Princeville Golf Course Lands: 5-Year Overview & 2025 Determination

The Association has monitored long-running questions regarding the use and future of the Makai and Woods Golf Course lands, owned by a Starwood Capital Group affiliate. The key instrument governing allowable use is the 1972 Dedication of Golf Course Property, which identifies the land for golf and ancillary recreational uses through February 28, 2026. Since 2020, the Board and 2026 Committee have tracked proposed glamping and development activity, legislative zoning changes, appeals, soil/GPR studies, and access rights for easement holders.

In July 2025, the Fifth Circuit Court of Hawaiʻi issued a final, appeal-eligible Determination on the status of the Golf Course Lands dedication and use restrictions. The Court affirmed that the Dedication and the 1971 Declaration (PHCA CC&Rs) are legally linked, extending the Dedication in successive five-year periods unless at least 75% of record Association members vote to terminate by recorded instrument. The ruling confirmed that overnight accommodations, glamping, housing development, and unapproved ground-disturbing activity are not permitted without appropriate testing, oversight, and Court approval.

Over the past five years, PHCA has:

Provided testimony supporting County actions that ultimately prohibited developed campgrounds on Open Zoned lands.
Reviewed soil coring and GPR scanning conducted by the landowner’s experts, which has not produced evidence of present-day anthrax on the property to the Association’s knowledge.
Sought clarity that utility easement rights and non-disturbing vegetation maintenance may continue safely under Court-approved protocols.
Maintained outreach to both plaintiffs in litigation and the landowner to ensure PHCA members remain informed of practical and legal implications.

The 2026 Committee continues internal evaluation of CC&R applicability, safe-work protocols, and access rights for established utility easement holders including Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC).

At this time:

No CC&R amendments granting voting rights or assessment obligations to the landowner are under consideration.
The Association is not engaged in negotiations to terminate or extend the complaint notice period under any assumed claims of 'forfeiture'.
Updates will be shared monthly as new written or Court-filed information becomes available.