Turtle Bay Resort Expansion Faces Environmental Lawsuit

Community groups challenge plans for new hotel, citing outdated environmental review and endangered species

Published on Feb. 6, 2026

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Environmental and community groups represented by Earthjustice have filed a lawsuit challenging plans for a new hotel at Turtle Bay Resort on Oahu's North Shore. The lawsuit alleges that the Maryland-based resort owner, Host Hotels & Resorts, and the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting relied on an outdated environmental impact statement and failed to consider the impact on a newly listed endangered species of bees.

Why it matters

This case highlights the ongoing tension between development and environmental protection in Hawaii, with advocates arguing that the law requires a new environmental review to account for changing ecological conditions, while the resort owner contends that the previously approved plans should be allowed to move forward. The court's decision could set an important precedent for how to balance these competing interests.

The details

Host Hotels acquired the Turtle Bay Resort in 2024, including a 49-acre parcel 'entitled for development.' The company sought approval for a new hotel with up to 375 rooms, as well as retail, dining, a spa, and a fitness center - a smaller project than a 530-unit plan considered in 2013. In December 2025, the Department of Planning and Permitting approved the project, determining that it satisfied the requirements of a 2013 environmental impact statement (EIS). However, the lawsuit claims that Host Hotels and the DPP violated Hawaii's Environmental Policy Act by relying on the outdated 2013 EIS, which did not consider the newly listed endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee.

  • In 2016, the Hawaiian yellow-faced bee was listed as a federally protected endangered species, three years after the resort's last environmental review.
  • In December 2025, the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting approved Host Hotels' plans for a new Turtle Bay Resort hotel.

The players

Host Hotels & Resorts

A Maryland-based company that acquired the Turtle Bay Resort in 2024, including a 49-acre parcel 'entitled for development.'

Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP)

The city agency that approved Host Hotels' plans for a new Turtle Bay Resort hotel in December 2025, determining that the project satisfied the requirements of a 2013 environmental impact statement.

Earthjustice

A non-profit environmental law organization representing the community groups that filed the lawsuit challenging the Turtle Bay Resort expansion plans.

The Center for Biological Diversity

An environmental advocacy group that has joined the lawsuit, arguing that the proposed development at Turtle Bay relies on an 'outdated environmental review' that failed to consider the endangered Hawaiian yellow-faced bee.

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What’s next

The court will need to decide whether to void the city's approval of the Turtle Bay Resort expansion and require a new environmental impact statement to be prepared.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing challenge of balancing development and environmental protection in Hawaii, with advocates arguing that the law requires updated environmental reviews to account for changing ecological conditions, while developers contend that previously approved plans should be allowed to move forward. The court's decision could set an important precedent for how to navigate these land-use conflicts.