If Waikiki Beach were compared to a garden, it would be one of those formal, engineered landscapes. The famous beach, after all, is largely man-made.

Now, belatedly, careful man-made adjustments are needed to counter the problem of beach erosion.

Fortunately, this huge job is not being left to the state alone: Kyo-ya Hotel and Resorts, which owns the Sheraton Waikiki, is soon to submit a beach replenishment plan.

Kyo-ya is preparing an application for the first of several permits it needs from state and federal agencies to pump in 15,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore. Then the company will build three structures called "T-head groins" in the water to retain sand.

Opponents tend to see artificial offshore structures as a bad idea. Some worry about the effect on surf patterns; others cite the potential threat to feeding areas for sea turtles that now frequent the area.

But the real mission of the public hearing process ought not to be hardline opposition to artifice — it is, after all, an artificial beach.

The goal of residents should be to present data about the potential risks so that the project may proceed under conditions that pose minimal disruptions. For example: Where are the turtle feeding areas near Gray's Beach, and if sand deposits displace some areas, are there others that can serve the population?

It's unrealistic to expect disruptions can be avoided entirely, but it's clearly possible to make an informed choice on the best outcome.

In fact, arriving at such a compromise, within the estimated two years hotel executives expect permitting to take, should be a reachable goal.

Approval means work could start on the first shoreline restoration project undertaken by a hotel company for about a century. The hotels that benefit from the asset of beach sand (the restored Gray's Beach would accommodate 500 people) ought to be part of its maintenance.

Other hotels need to take a more active role, with oversight by government agencies that consider the effect of engineering projects on the whole shoreline, not just the portion fronting each hotel.

If Kyo-ya takes this holistic approach, it should qualify for a portion of matching state funds set aside for such public-private partnerships.

Community input can be a powerful force; opposition to an earlier groin proposal at Kuhio Beach effectively killed that project.

But engineers designing the Gray's Beach project deserve a fair chance to show how current designs can avoid problems with surf breaks.

And the visitor industry, troubled as it is, needs this chance to help craft solutions that address a longstanding threat to a critical resource.