Community outraged over changes to long-awaited South Maui development

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A long-planned housing project in South Maui is facing opposition from people who say the developer owes the community hundreds of affordable homes.
Critics say the developer is breaking a promise and the council is rushing toward approval.
The 670-acre Honuaula subdivision is proposed for an undeveloped parcel just mauka of Wailea. The investor developers have scaled back the project since it was approved 20 years ago, but critics call that a classic “bait-and-switch” that will bring Maui more luxury and fewer affordable homes.
Kihei resident Paula Kalanikau barely held back sobs as she spoke of her children and grandchildren.
“It hurts. Their future is at stake,” she said. “This land is perpetuated in righteousness. In righteousness, I am saying, not in richness.”
Kalanikau was among about 300 people who offered testimony against the project.
When it was first approved, developers promised 1,400 homes with 700 affordable, because that was the law at the time.
The law has since changed and the developer says the plan’s been “updated” to 1,150 units with 288 identified as “workforce” housing.
Attorney Calvin Chipchase, who represents the development team, said, “They’ve become outdated in the 16 years since the project was originally approved by the council, and to make the project better in a lot of different ways.”
At the Monday hearing, other than the developer and the county planners, construction unions were the primary supporters of the redrawn project.
Shane Awai is an organizer with the Painters and Allied Trades Union.
“Today, I wear two hats — one as a father and one as a union organizer,” the Maui resident said with a sigh. “I hope that we can all figure it out and work together. We need these things, for not only for housing, but for jobs, too.”
After going through the Maui Planning Commission, the new plan just reached the council nine days ago. Housing Committee chair Tasha Kama told the committee Monday would be it’s only committee hearing.
So several council members, led by Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, asked that testifiers be allowed more than the two-minute limit, at one point trying to get just 30 more seconds.
“This isn’t a small thing,” Rawlins-Fernandez said. “We are depriving the community of affordable housing and everyone ran on the importance of affordable housing for our community.”
Kama responded, “I think two minutes sometimes is enough, especially when most of the testifiers may be almost saying almost the same thing. Either they want it or they don’t want it.”
Testifiers were allowed two minutes and 30 seconds with a warning bell sounding at two minutes.
Many who did testify pointed out that in this year’s election, the entire council campaigned for affordable housing.
Stacey Alapai of Makawao, appearing via remote video, held up campaign brochures she received.
“You said, ‘Our ohana has suffered enough.’ ‘We need affordable housing.’ ‘The shortage of affordable housing,’” she said. “You all were saying these things. My mailbox was flooded with these mailers.”
After five and a half hours of testimony, Kama recessed the hearing until next week Monday.
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