PD Recommendation Report Black Sand Beach (PL-SMA-2023-046)

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no management has been occurring is an improvement. The applicant will also be required to address, via study, the proposed projects potential impacts on coastal, cultural, and water quality via the submission of a Water Quality and Marine Life Monitoring and Management plan, Pond management plan, Cultural Resources Management plan, and a Shoreline Management Plan all to be approved by the Planning Dept. prior to development to further enshrine the conservation of the areas resources. Based on our review, the proposed projects potential impacts to the coastline or other areas utilized for public recreational activities at the shoreline will be mitigated, and therefore will not impede or hinder the public's ability to access the shoreline. Historic and Cultural Resources: The extensive project area includes cultural remains, such as a heiau, burial sites and habitation sites, and natural resources such as ponds, black sand beach, viewplanes, and the rugged Kau coastline — all of which are considered significant cultural and historic resources. While there are numerous sites throughout the area, the project has been designed to not impact lands where known cultural sites or features have been identified by the cultural and archeological assessments conducted for this application. Staff notes that based on information provided, the majority of the new development will occur in areas previously disturbed by past land use activities including extensive grading which occurred in this area in the 1960s-1970's (prior to SMA law). The 2006 Cultural Impact Assessment (CIA) and the subsequent updated CIA in 2023 identified important cultural site and practices within the project site, which include: stone cultural remains (e.g., heiau, ahu, caves, mounds, enclosures), petroglyphs and trail segments, a fishpond, marine resources important to native Hawaiians, and the black sand beach. Additionally, since 1969 the project area has been extensively developed, which included significant grading and grubbing of the landscape to create the gold course. Several cultural resources were identified in archival literature, archaeological surveys, and interviews conducted for ethnographic study and included in the updated CIA. The sites identified include heiau and ko'a shrines, burial sites, a historic cemetery associated with a historic church, petroglyph areas, and other storied places. Other cultural resources for this community include gathering of plants such as coconut, kukui, noni, ti pants, hau, hala, various medicinal plants, lei flowers, and -5-