Shifting Promises, Inadequate Planning, and Lack of Accountability
This timeline of key developments reveals a troubling pattern of shifting promises, inadequate planning, and disregard for community concerns, placing Maui’s environment, history, and affordable housing at risk.
1971-2007: Changing Ownership and Evolving Plans
The project’s early years were marketed as a residential development with mixed housing types and public amenities, including a school and park. Over time, the focus shifted toward luxury and resort development, featuring gated communities and golf courses targeting “wealthy buyers of second and third homes.”
- In 1989, the Maui County Planning Commission and Council approved the project’s Environmental Impact Study (EIS), which erroneously reported no archaeological sites despite adding 370 acres to the project area.
- Under different ownership, the project plan continued to evolve. By 2008, significant changes had been made, yet the project proceeded to the Maui County Council for Phase I Project District Approval without an updated EIS, completed Archaeological Inventory Survey, or comprehensive plans for water, traffic, sewage, and drainage.
2008: Rezoning and Phase I Approval
The Maui County Council narrowly approved rezoning and Phase I of Wailea 670 (renamed Honuaʻula) in a 5-4 vote, despite incomplete environmental, archaeological, and cultural impact studies. The decision was based on the developer’s promises and 30 conditions aimed at ensuring accountability.
Key promises included:
- 700 affordable housing units
- Widening Piʻilani Highway to four lanes
- Millions of dollars for public parks
- Historic preservation and habitat conservation safeguards
2010-2013: Archaeological Findings Overlooked
A draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) identified an additional 40 archaeological sites. An updated native plant survey documented rare and endangered species. Subsequently, under community pressure, additional studies uncovered over 200 historic sites—far exceeding initial reports—and thousands of cultural features, underscoring inadequacies in the original reviews. Documentation of these findings remains incomplete and flawed.
2012-2016: Final EIS Contested
The Planning Commission accepted the Final EIS despite unresolved objections over cultural site assessments.
- Legal challenges from the Sierra Club and Maui Unite cited incomplete archaeological surveys and overlooked cultural uses.
- A 2016 settlement required the creation of a 134-acre native plant preserve.
2017-2021: Habitat Conservation Promises Withdrawn, Approval of Insufficient Preservation Plans
The developers initially submitted a federal Habitat Conservation Plan to the County with promises of millions in funding but later withdrew the plan, leaving conservation efforts without formal funding or oversight.
- The State Historic Preservation Division and Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) approved a final Preservation Plan, allowing Phase II to proceed despite contested reviews of historical and cultural sites, particularly in the northern project area.
2022: Phase II Project District Approval Controversy
The Maui Planning Commission approved the Phase II application for 1,150 units, relying on outdated and inconsistent data.
- It was revealed through our contested case that the developer had prepared the Planning Department Staff Report evaluating their own project.
- Maui Tomorrow appealed the Phase II approval in Circuit Court; while the approval was upheld, the case is now under appeal in the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
2024: Affordable Housing Reductions Proposed
Developers proposed amendments to modify previous promises, including reducing affordable housing requirements from 450 units to 288, significantly undercutting prior commitments.
- Despite concerns, the Maui Planning Commission forwarded the amendments with a recommendation for approval to the Maui County Council.
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