The city’s Department of Planning and Permitting will hold a public hearing on Tuesday morning, February 15, concerning the proposed 220-room hotel in Laie, according to a story in the Hawaii Independent.

The hotel is intended to draw tourists to Laie who would otherwise stay in Waikiki or at the Turtle Bay Resort. It will apparently be operated as a Marriott hotel.

The hearing is reportedly scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday at the Kahuku Public Library.

But information about hotel and the hearing is missing in action. Neither a public notice nor background information on the permit application that is the subject of the hearing appear to be available on the department’s web site, although other meetings are listed.

* Note: Here’s the basic application, received late today from the office of City Councilmember Ernie Martin.

The hearing didn’t appear on the department’s “calendar of event.” Critics will certainly cite the lack of readily available information as evidence of a desire to prevent opposing viewpoints from being heard.

I went to the DPP web cite, which features a calendar of events. I entered the search terms “public hearing” and, for the area, both Koolauloa and North Shore.

Both searches came back with the message: “No events found.”

An environmental assessment for the project was submitted in 2008.

The 9.5 acre site along Kamehameha Highway includes the Chevron station, McDonalds, the old 49-room Laie Inn, and an adjacent open area.

In case you think the hotel will primarily service the BYUH campus, here’s the description from the project’s environmental assessment:

The probable guest demographic for a redeveloped La?ie Inn, assuming competent management, marketing and affiliation, is likely to be predominately domestic visitors, divided primarily between:

• Younger, active, independently-traveling couples and families who are either return visitors to O’ahu or attracted by the operator’s brand. These patrons would be seeking a competitively-priced, low-intensity, outdoor-oriented, non-Waiki?ki?/resort vacation experience. Few visitors of this segment currently stay at accommodations in the study area.

• Mixed-aged and seniors traveling to a defined destination in Laie (PCC, the LDS Hawaiy?i Temple, BYU-Hawaii, or family/friends), often in groups or within peak periods. Pricing, ease of access, supporting facilities, and quiet, quality and cleanliness are primary concerns of this group. Presently, this segment either stays at the existing Laie Inn, Turtle Bay Resort, or in Waikiki.

To address the expectations/needs of these guests, the redevelopment of Laie Inn is designed with moderately spacious units in a low-key setting having lawn/playground areas, limited (cost-efficient) amenities, and a quality beachfront experience. Marketing tie-ins with the PCC and other windward/North Shore activities and destinations, and service and meeting space agreements with the restaurant will help to offer a more comprehensive vacation destination.

The Laie hotel expansion, along with the proposed “Envision Laie” project, have drawn strong reactions from residents who want to “keep the country country.”