Two senators have introduced a bill that would allow the state to buy the land around the resort but not the hotel itself.

Their intentions are laudable. Developers excepted, it would be hard to find anyone on Oahu who doesn't share the hope that some of Hawaii's most beautiful places will be preserved as open space.

But, as usual, the devil is in the details.

The new bill proposes that the state buy the land around the Turtle Bay Hotel to stop the expansion plans that were approved more than 20 years ago.

The 15 groups that make up the Ko'olauloa-North Shore Alliance are all for it.

"I'm saying it can be done. Where there's a will there's a way," said Gil Riviere of Ko'olauloa-North Shore Alliance.

"We're for smart growth. We're for planned growth. and this proposed Turtle Bay expansion-- the time is long gone for development of this magnitude on this island," said Mark Cunningham of the "Defend Oahu Coalition."

But no one quite knows what the land is worth.

Estimates range from $30 million to nearly $200 million.

House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell said right now the governor's intentions and the senate bill it inspired aren't practical.

"It would be a shame to see it developed with hotels in my mind. But it's how do you bring that dream down the the ground. What is the framework for purchasing this property? And as far as the governor's proposal, we've seen no concrete framework being built whatsoever," Caldwell said.

Still, sentiment is high among these activists who believe that a majority of Hawaii residents feel the same way they do.

"Our island is only this big, and we have to figure out what is the carrying capacity of this island? How much water is under us? Where are we going to put all our trash? How many cars can we fit on our roads? and so maybe now's the time to sort of put on the brakes or a moratorium of sorts on large scale development until we can answer some of these questions," Cunningham said.

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