Honua’ula Partners, LLC has demonstrated a troubling pattern of broken promises, inadequate planning, and disregard for community concerns about the serious consequences of short-sighted development. The most recent changes proposed by this luxury real estate developer continue to…
place Maui’s environment, history, infrastructure, safety, and affordable housing at risk. If we remove the legal jargon, complex permitting process, and confusing acronyms —ultimately we have to ask: Who do these changes benefit? Who is this development being built for? What is being prioritized in these plans?
The answer should be clear: every government official and commissioner promises to “fight for the ʻāina” and support “local families” and “affordable housing.” Yet, when we need these commitments more than ever, this turns out to be yet another luxury housing development —one that drives up the cost of living and strains our limited resources, all in exchange for a few temporarily affordable units.
WHAT ARE THE PROPOSED CHANGES?
The proposed changes to the Wailea 670 project, now called Honuaʻula Project District, include a significant reduction in affordable housing units—from the originally promised 700 to just 288—along with the removal of the $5 million requirement for South Maui public parks. Additionally, the responsibility for critical infrastructure improvements, such as widening Piʻilani Highway, has been delayed and shifted from the luxury housing developer to tax-paying Maui residents. Read the full text of the Wailea 670 proposed changes here.
PLEASE ATTEND IN PERSON IF POSSIBLE.
Meeting info: Tuesday March 11th at 9am
Meeting Agenda | Add to Calendar
Testimony Tips: It’s best to use your own words and experiences whenever possible. While written testimony is great, the most impactful testimony is shared in-person or live online. If you have limited time, we recommend logging in online and waiting to hear your name called to testify. Each testifier is granted 3 minutes to speak.
- Link to join Virtually: https://mauicounty.webex.com/mauicounty/j.php?MTID=m9fb1ceea6418c05ae0d89052ba6adf66
- Webex Meeting ID: 2663 177 1749 Password: 031125
- In-person testimony: Malcolm Center, 1305 North Holopono St. Kihei, HI 96753
- Email testimony: planning@mauicounty.gov with “Honua’ula Project District (Project District 9)” in the Subject line
Meeting Info
Tuesday, March 11 9:00 AM
In person testimony:
Malcom Center, 1305 North Holopono St. Kihei, HI 96753
Email Testimony: planning@mauicounty.gov with “Honua’ula Project District (Project District 9)” in the Subject line
(Attend in-person if possible)
Make your voice heard!
Changes over time, not for the better.
The first set of three bars shows that in 2008, the Council approved the project with 700 affordable units and 700 market-rate units, for a total of 1,400 units. The red line across the chart shows the 450 affordable units that are required to be within the project district by Ordinance 3553, which the developer is now proposing to change. The existing ordinance reads, “450 affordable units shall be within the project district.”
The second of three bars shows that in 2022, based on advice from the developer that the language requiring 450 affordable units did not mean that, the Maui Planning Commission approved the project with only 288 affordable units. Maui Tomorrow and our allies contested that approval as illegal because of the requirements for 450 affordable units; our appeal is now pending before the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
The third set of three bars shows that if the required 450 affordable units were to be built, out of a total of 1,150, there would be 700 market-priced homes – which is what the developer agreed to in the first place.
See related article below