The last open piece of property on Keauhou Bay could soon belong to the public, following approval Wednesday by the County Council to purchase the parcel using property tax proceeds.
The 26,390-square-foot lot is the 13th priority of the 2021 report of the county Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission.
“Fronting the sparkling turquoise waters of Keauhou Bay, this is the last available parcel once owned by Kamehameha Nui,” the PONC report states. “A pristine property of unparalleled beauty, this site contains a seawall and a ramp leading to the bay, which will provide easy access for all recreational activities.”
Resolution 531, approved on a unanimous vote, authorizes the county administration to enter into negotiations with the owners of the two adjacent parcels making up the property. The money would come from the PONC fund, garnered from a 2% earmark on property tax revenues.
“It’s historically important due to its ties to Kamehameha and the lineal chiefs of ancient Hawaii,” said Shelly Naungayan, a PONC commissioner who said she was speaking as a private citizen. “This is the last property that can be purchased on Keauhou Bay; it is the last one.”
Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas, who sponsored the resolution, agreed.
“There is incredible depth of information and historical facts and lineage,” Villegas said of the PONC report on the property. “I believe this is the last open piece of property on Keauhou Bay which is a highly utilized space by community members and ohana.”
The property, located on the north side of an existing boat ramp and tennis court, was presented by King Kamehameha to Kalanianoano Kaleinoanoa and his heirs who kept the property in the family for more than 200 years until it was sold to the present owners, Edward and Rhonda Rapoza of Kailua-Kona and Richard Fallon and Nancy McKinley of Washington.
Edward Rapoza said water and sewer infrastructure have been installed on the parcels. The two lots have a combined market value of $2.5 million.
The property is only a few feet away from the royal crypt of Chief Kanehoa, the son of the original recipient of the land, and the land is also within a very short walking distance of the historic rock (now a monument) where the stillborn King Kamehameha III was prayed over by Kapihe until the infant king moved and cried, the PONC report noted.
“It’s quite a jewel,” said Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz. “There are so many different historical and cultural pieces here, plus the recreational pieces.”
Maintenance of the parkland, once purchased, will fall to a group of community members organized by Rapoza called “Keauhou Bay Kuleana,” according to the PONC report.
“An admittedly small but precious plot of land, the Keauhou property represents the last of King Kamehameha’s legacy for his people,” the report continues. “The parcel literally and figuratively symbolizes the natural beauty of Keauhou Bay, its coastline teeming with fish and its fertile and verdant land. These were the gifts that Kamehameha intended to be given to his people — past, present and future.”
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.
