum said more than 100 of his sheep were killed last year by loose hunting dogs and that he intends to bring his story to court. He also said he worries a wider and busier road could draw crime closer to his neighborhood.
Legal context
Under HRS Chapter 101, counties can condemn private property for public use if they pay just compensation and follow state procedures. Disputes in these cases typically revolve around valuation, rights of any displaced tenants, and other claimed damages, which are ultimately sorted out by the courts.
What to watch
The next key step is the full council vote on Resolution 567-26. If the council signs off and settlement talks do not succeed, the Office of the Corporation Counsel is expected to file a condemnation complaint. At that point, the battle would likely shift quickly to dueling appraisals, valuation arguments and how much Hawai‘i County will have to pay to use the land for the road-widening project.
