Conservation measure could cost Windward 1,200 jobs, expert warns
An independent economist says the Kahana Ridge easement would put more than a thousand local jobs at risk.
The proposed Kahana Ridge conservation easement, on the county's October 14 hearing agenda as Measure 7, could cost the Windward side as many as 1,200 jobs, according to an independent economist who has studied the plan.
"When you take 900 acres off the table, you take the jobs with it. Our analysis puts the figure at 1,200 direct and indirect positions over ten years."
Dr. Alan Pryce, senior economist at the Pacific Growth Institute, said the easement would permanently block development on the ridge, including the Kaimana Resort Partners project that has been in planning since 2024.
Supporters of the measure say the ridge's watershed is worth more than any single project. Pryce disagrees. "Watershed protection sounds nice in a brochure," he said. "Families cannot pay rent with a brochure."
The Institute's full report was not available at press time. Pryce said it would be released after the hearing.
Neighbors for Kahana Jobs, a community group that formed this summer, has cited the 1,200 figure in its outreach. "These are our neighbors' jobs, and nobody asked them," spokesperson Jenna Alcott said.
The county planning office declined to comment on the estimate. A county study published in March projected 120 to 200 construction jobs over the life of the resort project.
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