Hundreds crammed in to the cafeteria at Sunset Beach Elementary School to discuss the future of Turtle Bay - an area that's been the center of contention for over two decades.
But under new ownership, Turtle Bay Holdings wants to meet in the middle with community members on a plan to expand.
"There's a lot of controversy about the old plan - people talk a lot about five hotels, 3,500 units - we know the community doesn't want that and neither do we," says Drew Stotesbury with Replay Resorts, which has been contracted by Turtle Bay owners to oversee management of the hotel.
The owners new plan would be to cut the number of units by a little over a thousand.
"We'll have a lot less density, a lot less units & a lot more concentrated towards the existing resort core," says Stotesbury.
"We're very encouraged by the new tone that the developer is taking at Turtle Bay," says Tim Vandeveer, Defend Oahu Coalition Co- Chair.
Defend Oahu Coalition is one of 26 other grassroots groups that have been proponents of preserving the Turtle Bay property.
"Basically anything outside of the existing footprint, what's already been developed, we feel should be held in preservation," says Vandeveer.
Following a ruling last year by the Hawaii Supreme Court, the owners of Turtle Bay have been working to complete a new Supplemental Environmental Impact Study (SEIS) if they want to build more hotels. Taking into account potential impacts on traffic and environmental and cultural concerns.
"Being part Hawaiian we're very concerned about the Iwi Kapuna on the property," says Margaret Primacio, Keep Kahuku Country.
The owners of Turtle Bay say that their new plan is workable and that expansion does have its benefits.
"It provides not just jobs, that a lot of people are craving, but also a lot of community benefits like parks, day cares, trails and open spaces," says Stotesbury.
But, it's not known if both sides can meet in the middle.
"We don't want a plan for development at Turtle Bay but a plan for preservation," says Vandeveer.
Before the owners of Turtle Bay can proceed with any expansion, an SEIS must be prepared.
A Draft SEIS is expected to be done by December 2011 and will give the public another chance to comment, before a Final SEIS is submitted to the City's Department of Planning & Permitting for approval.
