Coco Palms Still an Eyesore on Kauai -Elvis has still left the building

ELVIS in Blue Hawaii, filmed at the Coco Palms in Wailua, Kauai, Hawaii

Once the darling of vacationers and lovers of paradise, the Coco Palms hotel was devastated by Hurricane Iniki on Sept. 11, 1992. That's right, September 11th. Go figure. The Garden Island reported that the developers have requested extension on their permits.

More than four years have passed since permits were first approved for a major overhaul of the derelict structure that was once the world-famous Coco Palms resort, but a lack of visible progress and frustration with the stewardship of the Wailua property has pushed the project to the verge of extinction.

At the county Planning Commission meeting Tuesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building, Phil Ross, one of three owners of the historic property, argued the development should receive not just the two-year extension to its permits requested in a November letter but a three-year allowance due to current and future economic conditions.

It's sad that Kauai has not been able to do something with this wonderful piece of land. Now, in this difficult economic climate for development, it is even less likely that the county and state may step in and do something.

Read the full report about the current state of Coc Palms in this week's Garden Island

PHOTO BELOW from the Coco Palms brochure in the 80's