Hawaii Beach Gone in Wave Erosion, Resident Asks Condo Association to Remove Building on Shoreline

After wave erosion ravaged a beach in Hawaii, locals have petitioned to have a condo association-owned building on the shoreline removed.

Building on a Hawaii Beach

In Hawaii, the beachfront condominium complex Kahana Sunset is only separated from the ocean by a tall seawall.

Some locals believed that it's time for the condo association to give up fighting erosion and sea level rise at the well-known vacation rental resort in West Maui.

An advocate for the seashore named Kai Nishiki stated on July 12 that funds had to be allocated for the demolition of this structure.

If this is the case, the threat to public health and safety will be eliminated, and public access to the beach will be restored, Nishiki said via Hawaii News Now.

One of the Kahana Sunset's six buildings, beachside building "F," was 15 feet distant from the shoreline when the 79-unit complex was constructed on Maui in 1971.

It was eight feet away in 2014.

Currently, building F faces the water. It has 12 townhouse apartments and is now vacant. Due to damage, it had to be shut down in July 2020 since it was deemed unsafe.

When winter surges visited the island earlier this year, waves were witnessed crashing over the entire structure.

According to Nishiki, this location would be a beach if the structure weren't there.

Wave Erosion Damages

The resort Kahana Sunset is no stranger to wave erosion. Since at least 1978, only a few years after it was completed, erosion has been a problem.

At that time, the Kahana Sunset Condominium Association demanded that the shoreline be filled in.

In a letter from The Maui Planning Department, planning program administrator Clayton Yoshida stated that the department has been working on repairs to Building F along with its seawall since 2007 as a result of frequent coastal damages.

Yoshida recommended moving the beachside structure once it was demolished.

In addition, he stated that the condo owners must "accept reality" and expressed his wish for their support of a planned retreat.

The building's minor repairs were permitted by the department this year, but only on the condition that it will eventually be demolished or transferred, SFGate reported.

Kahana Sunset

Shoreline retreat, beach narrowing, and decreased public access have all been consequences of coast erosion for many years. Natural threats to beachfront resources, structures, infrastructure, services, and communities have also increased as a result of this.

In reaction to the prevalent coastal flooding, private properties have developed a variety of coastline protection devices.

This includes old buildings that have been adapted and repurposed to withstand the waves, stone or concrete seawalls, sandbagging, and planted seabreams.

The Kahana coastline already had a sizable beach three decades ago. The fact that Kahana Bay Beach is almost entirely gone and that coastal properties there are in grave danger of being inundated by rising sea levels is a source of significant alarm.

The start date for repair work is still up for discussion at this time. According to estimates, the Kahana coastline is in danger of flooding along around 1,200 feet of its length, Maui Property reports.