Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park reverts to private stewardship after failed lease negotiations with Hawaiʻi County
This is another blow to the residents of the Kaʻū District, who have been recovering from the deadly and destructive Hurricane Lala that struck less than two weeks ago.
Since at least 1954, Hawaiʻi County has leased the 6.8-acre Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park in the Kaʻū District from several private landowners to provide recreation and shoreline access for residents and visitors.
The current lease was executed in 1998 for $1 between SM Investments and the county.
But on Saturday, the lease ends after Hawaiʻi County and the park’s current landowner Black Sand Beach, LLC, did not reach an agreement on a new lease, the county announced Thursday.
Starting Sunday, county-managed park services will stop, and the park facilities and improvements will revert to the landowner, the county said.
“We know how important Punalu‘u Black Sand Beach Park is to Ka‘ū and the entire island,” Mayor Kimo Alameda said in a news release. “During negotiations with the landowner, we made multiple good faith offers that would protect the public interest but unfortunately were unable to reach a solution that is acceptable to the community.
“As a steward of public shoreline access, the county remains committed to doing everything within the law to preserve Punaluʻu for current and future generations.”
The news of the lease termination comes as Kaʻū communities continue to recover from Hurricane Lala with many still cleaning up damage and living without power and water.
“You know for me, right now, we got to get through life one day at a time, one hour at a time,” said Guy Enriques, a native of Punaluʻu who has advocated for public beach access and now is a candidate for County Council. “As important as Punaluʻu is to me, I personally have to put everything on hold until our people get back on track and feeling a sense of normalcy.”
In 2024, Black Sand Beach, LLC, approached Hawaiʻi County seeking new lease terms, including changes to the lease rent and duration of the agreement, the county said.
In order to protect community access to the beach park, make necessary park improvements, and maintain good stewardship of public funds, the County said it proposed a 10-year lease with annual payments starting at $159,300, followed by 3% annual increases.
The landowner declined the county’s offer and chose to terminate the existing lease agreement as of June 30, 2026. The parties subsequently agreed to extend the lease for two months to provide additional time to negotiate a potential agreement.
During this period, Hawiaʻi County conducted an appraisal for a proposed purchase of the property through its Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission program. Following the appraisal, the landowner declined to sell the property to the county through the program, the county said.
Purchases through this program require a willing seller and the County can’t offer more than the maximum purchase price established by the appraisal.
“Throughout this process, we made every effort to find a resolution — from offering substantial lease payments to pursuing purchase of the property — and we know there will be many questions going forward,” Alameda said. “As this lease comes to an end, we will continue to coordinate across County departments and with other partners to minimize the disruption this will cause and address impacts on the community.”
In 2019, Black Sand Beach, LLC, owned by Eva Liu, purchased 147 acres around Punaluʻu Black Sand Beach Park, about 6 miles southwest of Pāhala. The 2024 proposal by Black Sand Beach said it would build 225 residential units about one-fifth of a mile from the shore. The plan would not allow cars to park near the beach. The company also said it would create its own conservation plan to preserve the shoreline for public use.
In Hawaiʻi, private landowners, resorts or developers cannot legally deny public access to the shoreline, but at Punaluʻu, most advocates are more concerned with how development around the shoreline will affect the culturally and environmentally-significant area.
“I’m unfortunately not surprised by this decision at all,” Enriques said. “You can tell they have plans for that beach that they do not want to give up. You know, you hope that they would keep the people and their desires in mind, but it doesn’t look like that is possible.”
Direct contact information for the private landowner, Black Sand Beach LLC and its owner, Eva Liu, is not publicly listed with a direct phone number or email address.
There are three pre-contact heiau (ancient Hawaiian shrine) within the immediate vicinity of Punaluʻu, which is one of the last places in Hawaiʻi where there are unaltered views from one heiau to the next.
Punaluʻu is a common resting area for the hawksbill turtle, a federally listed endangered species and is the rarest sea turtle in the Pacific Ocean. It also is one of the only places on Hawaiʻi Island to find ʻopeʻapeʻa, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat.
Enriques organized the last “Save Punaluʻu” rally in June, but no plans have been made for another protest or demonstration due to recovery from Hurricane Lala.
“Our community is tough and the love that has been brought in here is fantastic,” he said. “I’ve been coordinating private people to bring in their big machines to help contractors on the highway and other projects. The support we are getting from across the island is pouring in and we will need it for the long run.”
Big Island Now staff reporter Kelsey Walling contributed to this report.
