HILO, Hawaii — Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation on Tuesday that will allow the state to immediately demolish the dilapidated and potentially dangerous  former site of Uncle Billy’s Hilo Bay Hotel.

What You Need To Know

  • The proclamation cited continued trespass of the abandoned property, which has resulted in thousands of calls to police, fire and other public services; threats to health and safety of trespassers and neighboring residents; and potential negative impacts to the surrounding natural environment

  • The hotel closed on June 19, 2017, and the last month-to-month tenant vacated in August 2020

  • The proclamation states that the property poses a danger to the public because of overall structural decay, hazardous materials, fire damage, water intrusion, falling ceilings, exposed rebar, overflowing sewage, mold and mildew

  • The governor’s action calls for a perimeter fence to be erected to secure the property and the demolition and removal of the hotel structures and hazardous materials

The proclamation cited continued trespass of the abandoned property, which has resulted in thousands of calls to police, fire and other public services; threats to health and safety of trespassers and neighboring residents; and potential negative impacts to the surrounding natural environment.

The 146-room property is one of several along Banyan Drive, owned and leased by the state. When the hotel’s ground lease expired in 2016, the state took over control of the property, with tenants remaining on a month-to-month basis.

The hotel finally closed on June 19, 2017, and the last month-to-month tenant vacated in August 2020.

As the proclamation noted, the hotel was already in a state of disrepair before its official closure.

“Prior to the cessation of operations, the condition of the hotel had deteriorated as the result of deferred and ignored maintenance needs,” the proclamation stated. “No significant repairs or maintenance have been performed on the hotel since June 2017.”

From September 2018 to April 2023, the Hawaii Police Department responded to 6,479 calls to the site and its surrounding areas at an estimated cost of up to $459,000. The Hawaii Fire Department responded to 946 calls to the area between May 2018 and May 2023 at an estimated cost of $122,000. The State Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement has also conducted many sweeps over the same five-year period.

The proclamation further states that the property poses a danger to the public because of overall structural decay, hazardous materials, fire damage, water intrusion, falling ceilings, exposed rebar, overflowing sewage, mold and mildew.

In addition, “the property’s proximity to the ocean presents ocean and ground water pollution risks should the condition remain unabated,” the proclamation states.

The governor’s action calls for a perimeter fence to be erected to secure the property and the demolition and removal of the hotel structures and hazardous materials. As explained in the proclamation, an architectural assessment determined that repairing the property to be beyond would not be feasible and could not be completed in time to reduce public health and safety risks.

The proclamation also calls for the site to be restored to the extent permitted by available funds.

Under the proclamation, all state agencies and officers are required to cooperate and extend needed services, materials and facilities to assist to support and expedite the goals of the proclamation.

The emergency order also authorizes the suspension of several laws to facilitate the effort, including those relating to historic preservation, program execution, lapsing of appropriations, county organization and administration, urban renewal, collective bargaining, coastal zone management, noise pollution and environmental impact statements.

The proclamation is effective until Sept. 15.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.