State of Hawaii Pushes Shoreline Owners on Vegetation

The Department of Land and Natural Resources is pressing Kahala oceanfront landowners on the vegetation growing onto the beach from their lots.  There is a brewing conflict between landowners who use naupaka to stabilize their property from the ocean and lateral beach access for the public.  The State owns the beach and so the vegetation is encroaching on its "land".  This conflict presents squarely the issues of a oceanfront landowner's right to preserve his or her property, with the State's sometimes competing interest in maintaining its land while allowing for beach access.

The State seems to be taking an educational outreach approach for now.

This is sure to be a hot topic of discussion at our upcoming Lorman seminar on "Construction and Land Use Issues in the Shoreline Area" later this summer, see my earlier post here.