{"id":253,"date":"2026-05-25T11:05:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T11:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=253"},"modified":"2026-05-25T11:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T11:05:28","slug":"county-to-use-eminent-domain-to-widen-puna-road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=253","title":{"rendered":"County to use eminent domain to widen Puna road"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A Hawaii County Council committee unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to acquire 3.74 acres of land along Government Beach Road in Puna using eminent domain in order to widen the winding, one-lane scenic seaside route.<\/p>\n

Read more Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic top All-NBA first-team picks<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A Hawaii County Council committee unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to acquire 3.74 acres of land along Government Beach Road in Puna using eminent domain in order to widen the winding, one-lane scenic seaside route.<\/p>\n

The Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions voted 9-0 in favor of Resolution 567-26, which authorizes the county\u2019s condemnation and acquisition of a long, thin strip of land running along the edge of two separate parcels located in the Keonepoko Iki subdivision just north of the Hawaiian Shores neighborhood from their owner, Lum Family Enterprises LLC.<\/p>\n

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Together the two parcels add up to roughly 230 acres. The county is trying to seize a 55-foot-wide, 1.5-mile-long strip abutting the road that would allow the Department of Public Works to make improvements.<\/p>\n

Introduced by the Office of the Corporation Counsel, the resolution is the final step in a decade-long, protracted fight over the land, which began in 2014 when the county laid asphalt outside of the road\u2019s right of way onto private property on the western side of the road. Since then, negotiations with the properties\u2019 owner have failed to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe paved onto \u2014 a little bit onto the mauka property,\u201d Deputy Corporation Counsel Sinclair Salas-Ferguson told council members during Tuesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cAnd for years, the county has been trying to negotiate with the landowner \u2026 and it\u2019s never come to fruition, so in order to resolve the issues, we have to go through condemnation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilo Councilman Dennis \u201cFresh\u201d Onishi questioned Salas-Ferguson about the possibility that the case could end up in court \u2014 something the lawyer said is almost guaranteed to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis resolution is authorizing the Office of Corporation Counsel to file a lawsuit in court so we have to go to court,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we cannot reach a settlement between this being passed and going to court, we\u2019ll file a lawsuit in court \u2014 an action for condemnation \u2026 and we\u2019ll negotiate in court a settlement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Onishi then asked if the landowner could counter-sue.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, so the county has authority to take private property for a public purpose, which is what we\u2019re asking today,\u201d he said. \u201cTaking property for a roadway, (it) is almost indisputable that it\u2019s a public purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Onishi implied that the landowner could have a stronger case since the problem began with the county\u2019s error.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe county made a mistake and paved into their property,\u201d Onishi said.<\/p>\n

Salas-Ferguson reassured the council member that the lawsuit would most likely be about the amount of compensation owed.<\/p>\n

Read more Mountain View man in custody after firearms incident<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fight in court for condemnation is the valuation of the land, generally,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, the owner is going to say, \u2018oh, it\u2019s worth this much, you\u2019re not paying me enough,\u2019 and then the court will decide that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wayland Lum is the manager of Lum Family Enterprises and travels back and forth between Oahu and his country homestead in Puna located on the properties in question. He told the Tribune-Herald he is eager to tell his story in the courtroom, and to explain that a wider road in front of his home would likely become a magnet for crime.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that we have our day (in court) so I can explain to them the history, and also the history with the county,\u201d Lum said. \u201cBasically, during the last six years, I\u2019ve been meeting with three different administrations trying to resolve this matter. The biggest thing for me is because we get theft on our property coming from Government Beach Road \u2014 the people out there, they park their cars and all that kind of stuff, and they come in and they steal. It\u2019s been going on for all this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lum is a 72-year-old organic farmer and rancher, and last year more than 100 of his sheep were killed and mutilated by loose hunting dogs. He suspects that the massacre stemmed from hunters trespassing across his property at night.<\/p>\n

Suffering these losses on the land only for the county to end up seizing part of it, he said, is especially disheartening considering how long the properties have been in his family.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hard part is that, historically, it was my grandfather\u2019s land,\u201d Lum said. \u201cI was born there. We\u2019ve been there since 1922 or 1923 \u2026 it\u2019s been in the family that long. I\u2019m a third generation now, my children will be fourth. When people do this to your land, and you\u2019ve been there forever, it\u2019s very difficult \u2026 when you have that much invested in it \u2014 when you were actually there from the beginning \u2014 it is more heartfelt.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked if there is any amount of money that would make this situation right, he was quick to answer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere really isn\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cThey came in with their appraiser, and (the amount) was so low it was pitiful, so I actually hired my own appraiser, and they came in and said it\u2019s six times what the other one was. The compensation was so small it was pitiful. It was like, you know what? Don\u2019t even give me any money, it was so ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the committee\u2019s approval of the eminent domain resolution on Tuesday, the measure will head to the full council in two weeks for its consideration. <\/p>\n

Read more Jared McCain erupts as Thunder weather Spurs\u2019 fast start, seize 2\u20131 series lead<\/a><\/p>\n

Email Stefan Verbano at stefan.verbano@hawaiitribune-herald.com.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

County to use eminent domain to widen Puna road – Hawaii News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nCounty to use eminent domain to widen Puna road - Moving to Hawaii Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movingtohawaiiguide.com\/?p=253\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"County to use eminent domain to widen Puna road - Moving to Hawaii Guide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"County to use eminent domain to widen Puna road - 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