Kailapa Community Resource Center Plan Published
Posted on Jun 7, 2012 in Department of Hawaiian Home LandsHo‘okumu ka Piko
Establishing the Piko
Kailapa Community Resource Center
Executive Summary
The Kailapa Community Center Plan represents a collaborative effort between Kailapa Hawaiian Homesteaders and the University of Hawaii Department of Urban & Regional Planning to envision the future development of a 14 acre plot of land awarded to the community by the Department of Hawaiian Homelands.
The following offers a brief summary of each section of the report.
Overview
Kailapa Hawaiian Homestead on the island of Hawai‘i overlooks the ocean where at the right time of the year, countless whales play and nurture their young. This place where residents await that perfect moment right as the sun meets the ocean, is a special place where the wind blows to declare its freedom, no longer passing through the sandalwood trees that once grew on the hillside, instead whipping across the open range. This mighty wind speaks with force, making its presence known to inspire the vision of things to come.
Kailapa Hawaiian Homestead is a rapidly growing rural community on the Kōhala coast in Kawaihae on the island of Hawai‘i, located mauka of Akoni Pule Highway. This small Hawaiian Homestead community is just over a decade old. Since moving into the homestead, the residents of the community have formed the Kailapa Community Association (KCA), a 501(c)(3) federally recognized nonprofit organization. The KCA exists to serve the needs of the residents, to improve the health and wellness of the Kawaihae community, and to preserve and protect the lands, waters and culture of Hawai‘i KCA received a license from the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) to develop a community resource center on 14.33 acres within the homestead. This planning project was conducted in response to a requirement by DHHL develop plans for the land towards community use and economic development.