Hawaiʻi County Purchases 81-Acre Kawainui Makai for Conservation, Community Stewardship

Hawaiʻi County finalized the $6.2 million acquisition of an 81-acre coastal parcel known as Kawainui Makai on the Hilo-Hāmākua coast, securing a pebble beach and a well-preserved estuary and stream-to-ocean habitat that had been listed for sale and raised local development concerns. The purchase was made through the county’s Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Commission program, which is funded by an annual 2% portion of county property tax revenue dedicated to open space preservation.

County officials framed the acquisition as a move to protect habitat, uphold public access and safeguard space for cultural uses. The parcel’s intact stream-to-ocean corridor supports nearshore waters that local residents and customary practitioners rely on, and the pebble beach provides a publicly accessible shoreline feature that could otherwise have been altered by private development.

The county plans to work with community partners, including the Makahanaloa Fishing Association, to design a community-led stewardship plan that balances public access, cultural practices and habitat protection. That planning process, together with final authorization from the County Council, are the next formal steps before stewardship measures and potential public access rules are implemented.

Funding for the Kawainui Makai purchase came from an established local mechanism that directs a portion of property tax revenue to open space preservation. The use of that 2% set-aside underscores a policy choice by Hawaiʻi County to prioritize conservation-grade holdings along sensitive coastline and riparian corridors even as development pressure persists in parts of Hilo and the Hāmākua coast.

For local residents, the acquisition curbs the immediate risk of private development on a site noted for its ecological continuity from stream to sea and retains opportunities for cultural practice, subsistence fishing and shoreline access. Working with the Makahanaloa Fishing Association and other community stakeholders aims to ensure that access and management reflect local customs and knowledge while protecting habitat values.

The purchase is both a practical land-protection action and a signal about county priorities for coastal stewardship. With stewardship planning and County Council authorization pending, residents can expect public meetings and partner engagement in the weeks ahead as officials and community groups map out how Kawainui Makai will be cared for, accessed and protected for future generations.