Ronnie's Blog

Kauai Mayor Dies Suddenly on Sunday

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:42:11 -0500

Garden Isle's Mayor Dies Of Apparent Heart Attack:
VIEW THE STORY ONLINE

Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste, 52, died Sunday afternoon of an apparent heart attack, county officials said.
Paramedics went to Baptiste's home in Wailua and took him to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, where he died.
The mayor had just returned from major heart surgery on Oahu. Baptiste had quadruple bypass heart surgery on June 13 at Queen's Medical Center He was discharged from the hospital on Friday and returned to Kauai Saturday night, officials said.

"This is sad news. Mayor Baptiste will be truly missed. He had a pointed sense of humor that made everyone listen carefully to what he said. We had a wonderful relationship and I will really miss him. My heart goes out to his family as they deal with his unexpected passing. I respected his commitment to the people of Kauai, and his absence on the Hawaii Council of Mayors will be felt by many," Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares said in a written statement.

The Kauai County charter provides that the County Council meet and appoint a new mayor who will serve temporarily until the election in June. The Council met twice yesterday and will meet again today. It will be interesting to see who gets appointed. Mayor Baptiste will be missed by so many people whose lives he touched!

Read the GARDEN ISLAND NEWS COVERAGE about the loss of our mayor.

Realtor Questions to the leaders of Princeville at Hanalei

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:31:05 -0500

At the conclusion of the Princeville at Hanalei presentation to the community of realtors, questions were taken from the audience. Here is a condensed version of that interaction that will hopefully provide more insight about development and the activities of Princeville at Hanalei, the owners of the Princeville Hotel, the Princeville shopping center, and close to 8,000 acres within the Princeville area.

Q: What about the status of the long-promised employee housing?
A: Surveys say that employees would rather live in Kilauea. P at H is ooking at site across from the Church of the Pacific in Princeville, and looking at a place in Kilauea. No decision has yet been made on the location.

Q: What about recycling?
A; Need to come up to a plan that is sustainable.

Q: What are future plans of the Princeville airport?
The airport will continue to exist. Heli USA no longer has their space there. Probably there will be a reimplementation of tour helicopters. There is some fixed wing traffic but primarily charter flights . Some discussions about reimplementation of commuters. Not sure if that is practical or feasible. The runway is not scheduled for any expansion. The Princeville airport is currently limited by FAA rules to planes that carry no more than 10 passengers.

Q: How do people get permission to fly into the airport?
A; Call Mike Lu. One of the hats he wears is airport manager. The minimum insurance is $10 million. Most folks only carry $1 million in liability. The airport is privately owned and there’s major concern about liability exposure. Jeff Stone has a new airline that does fly in. Resort Air. You can contact them.

Q: What is your timeframe on the new 17 lots described in this meeting?
For the new subdivision, P at H just recently applied to planning department. The application is routed to all agencies and comes up before planning commission for tentative approval. This will come up in a couple of months. Development may include design drawings, dealing with shoreline setback issues (some of the parcels are within 500' of the shoreline), drainage studies, and more complexities.

Q: When you speak about sustaianability at the Princeville Ranch new subdivision, are you talking about windmills?
Probably PVs (photovoltaic) or little vertical turbines. There are lots of new devices coming out and they are getting into feasibility economically. The idea would be to generate a portion, but not all of their energy. Projecting a way to monitor energy, see how much it is taking, and turn it off and on in realtime. You can cut down 1/3 of your energy costs that way.

Q; How will the 17 lots in the new Princeville Ranch sdubdivision be subdivided?
Owners may CPR. Possibly 75 homes total. Create an area where ranch activities could occur. Parcels are between 10 and 30 acres in size.

Q: What are locations for development on the Mauka (mountain) side
P at H has not yet located the spots. Need to find locations that do not interfere with the Carswells farming operation. It will be a couple of years before the plan is developed. That will be 10-12 undividable residence lots.

Q:Will the building envelopes in the makai lots be predetermined?
Yes. The makai lots will be very specific and very tightly controlled.

The presentation and questions lasted close to an hour.

Princeville at Hanalei reveals plans for new lot developments

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:59:27 -0500

On June 11th, Princeville at Hanalei (formerly known as Princeville Corporation) gave a presentation to a gathering of the North Shore realtors of Kauai to talk about the status of development on the North Shore and specifically the Princeville at Hanalei projects.

Jay Furfaro, one of our Kauai County Council representatives, Francis Oda, and Dee Crowell all spoke to the audience and fielded questions at the end of the 40 minute presentation. Jay, whose children are sixth generation Hawaiians, started off the meeting with a little bit of North Shore history that I found most interesting. Jay is the keeper of records for Gomez Ohana of Hanalei. His wife of 30 years, Ema Gomez, was raised in Hanalei, Kaua`i. The Gomez family descended from one of the original Princeville cowboys, Louis Antonio Domingo Gomez. Jay and Ema, have three children Nicole, Jennifer and Marissa. All three young women are graduates of Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawai`i.

With a resort background, including twelve years of service for ITT Sheraton, Jay was hired by the new Princeville at Hanalei as an operating officer back in 2005.

The key objectives Jay Furfaro described when discussing the Princeville Ranch in somewhat broader terms are:
1. To sustain and create a ranch community which honors the land, heritage and history of Princeville at Hanalei.
2. Utilize concepts of sustainable development principles that are based on sound economic models with connectivity to our local community, and promote stewardship of the land.

Regarding the sustainability perspective, Princeville at Hanalei nurtures a native Hawaiian forest, with the assistance of staff and employees.

The Princeville Ranch was the focus of this particular presentation. Princeville Ranch is one of the oldest working cattle ranches in Hawai with its historical roots pre-dating those of the American Old West. For over 175 years, the ranch has been operating. Beef from the ranch used to be shipped to California back in the gold rush days.

As with so many industries these days, with the high cost of transporting everything and the low cost of beef, the Princeville Ranch is a marginal operation. Thus, the idea has evolved to create a 17 lot agricultural subdivision. So, Princeville at Hanalei has applied for the initial permits to create this subdivision. The lots themselves may then be condominiumized (CPR”d) to ultimately create a density of up to 75 homes. See the map below to see where the target pieces for this project is.These 17 lots are described as Princeville Ranch Makai.

Then mauka of the highway, where the mauka village and affordable housing was supposed to be, there will be another 10-12 mutli-acre homesites. The owners in these two project will become equity owners of the Princeville Ranch with the notion that the Carswell family, the family that currently runs the ranch, will continue to do so. The map refers to these as Princeville Ranch Mauka.

So in the spirit of sustainability, the notion is to find like-minded individuals who desire to become a model of a sustainable community. From the road design to the drainage plan for water runoff, each aspect of this development is being scrutinized for its adherence to sustainability for the long term.

This project may take several years to get off the ground. Of course, the affordable housing piece which was expected to be built in the mauka village, still has not been built and this is a source of frustration to the community and the employees of Princeville at Hanalei. Many of these long-time employees must commute from a fairly long distance away.

Two additional projects, the Greens and the Meadows, are also land development projects of Princeville at Hanalei. The Greens are approximately 36 residential lots with views of the ocean and mountains. Unlike most Princeville lots of 9,000 -12,000 sq. ft., these lots are around 15,000 sq. ft per lot. A new road will parallel the highway leading from the Prince Course Clubhouse to the Fountain through the Greens. These lots will probably not released in the current real estate market although the roads and infrastructure have been completed for some time. The Meadows is another 200+ home sites located as its name applies, in the meadows just below the greens. The work on this project has barely begun.

Finally, in what is referred to as the Central Plateau area just east of the Prince Golf Course, there is another cluster of land that is slated for development in the future.

If you know of someone committed to “green living” and who would value owning an equity stake in the Princeville Ranch, keep your ears and eyes open to watch the evolution of this project over the next several years.

Photovoltaic install helps Kauai figure out net metering

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 02:24:45 -0500

I recently attended a one hour free workshop at the State Building in Lihue on the subject of a case study in Photovoltaic (PV). The presentation was deliver by Walt Barnes, an engineer who lives in the Wailua Homesteads, and who works for AT&T labs. Co-incidently, Walt's wife Anne is my fellow in the Rotary Club of Kapa`a AND the director of publicity and marketing for KIUC, the electric company cooperative that sells us our electricity, at greater than 40 cents a kilowatt hour.

Walt took to task to research, design, and engineer a photovoltaic system and has documented all his research and continues to track his results to assist island residents in understanding and demystifying the process and possibility of generating one's own electricity.

Walt told me he has delivered this presentation about a dozen times on island. There were about twenty folks in the room for the presentation i attended although the prior presentation at the state building was standing room only so this was repeat performance so more people could get educated.

Walt stated that municipalities, states and individuals are the entities currently enrolled in fighting climate change. It's NOT our government. Kauai is in the tropics and gets a lot of sun. First things first. If we don't already have solar water, that's the place to start at a bare minimum. Payback on solar water generation is 1.5-2 yrs. That's significantly quicker than with PV.

View of the PV installation: the 2 smaller panels in 2nd row from bottom are the original solar water panels

Rather than recite the deep science and math of what Walt Barnes has discovered and shared with our community, you can see all the data from Walt's experiments at www.walt-n-anne.com/pv/pv.htm.

The system that the Barnes' installed utilized net metering. That is, the electricity flows from where you have more of it to where you have less. The PV electricity made goes to someone else. The meter spins forward and backwards. It spins backwards when Walt is making electricity that he is not using. The idea was to size the system to make more electricity than Walt needed to make up for the fact that at nighttime he makes no electricity. Grid-tied PV is causing KIUC extra work. There is a practical engineering limit of how much one can have on the system. That limit is 5% of total demand. That would be 1.25% of total energy used on Kauai.

L-Brackets and rails go down on the roof first to secure the PV panels.

TGI (Garden Island Newspaper) recently reported that KIUC reached its net metering limits for residential and commercial customers. These limits were established by the Hawai`i Public Utilities commissioin after a next netering law was enacted in 2001. In 2005 there were only three people using net metering and this year 60 people are attempting to get their systems up and running. Consumers can continue to purchase and sell energy at the Schedule Q rate. Instead of selling back electricity to KIUC for retail, Schedule Q customers receive the wholesale rate, a lower price. Perhaps policies will change as more people become self sustaining with the PV efforts.

Walt's system generates 4.8KW
Costs were: 9K in panels and inverters
4K rails and Misc.
-12K in tax credits (two year installation) •
NEM Residential Payback
5KWH generated annually (creates a credit of $1950)

Walt's payback is 5.6 years +/- 20%. Remember, Walt designed the system AND installed it. So if you were paying a retail contractor to do that portion, the payback is closer to the 10 yr. range. The government provides a calculator to help size a system for your needs.Take their estimates with a grain of salt.

http://rredc.nrel.gov/solar/calculators/PVWATTS

It's great to see someone sharing their experience with the entire Kauai community so we might all benefit from Walt and Anne's experience and learn from them.

Ron and Gwen Margolis
On Top of The Aloha Beat
Century 21 All Islands
http://www.landinkauai.com
email: ron@landinkauai.com
24 Hour Information Line: 800-582-9585
Cell: 808-346-7095

May Sales Numbers reported in the Honolulu Advertiser

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:48:52 -0500

The Honolulu Advertiser today reported about the Kauai numbers for May. Our MLS is a real-time system so the monthly numbers and comparision to prior years is always available.

The Advertiser reports:

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Prices of single-family homes on Kauai rose in May, while prices of condominiums slipped.

However, the median price for both categories was based on much lower sales volume compared to the same month a year ago, according to statistics from Hawaii Information Service.

The median price of a single-family home on Kauai last month was $677,500, which was 19 percent over May 2007 when it was $570,000. The year-to-date median price was $655,000, no change from 2007.

The median price of a condo was $627,000, down more than 10 percent from the May 2007 median price of $700,000. The median price for the first five months of the year was $579,500, more than 10 percent above the same period in 2007, when it was $525,000.

There were just 20 single-family homes sold in May on the Garden Isle, down 51 percent from May 2007 when there were 41 homes sold. Year-to-date, there were 119 houses sold during the first five months of the year, down 40 percent from the same period in 2007, when there were 199 sales.

Condo sales numbered 18 last month, down 28 percent from 25 units sold in May 2007. Sales for the first five months of the year were also 40 percent down for condos, with just 88 sales recorded, compared to 146 sold during the same period last year.

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It's important to note that with such a small number of sales compared to a larger urban market like Honolulu or any large city on the mainland, the median price may not be that indicative of market trends. Stating that the prices of homes rose simply means that the mix of higher end homes compared to lower end homes was greater. There really is not an area on Kauai where prices are currently rising that I am aware of. So, if you are reading about our market data, make sure you have an open dialogue with a knowledgeable raltor who can put that information into the most meaningful context regarding the Kauai Real Estate market.

For instance, look at the numbers for sales volume in the Koloa/Poipu area. They are down almost 70 PER CENT, while the median price is up for the year significantly. You need someone knowledgeable to help you understand these numbers.

Taste of Hawaii 2008 - Another Great Success

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 14:24:52 -0500

This year's Taste of Hawaii held this past Sunday on June 1st at Smith's Tropical Paradise on the Wailua River was a great success. The event continued its greening trend which started several years ago. The last two years all the utensils and cups and trays were bio-degradeable. This year, a local organization called Zero Waste Kauai participated by taking all the food and biodegradeables to compost and separate all the recycleable materials.

Over 1300 paid guest and close to 800 volunteers, musicians and chefs filled the park starting early Sunday morning and ending at 4PM. There were 14 music groups and some spectacularly delicious foods. My wife particularly liked the tomato-basil-chile gelato. I was enthralled by the Marriott's offering of mediterranean samples, including a little piece of lamb, edamame pate, couscous and chickpea salad.

The musical highlight of the event was the performance in the pavillion by Makana, who is one of the most unusual and talented slack key guitarists alive today. Makana blends the study and wisdom of the great slack key masters with the youthful exuberance, passion, and sheer joy of being inventive with his guitar and voice.

Here are a few pictures you may enjoy. If you are ever on Kauai in June, Taste of Hawaii is always the first Sunday of the month. You've got to check out this way cool event.

VIEW MY GALLERY OF TASTE OF HAWAII PICTURES from the event

Hawai`i Mortgage Loans reflect industry tightening.

Fri, 30 May 2008 12:32:21 -0500

According to numbers published by Title Guaranty, one of Hawai`i's leading title and escrow organization, the total value of new loans and re-fis across the residential and commercial markets dropped to $5.2 billion during the first quarter of '08, from 10.4 billion in the year-earlier period. The slowing housing market is one reason. The contraction of loan products, particularily in the no-doc category of loans, is another contributor to the reduced volume in mortgages.

In some parts of Hawai`i, I'm talking about the state now, not the Big Island, HELOC, Home Equity Lines of Credit, are being pulled as property values continue to decline. For those with superb credit, full doc loans are still at amazingly low rates though. And Countrywide has an amazing rural loan program that has loans up to $773,000 for virtually no money down. It is one of the few "no money down" programs still available in today's market of fewer loan programs.

Rick Daysog of the Honolulu Advertiser has a full report on the loan industry and some of the challenges they are facing. Read about the Hawaii Loan Mortgage challenge here.

Outrigger - Strong on Kauai and in Hawaii

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:20:17 -0500

Outrigger - One of Kauai's Leading Management Companies

Founded in 1947, and still a family-owned business, Outrigger Enterprises Group is one of the largest property and resort management companies in the islands. Today, Outrigger is a multibrand line of hotels, condos and vacation resort properties that operates or has under development or renovation 47 properties with nearly 12,000 rooms in Hawai`i, Guam, Fiji, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia.

With their brand-tested slogan, "Outrigger hospitality, always a warm island welcome", they have a great reputation and although large by island standard, they are still a small company compared to the likes of Marriott and Hyatt.

Jseph Toy, presiden tof Hospitality Advisors, comments that Outrigger has perhaps the most strategic thinkers in Hawaii. And like any modern day business, Outrigger is migrating its marketing efforts to be Web 2.0 compliant. You'll find comments on Trip Advisor and video postings on You Tube and My Space to name but a few of the places Outrigger is propagating.

Here on Kauai, Outrigger manages several properties. At Lae Nani, on the Coconut Coast, Outrigger manages 49 out of the 84 units at this lush and tropical beachfront complex built in the late 70's. Outrigger also manages the home owner's association at Lae Nani, an additional service Outrigger sometimes provides at it's condominium properties. The new Waipouli Beach Resort is also managed by Outrigger although Outrigger no longer manages the home owner's association of this luxury complex comprised of mostly one and two bedroom boutique-quality apartments replete with Wolf ranges, Sub Zero refrigerators and high-end finishes everywhere you look.

Left: Sprawling tropical grounds of Lae Nani-
Below: Lae Nani view from the Ocean
If you are an owner that utilizes Outrigger ,they utilize a system in which vacationers book a certain tier of condo. For instance, partial ocean view, garden view, oceanfront are three examples each with different rack rates. . Then, a couple of days before the vacationers arrive, the reservation gets assigned to an individual condounit. This allows Outrigger to load balance the revenue and occupancy for the many units they manage.

Poised for growth despite the economy, Outrigger Reef and Hotel, one of only seven oceanfront hotels in Waikiki, is undergoing a $110 million redevelopment, expected to be completed by early next year.

Ron and Gwen Margolis
On Top of The Aloha Beat
The Pulse of Kauai Real Estate
Century 21 All Islands
http://www.landinkauai.com
email: ron@landinkauai.com
24 Hour Information Line: 800-582-9585
Cell: 808-346-7095

Luxury Kauai vacation home market is optimistic

Fri, 30 May 2008 00:16:43 -0500

Optimistic outlook for luxury vacation-home market

One of the drivers that buffers our Kauai market from the duldrums is the ongoing purchasing of luxury property. These are properties that are extraordinary and often expensive. I generally look at this market as being above $2 million in price, though it could be lower. These couple of snippets below from the 2008 Annual Wealth report validate this notion.

The outlook for owners of "prime property" - "the most desirable, and normally most expensive, property in a defined location" - notably for vacation homes, is much more optimistic, according to the 2008 Annual Wealth Report by property consultants, Knight Frank and Citi Private Bank.

"The boom in second-home ownership over the past decade will be nothing compared with the growth we will see over the next decade," the report says.

Liam Bailey, head of residential research at Knight Frank and the author of the report, notes that while the market for prime residential real estate will be weaker this year and next, thanks to the global credit crunch, the outlook for prime property over the medium and long term is strong, as the rich get richer and wealth increases across the globe.

Global prime property prices rose by 11 percent worldwide in 2007, according to the Wealth Report. It notes that rising affluence across the globe is likely to spur sales of vacation homes. "Rising affluence generates another market: second homes and holiday homes," it says. (The Wall Street Journal)

Ron and Gwen Margolis
On Top of The Aloha Beat
The Pulse of Kauai Real Estate
Century 21 All Islands
http://www.landinkauai.com
email: ron@landinkauai.com
24 Hour Information Line: 800-582-9585
Cell: 808-346-7095

Dance Fans - If You Like the Hula...

Thu, 29 May 2008 12:17:23 -0500

If you like the Hula and are on Kauai at the end of June, then we've got just the thing for you!

Hālau Hula Ka No`eau will present “HAWAIIAN LEGACY … the deconstruction of music and hula … Kahauanu and Maiki Aiu Lake”, Saturday, June, 28 @ 7:30 p.m. at the Kauai Community College Performing Arts Center in Lihue, Kauai.
            The evening performance will highlight the work of the late Kumu Hula Maiki Aiu Lake and ukulele virtuoso Kahauanu Lake. Kahauanu is noted for his Hawaiian musical arrangements with the ukulele as the lead instrument and his signature “Hawaiian Jazz-Swing Style” of music.   His late wife Maiki, who is often credited as “mother of the Hula Renaissance”, trained the majority of Hawai`i’s leading kumu hula during the 1970’s and early 1980’s. Today, there are three generations of kumu hula that maintain her legacy. The work the Lakes produced was the front-runner to the Hawaiian Renaissance and it continues to be the standards of excellence all others try to emulate. The concert is presented in part by a grant appropriation from the National Endowment for the Arts and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts American Master’s Program.
            “It is exciting to have Auntie Maiki and Uncle “K” considered American Masters by the National Endowment for Arts”, says Michael Pili Pang, kumu hula of Hālau Hula Ka No`eau. Kumu Pang, who is also the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts in Honolulu, has been working for ten years to have the Lakes be recognized as “American Masters”. In the spring of 2004, Pang took part in the “20th Century Dance Masters … Sharing the Legacy Dance Concert” at Hunter College in New York City, where he presented three of Mrs. Lake’s chorography on the same concert as the choreography of other dance masters such as Martha Graham, José Limón, George Balanchine, and Merce Cunningham.
            “Just because we’re in the middle of the Pacific doesn’t mean we don’t have great Masters; we have some of the best and they need to be recognized” explains Pang. “This grant from the NEA and the State Foundation on Culture and the Arts validates the achievements and merits of our Hawaiian Masters, particularly the Lakes who contributed so much to the arts and culture.”
      Pang conceived the idea of presenting the evening concert in a “talk story format” last summer when he and his hānai Uncle “K” released the Lake Trio’s Kaimana Beach CD. Joining Pang and Lake on stage will be the teachers of Hālau Hula Ka No`eau, Huliau Dance Company. These are a few of the people who maintain the “Hawaiian Legacy” of hula and music of the Lakes shared with Hawai`i. A $90,000 grant from the NEA American Master’s Program has allowed Pang and his hālau to bring this concert to Kauai. Previous performances have been in Honolulu and in Waimea on the Big Island, and the MACC on Maui.

Extraordinary Land and Ocean View Condo - 2 New Listings for Us

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:01:48 -0500

2 New Listings - Extraordinary Land & Ocean View Condo.
Not just another beautiful acreage, this land needs a steward of the aina to respect and appreciate this precious property where ancient Hawaiians lived and farmed on terraces above the beach. An incredible ocean view home site is above, overlooking the Kilauea River. Below this, adjacent to the terracing is a guest home site on a lower tier that is a short stroll to the river itself. Out of respect, nothing can be built on these terraces.Walk the jungle garden to waterfalls and see for yourself that this fertile spot would make an ideal private retreat or compound for someone appreciating the stunning views and proximity to a great swimming and surfing beach. VIEW THE MLS LISTING of this special location

Kaha Lani Unit 210 is a wonderful 1 bedroom condo located adjacent to Lydgate Park and the Wailua golf Course. This second floor unit at Kaha Lani provides wide ocean views and overlooks the swimming pool. Kaha Lani Means "Heavenly Place". It is truly one of the "best kept secrets" on Kauai.
VIEW THE VIRTUAL TOUR OF KAHA LANI Unit 210

Taste of Hawai`i - This Sunday June 1st - Call Me for Tickets

Tue, 27 May 2008 10:58:50 -0500

Taste of Hawai`i '08 - #20 will be GREAT!

The 20th Annual Taste of Hawaii will be held on Sunday June 1st at Smith's Tropical Paradise adjacent to the Wailua River. The Taste of Hawaii is the Ultimate Sunday Brunch which provides the primary source of fundraising for the annual operating budget for the Rotary Club of Kapa`a which I belong to. Our club started Taste of Hawai`i in 1988 as the first event of its kind in Hawai`i. It has grown into the premier culinary event on Kaua`i and in Hawai`i. The finest Chefs from around the state gather to provide our guests with a tasting extravaganza second to none.
TOH features:

50 chefs from restaurants around Hawai`i
15+ beverage vendors
10+ musical and entertainment groups
A large silent and live auction
Smith's Tropical Paradise, a stunning 30-acre private park.

TOH raises funds for:

Scholarship programs for college-bound high school students.
Scholarships for vocational studies for community college students.
Recognition of outstanding Humanitarian Vocational Contributions
Community projects that give financial support directly to other non-profits and community organizations
International Service Projects which partner with foreign Rotary Clubs that target specific local needs (food, water, medical supplies, etc)

Taste of Hawai`i is the #1 community event on Kaua`i as voted by public polls. Come see why and be prepared to boogie and feast.

Stemming the Development Tide - An interesting point of view

Tue, 27 May 2008 10:55:44 -0500

Stemming the development tide on Kauai.
Walter Lewis published an interesting piece in TGI (Garden Island Newspaper) earlier in the month about stemming the development tide on the island. In 2000, the Kauai General Plan was adopted to set in place parameteres for the county's rate of development. The plan limits the increase of visitor accomodation units to an average of about 125 units per year. The units that have been constructed and those with approvals from planning officials are vastly in excess of the pace noted in the General Plan. In the past months, a group of citizens concerned about the unchecked growth of the accomodation units concluded something needed to be done to prevent our island from becoming a Maui-like mecca for vistors.

The Coalition for Responsible Government has initiated a charter amendment calling for our the County Council to accept responsiblity for the number of permits for construction of transient units. This would be an improvement over leaving this power in the hands of the appointed Planning Commission, whcih has proven unwilling or unable to stem the development tide. Under the charter amendment the council may delegate the permitting responsiblity back to the Planning Commission if it adopts an ordinance limiting tourist accomodations to the rate contemplated under General Plan.
Map of Kealanani - New Kealia Ag SubdivisionAerial of Poipu Aina estates

A spokesperson for the charter amendment commented that it would be years before the council looks at the issues and even then there is no assurance action might occur. Citizens are increasingly giving the council a vote of no confidence in its inability to act on matters of public concern. The initiative must be affirmatively voted on in the November 2008 general election to move forward.
Stay tuned for more on this amendment. There is also an ongoing discussion about a vote to have a professional county manager instead of an elected mayor to run Kauai. The mayor would then be an appointed person, a figurehead who does PR and personally represents our county at many island events.

Kauai Real Estate List of Foreclosure Auction and Pre-Foreclosures

Thu, 22 May 2008 10:08:27 -0500

The Kauai real estate market is chugging a long with some nice high end escrows closing and some very good values from developers on inventory that has not yet moved. Incentives to buyers and buyers agents help to keep inventory moving. Foreclosures and short sales however are still on the rise. Many people inquire about these types of properties with the notion that they can "steal" something, but, that is pretty unlikely since banks generally hire appraiser and perform a broker price opinion in order to have a pretty fair opinion with regards to the value of a property they are foreclosing on.

The two lists below contain properties that are currently scheduled for auction and a separate chart for those properties that are in pre-foreclosure. Just because an auction date is set for a property heading for foreclosure, this doe snot mean the auction will actually occur on time. As an example, I attended last Friday's auction at the Lihue Courthouse. One of the auctions was for Wyndham timeshares, and in this case, the developer bought back all the inventory that was being foreclosed on. The other 3 auctions, a home in Hamamaulu, one in Wailua and one in Kalaheo, were all postponed. Two of the parcels were postponed til 7/18 and the other property was postposed unitl 6/20.

If you see a property on either of these lists that interests you, drop me an email or call me, and I'll give you whatever info I can regarding this property. Notice on the 2nd list the property on Niulani St. That is an oceanfront parcel with a small home and zoned open which allows up to a 3,000 sq. ft. footprint. The property was listed for under 1.3 Million and the default is over 1.5 million.

KAUAI PROPERTIES FOR AUCTION

KAUAI PROPERTIES IN PRE-FORECLOSURE

1st Annual Red Clay Jazz Festival on Kauai

Sun, 18 May 2008 19:37:19 -0500

One of my community involvements here on Kauai has been to participate as a board member of the Kauai Concert Association.
Last evening KCA held its final concert of the '07 & '08 season. It was fondly titled, The 1st Annual Red Clay Jazz Festival. The purpose of the event is to keep great jazz alive on Kauai. The event was a huge success. Everyone had a ball and what a great value to hear three fabulous ensembles for only $45. I imagine the cost could be closer to $100 if held in a mainstream mainland venue. Below is a short article I drafted this morning commemorating the event.

_________-------________---------__________---------___________-----------____________-----------____________------------____________

I don't know if it's what Pete had in mind, but, if the late Pete Robinson was watching from somewhere up above last night at the Marriott Luau grounds, I'm sure he would have been smiling and grooving. The Kauai Concert Association hosted the 1st Annual W.S. Pete Robinson Red Clay (named for the Freddie Hubbard tune and our red dirt) Jazz Festival. It's a dream that Pete had for a long time. Now, a new tradition has been established in Pete's namesake. And Pete's wife, Judy Arrigo, was the driving visionary and energetic force to spearhead the creation of this new tradition on Kauai.

I could not imagine a more splendid ambience for listening to live music anywhere on this planet. Picture a large white stage tent at the very end of the beach at Kalapaki Bay. As you look to your right you see and hear the ocean softly breaking on the shore. In the background, the Ha`upu mountains complete the panoramic magic. Being outdoors, everything sounds better. There are no walls to reverberate off of and the sound just massages your being.

The Red Clay festival began with the energetic big band from Kauai High School. The Kauai High Jazz Raiders played through a selection of straight ahead jazz, funk, and Latin big band arrangements. Daryl Miyasato, the band director and the sit-in bass player for the evening, conducted the band as they journeyed through some ambitious arrangements including Chick Corea's Spain, and a beautiful ballad from smooth jazz horn maven, Kenny G. The band featured one of their trombone players, Kyle Furusho, as a fabulous lead vocalist on the great Sinatra classic, "Come Fly With Me".

During the breaks between the music groups, patrons browsed the grounds which featured yummy Marriott cuisine like chili dogs and chili with rice, and fine beverages. Young marketing execs promoting Steinlager Pure shared complimentary beverage tickets from Steinlager, one of the events' premier sponsors. Other major sponsors of this inaugural event included the Marriott, the County of Kauai - Office of Economic Development & the Hawaii Tourism Authority The art exhibit from the Kauai Society of Artists was displayed in the courtyard adjacent to the concert grounds. And KCA sold CDs of the artists, T-shirts, and shared the mission of KCA with the attendees, several of whom were tourists visiting. I am sure, despite the vog, the visitors could feel the aloha spirit present everywhere around the festival grounds.

The music shifted gears when the Honolulu Jazz Quartet took the stage. Led by bassist John Kolivas, an Oahu native, the quartet serenaded the crowd with a long set of straight ahead and progressive jazz, mostly original compositions. One interesting piece, Heater's On, was a musical depiction of John's first experience of the bizarre sounds of a radiator heating a cold apartment in Manhattan. The radiator, portrayed by drummer Von Baron's fabulous cymbal work, made most unusual sounds and rhythms. Von Baron's cymbal techniques were both innovative and effective. Another piece, a three four rendition of a Keola Beamer tune, Real Old Style, was a sweet variation on a slack key theme. HJQ is a tight ensemble with Chicago native Dan Delnegro and saxophonist Tim Tuskiyama rounding out the ensemble. As emcee Tony Kilbert proposed, each city has its own style of music; NYC, Chicago, Philly are renowned jazz towns. Tony suggested the feeling of the tradewinds was the quality of this Honolulu-based quartet. Though Kona winds made the air still, the slick melodies and rhythms of HJQ blew through the air with a majestic quality all its own.

Highlighting the night was the effervescent and delightful Joyce Cooling. Hailing originally from Newark, NJ, Joyce has been in the Bay area for years. And while here chart topping sounds are affectionately labeled "Smooth Jazz" by the music industry, her superlative rhythm section of writing partner Jay Wagener, Billy Johnson on drums, and Victor Little on bass laid down 90 minutes of solid grooves that integrated funk, fusion, and intricate polyrhythms into a groove that made me want to get up and dance. In fact, I did, and so did others. Johnson, a Philly Native, and Little, added such a strong funk groove to every melody, it was simply infectious. I could feel the ocean dancing in response to the tight and exciting rhythms.

It may have taken a number of years for Pete Robinson vision to give birth. Perhaps the Red Clay Jazz Festival was being birthed on "Kauai time". Whatever the reason, hopefully the RED CLAY Jazz Festival, presented by the W.S. Pete Robinson Memorial Jazz Fund and KCA, and sponsored by Marriott, Steinlager Pure and others, will have a long extended stay on Kauai. And Pete Robinson can keep smiling and grooving, like hundreds of jazz enthusiasts did last night on the beach at Kalapaki Bay.

More Vacation Rental Drama on Kauai

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:03:41 -0500

As most of you who read this blog know, the Vacation Rental Bill passed a few months ago. The Planning Department was directed to create a form necessary to apply for non conforming use certificate (NCUC) for those eligible SFTVR’s in operation outside the Visitor Destination Areas (VDA) before the ordinance was passed.

In addition, the Real Property Tax Office was required to have a form for ALL those Vacation Rentals IN THE VDA to register by.

The form that is currently available from the Planning Department, which, in connection with Real Property Tax Office, has decided to incorporate both into 1 form, has generated a significant amount of questions regarding what is being required.

Imai Aiu, Kauai County Deputy Planning Director, met with the Kauai Board of Realtors (KBR’s) counsel to discuss the form and the reasoning for the requirements called for. In addition, the Deputy Planning Director discussed with counsel many of our questions and concerns regarding the form and the legislative intent of the ordinance.

Those matters are currently being reviewed by the County.

Deputy Planning Director Aiu has graciously offered to meet with members to answer questions who wish to clarify the procedures at a general meeting, Monday, May 5, at 3 PM at the Kauai Hilton.

In addition, Jonathon Chun, KBR counsel on this issue, will be in attendance to answer questions and facilitate the meeting.

The goal is to provide everyone with as much accurate information as possible so that the registration process goes smoothly. Anyone involved is encouraged to email the board so answers wil be prepared in advance by counsel.

It's a good thing that our board is so proactive with issues like this to hopefully accelerate our learning curve so we can better serve the many clients here on Kauai who are integrally involved with the vacation rental industry.

Everything i needed i learned in Kindergarden

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 22:07:39 -0500

When i meet people from the mainland here on island, on of their more popular questions is "Don't you get bored living on an island?" I understand the sincerity of the question, and I have even met people that have gotten island fever. However, rarely is there a time when there aren't tons of things to do.

Like tonight for instance. Malama Pono, the island’s only dedicated prevention and care provider for HIV, infectious hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases, is holding a fundraiser at the Hukilau Lanai with Kauai Sings. Local singers will be singing the music of Irving Berlin, one of the most famous American composers. Did you know that Irving Berlin only played on the black keys and that Irving had a custom piano made that would transpose keys while allowing him to play only on the black keys At the same time, there's a huge reggae concert with six different great reggae bands.

But my pick for the evening, is a show at Kauai's leading private school, Island School, where English teacher Jim Bray and 4 of his students are performing the show, Everything i needed to know I learnt in Kindergarden. This is a moving play that underscores the simplicity and innocence of young children and how uninhibited and full of dreams we all are before we "grow-up" and become so sophisticated.

Aside from that, there's live music at about 8 hotels and Trees Lounge in LIhue. No, i don't get bored. In fact, most weekends there are more things going on here on Kauai, than i could possibly have the time to do even if i wanted to.

Here's a small excerpt from the show which traverses the innocence of children to the profound subject of the meaning of life and death.

Kindergarden cast from Island School. My friend Marty Whitney
is last on the right

From all I really need to know I learned in Kindergarden. All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarden. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don’t hit people. Put your things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Say your sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life- learn some and think some and draw and paint and play and work everyday some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch out For traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little Seed in the styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and Even the little seed in the styrofoam Cup. They all die. So do we. And then remember the Dick and Jane Books and the first word you learned- The biggest word of all- look. … think what a better world it would be if we all-the whole world- had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all the governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is still true, no matter how old you are- when you go out in the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Earth Day at Lydgate

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:24:07 -0500

Today is Earth Day. And while I am sitting open house at a beautiful Lae Nani Condominium in Wailua
my wife Gwen is over at Lydgate Park just a half a mile down the road.

Earth Day is a worldwide opportunity to think globally and act locally by getting out and becoming involved in outdoor activities. Help the planet feel a little better locally in a fun way and make some new friends.

LYDGATE PARK IN WAILUA WITH A BEAUTIFUL ENCLOSED SWIMMING AREA

This year Earth Day is being celebrated with a volunteer workday at Lydgate Park in Wailua on Kaua‘i. These events help keep the park clean and well-maintained for everyone’s enjoyment. The main task is applying a coat of non-toxic linseed oil wood sealer and doing maintenance carpentry on the playground.

Although Lydgate Park seems exceptionally clean for such a heavily used park, there is always litter and debris on the beach to be collected. Valerie Sakai, tobacco control specialist with the Kaua‘i Eastside School Complex, will be organizing teens to sweep through the park, collecting cigarette butts.

“We’re hoping to see about 125 volunteers participating,” said John Lydgate, who is one of the park’s most devoted caretakers. John is my neighbor and John spends a lot of time caring for the park that carries his great grandfather's namesake.

The Friends (of Lydgate Park) was formed in 1993 to help coordinate maintenance at Kamalani playground, now a landmark on Kaua‘i. The organization went on to create a master plan for Lydgate Park that included walking and bicycling paths, sports fields, coastal access for fishing and overnight camping facilities. Now there are 2.5 miles of ADA-compliant walking paths completed, three full-size sports fields nearing completion, the fishing access is protected for perpetuity and only the overnight camping is yet to be completed. We sometimes go to full moon parties on the beach led by John and Charlotte Lydgate. Lydgate Park andKamalani Playground is probably the finest area, park and beach for keiki (kids) to play at on the entire island of Kauai. Next time you are here, if you have not already done so, check it out.

Kauai Quarterly Realtor Meeting Updates the VDA issue.

Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:43:57 -0500

Yesterday, about 100 realtors gathered at the Marriot Hotel and Beach Club in Lihue, HI for our quarterly membership meeting. The most lively discussions occurred around the topic of the VDA. Below are some extemporaneous notes that i jotted down, attempting to keep up with the fervent rate of the questions. At the end of the day, after almost eight years of dialogue, the county has finally passed an ordinance in an attempt to manage Transient Vacation Rentals (anything less than 180 days). The mechanics for the management and the actual way the system is going to work, seems like a total mess at the moment. Realtors shared their various experiences about filling out the newly published forms for transient vacation rentals.

The Kauai.gov site has the application and a press release right on their home page. One of the quirky things the county has done is request that an engineer and architect certify and approve the plans of any VDA outside the VDA area, which non must apply for a non-conforming use certificate AND renew that license yearly. Again, below are my notes from yesterday's meeting.

---------------

Vacation Rental Ordinance is now in effect. No new vacation rentals outside the VDA will be allowed. Existing ones will be allowed as long as they register. That TVR form has sparked a lot of dialogue as to what is required to be non conforming. Everyone is required by 10/15 to apply for the non-conforming use certificate. After that date, no other non-conforming uses will be allowed. You should ask, "do you have a non-conformiing use permit" and that needs to be discussed. Otherwise, your client can buy a house that is a legal vacation rental now but may not be in the future.

We are in the initial stages of the process. There are more questions on the form. KBR met with planning department and asked how they plan to manage it.
1. They require a stamped engineer's certification. KBR has expressed the concern that planning has the ability to do this.
This may be a big bump in the road. Ordinance also requires that if you are in the VDA, you must register as well. IT is not the same as being outside the VDA. In order to continue even in the VDA, you must register. Forms have complicated the matter, because planning department currently wants more information than KBR feels is neccessary.
The ag land use that is being discussed is state-land use ag, the planing department will not accept any applications for grandfather status for rentals. The process will be cloudy until 10/15. From 10/15 to March 30th is the time the planning department has to evaluate the applications.

One agent went to hand in an application for a VDA unit, and the planning department refused to take the application saying that the AOAO needed to submit the forms for the whole complex ( as if the AOAOs had already decided to do this).Planning seems to think that the AOAO is going to do this for every condo. This is part of the initial confusion. If you have any problems with this issue and your clients, let the board know because we are hearing different answers from different people. One thing on the form for non-conforming use is the stipulation that the non-conforming use is recorded on the deed.

We are not sure how planning is going to handle it. Planning seems to think they are going to have more employees to handle it.

Registering inside the VDA for the VDA is required by September, but if you do not, you can continue to do business and register later. If you sell a property, the registration use should and does run with the land. However, you are required to re-register every year if you have a non-conforming use permit.

The planning department has no intention to change the VDA lines. Some property owners, like on Lawai road, are seeking to get the lines changed. Tell your clients to get legal assistance. You should not wait around to get the forms filed. We, KBR, are communicating that there are a lot of wrinkles in the bill but DO NOT let your clients wait around. If there are any changes, KBR will get the word around as quickly as possible. Planning is not looking at your old plans. They are looking for any changes between when you got the property and now. Planning is hoping to avoid having to do this themself.

B&Bs require a use permit. There are only 8 legal use permits for B&Bs on this island. Technically, all the rest of them are illegal. B&Bs have not been addressed in this ordinance. They have stopped calling it B&Bs and they call it homestays. Guest house is considered part of the house for this use whether it is attached or not. Technically, all those B&Bs are in violation if they don't have a use permit.

There may be impacts to the county regarding lost revenue. The county and planning department don't seem to care at all. Several homeowners who own on agricultural land may be taking legal action. The form just came out on March 30th.

The official source for VDA are dashed lines labeled time sharing. Registration for units in the VDA only has to be done one time. Forms are available on the opening page of Hawaii.gov. Planning is asking architect and engineer to certify that the use is legal. We are just starting to get a feeling for how architects and engineers are going to react to this. The form has been consolidated into one page for finance and planning. We have proposed three different forms. One for VDA. One for non-conforming. One for multi-family outside VDA before 1982 that are technically grandfathered. One person went into planning with architects and engineers stamped plans from renovations that were only two months old and planning would not accept it. That is not good!

Anything outside the VDA that is not operating now, is not allowed. To re-register an outside the VDA unit, you must show at least 30 days of income for the prior year.

SuperFerry EIS still a quandry

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:35:32 -0500

Superferry EIS begins amid continued concerns.

The Hawaii Superferry has been in dry dock being repaired for its service in Maui. This week the Alikai finally sailed , a week or so ahead of schedule, to Maui with 100 passengers and some vehicles. Meanwhie, a couple of weeks ago about 60 local residents showed up for the first of two three-hour informational meeting at the KCC Performing arts center to meet with representatives from Belt Collins Hawaii and the state DOT. The session was part of statewide effort that ended on March 31 on Lana`i to set the scope of the EIS that officials hope to finalize by May 2009.

A date for resumption of the Superferry's service to Kaua`i is still pending. The company has attempted to continue its daily trips to Maui, but was delayed by court action, docked by bad weather, and grounded by damage to the vessel. Yikes! The public will have another opportunity to provide input after the draft EIS is published, which is expected by this October. There is one final 45-day commment period.
The scope of the EIS will include air quality, cultural resources, marine resources, parks and recreation, public facilities and services, socioeconomics, terrestrial resources (agriculture and invasive species), traffic and circulation and travel.

Most of the ongoing press about the Superferry has not been positive so it doesn't seem like the Superferry will be traveling to Kauai any time soon. However, since the loss of Aloha Airlines, people are reminded again of the need for more than one mode of transportation between islands.

Great Multi-Family Home in Wailua Homesteads

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:54:07 -0500

Wonderful Multi-Family Home in Wailua Homesteads

Location: Wailua River View Estates

Wonderful family home with full ohana unit. Main house is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home complete with family room that has a surround system which comes with the home. Adjacent to this home with solar panels is a 2 car garage with laundry facilities, bathroom. A separate 1 car garage services the spacious 1 bedroom/ one bath ohana unit with full legal kitchen.

Ideal for two families, inlaws, or guests.

Enjoy the fruits of the owner's labors. Mature trees include jabong, Hawaiian navel oranges and mountain apple.

This immaculate home has been maintained with great care and has like-new laminate floors and remodeled bathrooms. Beautiful mountain views are seen from the ohana unit. With over 3000 sq. feet of living space, this Wailua River View Estates corner lot provides solid value in today's market.

Information

Contact Information

Ron Margolis

8083467095

Pricing

Asking Price: $695,000

Flexibility: Negotiable

Property Location

159 Pahaa Pl.
Kapaa, HI 96746

Links

Realtor Ron's Kauai Blog

Search Kauai MLS

Features

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4

Year Built: 1977

Subdivision: Wailua River View Estates

Lot Size: 9,324

Garage Size: 500

School District: Kapaa

Square Footage: 2811 sq. ft.

Agent Name: Ron Margolis

Broker: Century 21 All Islands

MLS #: 207938

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Full Refrigerator

Washer/Dryer

Dishwasher

Microwave

Exterior Amenities

Fenced Yard

Grass Lawn

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

VFLYER ID: 1607662

Photo Gallery

Side Yard and Patio

Beautiful Mtn. Views from Deck

Superb family-media room

Spacious Great Room

Beautiful Diing Area

One of 3 Bedrooms in Main Home

Nice Deck faces the mountains of Ohana Unit

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

VFLYER ID: 1607662

Great Multi-Family Home in Wailua Homesteads

Sat, 05 Apr 2008 15:53:44 -0500

Wonderful Multi-Family Home in Wailua Homesteads

Location: Wailua River View Estates

Information

Contact Information

Ron Margolis

8083467095

Pricing

Asking Price: $695,000

Flexibility: Negotiable

Property Location

159 Pahaa Pl.
Kapaa, HI 96746

Links

Realtor Ron's Kauai Blog

Search Kauai MLS

Features

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 4

Year Built: 1977

Subdivision: Wailua River View Estates

Lot Size: 9,324

Garage Size: 500

School District: Kapaa

Square Footage: 2811 sq. ft.

Agent Name: Ron Margolis

Broker: Century 21 All Islands

MLS #: 207938

Attributes

Appliances

Range/Oven

Full Refrigerator

Washer/Dryer

Dishwasher

Microwave

Exterior Amenities

Fenced Yard

Grass Lawn

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

VFLYER ID: 1607662

Photo Gallery

Side Yard and Patio

Beautiful Mtn. Views from Deck

Superb family-media room

Spacious Great Room

Beautiful Diing Area

One of 3 Bedrooms in Main Home

Nice Deck faces the mountains of Ohana Unit

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

VFLYER ID: 1607662