At the October 7, 2026 HPPOA Board of Directors meeting, Julie Rice, interim chair of the HPPOA Cultural Preservation Committee, requested on behalf of the committee that the board members state their individual positions related to the proposed development. The presentation was as follows:
October 7, 2026
Aloha,
My name is Julie Rice. I’m currently serving as the interim chair of the Cultural Preservation Committee. I requested to be on the agenda tonight to give a brief committee report, and to introduce a set of questions developed by the CPC for the HPPOA Board of Directors.
Committee Report:
The CPC last met on Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Our primary work recently has been focused on creating a Preservation Plan for the 31-acre Koʻolauo village site, consideration of adding a Cultural Advisor position or positions to the committee, and discussion of the proposed grocery and gas development on 24th Avenue.
Earlier this year, a director who is no longer on the board, but still involved in HPPOA business, attended a Cultural Preservation Committee meeting at which the gas and grocery development on 24th Ave. was discussed. This director interjected into committee discussion, essentially discouraging the group from any sort of opposition to the development. She also stated that she had been in talks with the developer for over a year at that point in time.
Very soon after, some CPC members were also present at a meeting of a different committee, where the same director, along with nearly half of the board at the time, attended, again, intervening to discourage opposition to the development plans.
From these interactions arose a curiosity regarding where the board truly stands on this prospective development. A result of that curiosity is the set of questions I’ve distributed to you today.
Our questions began with cultural concerns, such as protection of aina and wai (land and water), and expanded into issues that affect the community and association as a whole, such as the impact on our road infrastructure, safety, and how future commercial expansion may affect the character of our community.
The purpose of these questions is to give those you represent a better idea of where you stand on these matters. Perhaps your constituents are in agreement with your opinions and will offer support. Or they may recognize a need to offer their voices and guide you so that you may be more effective representatives for your respective districts. In either case, the intention is to build a bridge and open up discussion so that all members of the community may have a voice in this important decision.
While it is understood HPPOA does not have the final say on this topic, we also recognize that the Association does have influence over matters affecting owners in the subdivision.
We recognize the answers to these questions may involve some thoughtful consideration, so I do not think it is appropriate to ask for your answers tonight. I’ve provided a printed handout, and will follow up via e-mail, so that typed responses can be provided.
If you so choose to respond to the questions, we’d request that you have answers back to us in two weeks, or by Friday, October 23, 2026. We would like to share them publicly on our website, koolauo.com, and the board is of course welcome to share their responses on the HPPOA website and social media, as well.
Mahalo for your time. Do you have any questions?
