Changes are coming to the beach park at the mouth of the Hanalei river, commonly referred to as "Black Pot Park". Before the county can make the proposed changes they have to acquire the land. The Kauai Land Trust, now the Hawaii Land Trust purchased a 3/4 acre beach front parcel adjacent to the current parking lot in December 2010 for $3 million. Currently the County is in negotiations with Hanalei Boatyard owner Michael Sheehan to add an additional 2.29 acres fronting the river by eminent domain.
A recent front page article in the Garden Island newspaper mentions that the negotiations with the county and the Sheehan's who have had the property in the family for 140 years have been ongoing for a couple of decades. On Wednesday July 26 the county made a bold move and took posession of a 1/3 acre parcel near the boat ramp after serving cease and desist papers to all commercial vendors on 24 hours notice. As we know the development climate and pace on Kauai is cautious and slow so we will watch and see how this plays out.
