2007 Housing News
 Maalaea Condo |
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Maalaea project’s EIS ready for review
The developers of a proposed 949-unit residential community at
Maalaea have submitted their draft environmental impact study for
public comment. The $400 million Maalaea Mauka would cover 257 acres of
former sugar cane land classified by the state and county as
agricultural. The project would be mix of single- and multifamily
homes, townhouses, rental apartments and affordable housing for
seniors. Maalaea Mauka would also include park land and a community
center, according to the document issued Dec. 8.
(see also: 1,000-home Hawaii subdivision planned)
Planned Maui Lani complex in question
A Maui Lani official said that she is unsure if the company will be
able to build a proposed 72-unit affordable rental complex after a
County Council committee imposed additional conditions on the project.
The committee wants Maui Lani to lengthen the time that at least half
of the units have to be rented to families earning below 80 percent of
the median income level.
Maui Lani had proposed it would keep rents in the 80 percent and below
median income level ($55,920 for a family of four) for 15 years, but
would then make the units available for sale or rent to the "gap" group
– those making 120 percent to 160 percent of the median income ($83,880
to $111,840) for an additional 10 years.
Councilors find housing details hard to swallow
With the support of county administration housing officials, Maui Lani
Partners is using the state’s fast-track housing law to shorten
government reviews of a 72-unit low-income rental complex planned on
2.5 acres next to Pomaika’i Elementary School. Council members can
accept the project as proposed, modify it with the developer’s consent
or reject it within 45 days of the proposal’s submission on Aug. 24.
Affordable housing mandate added to Honua’ula’s list
Council
Member Michelle Anderson proposed that Honua’ula be required to develop
250 affordable units offsite immediately after the County Council
approves zoning for the project. She also wants the developers to
donate a park as a condition for the project approvals.
Zoning request stalled by neighbors’ protests
Haiku residents up in arms about a proposed Kokomo subdivision
petitioned the Maui Planning Commission to prevent a zoning change that
would allow landowner Ron Serle to create a 10-lot rural subdivision in
the area. According to Serle and his planning consultants, however, the
land has been designated for rural use since 1983 in the Paia-Haiku
Community Plan.
Developer: Land to stay agricultural
The developer of an 1,800-acre agricultural subdivision in lower Kula
said the plan is aimed at keeping the former pineapple land in
agricultural use. Farmers and residents in the area were not convinced
when representatives of Kula 1800 Investment Partners LLC presented the
plans at a special meeting of the Kula Community Association. Waiakoa
Ranch would have 86 large lots on the former pineapple and pasturelands
running from Pulehu to Naalae Road below Kula Highway. Lot sizes will
range from 6 to 40 acres, with one large remnant parcel of 323 acres
available for sale or lease.
A&B files for new residential project in Kihei
A&B Properties is proposing long-range residential development of
93 acres in North Kihei. A&B Vice President Grant Chun said
A&B’s petition for land reclassification from agricultural to urban
is the "first step in a long process" toward development of nearly 68
acres of multifamily units, 25 acres of single-family residences and
1.4 acres of commercial space. The amount of acreage eyed for the
project would be enough room for about 600 multifamily and
single-family units, he said.
Na HALE O Maui offers hope to future homeowners with a radical new approach to affordable housing
Under the old rules of affordability, people on Maui earning the median
income shouldn’t move into a home that costs more than about
$160,000-to do otherwise is to spend far too much each month on
mortgage payments, leaving nothing for savings. But for the last few
years it’s been impossible to find a house for even twice that amount
anywhere on the island that’s fit for human habitation.
Sustainable communities will benefit all
The sustainable communities we envision are affordable and welcoming –
free from financial or physical barriers preventing anyone from
entering. In Hawaii, developers must also respect and preserve the
beauty of our islands by including open space and recycling waste
instead of diverting it to landfills. And our best communities will
help reduce Hawaii’s dependence on imported fuels by generating half of
their power on-site.
Council’s vacation rental bill shelved
A long-debated bill to regulate vacation rentals was killed Thursday by
the County Council Planning Committee, after committee members agreed
the proposal on the table just didn’t have enough community support.
The proposed bill sought to establish standards and policies for
vacation rentals and bed-and-breakfasts, and to clarify and streamline
permitting procedures. But it received an unenthusiastic response from
the county Planning Department and the Maui, Molokai and Lanai planning
commissions. 02.16.07
Ranch a No Show at Commission Meeting
The absence of Molokai Ranch along with the Ranch’s published threat to
bring its "Doomsday" plan down on the community if its controversial
La’au development plan is not approved were some of the hot topics
covered at the Molokai Planning Commission’s January 30 evening meeting
at Kaunakakai School. 02.08.07
LUC approves Hale Mua project
The Hale Mua affordable housing project in Waiehu was close to crashing
and burning Friday, but at the last minute – actually, an hour past the
last minute – it won the Land Use Commission boundary amendment it
needs to keep moving. Maybe. The commission passed a version different
from the proposal that the County Council passed in 2005 under the
state’s 201G fast-track process for affordable housing projects. The
changes are potentially substantive enough to force developer Sterling
Kim back to an earlier stage in the authorization sequence. He
indicated that his costs are mounting so quickly that more delays could
kill the project. 01.20.07
Tavares asks for help with housing, energy, water
Mayor Charmaine Tavares gave a low-key pitch to legislators on state
money committees Tuesday, saying housing and renewable energy programs
would be the county’s top priorities in the coming years. In contrast
with her predecessor, former Mayor Alan Arakawa, who often read lengthy
and detailed testimony in his annual appeal to state lawmakers, Tavares
spoke off the cuff and focused on a few key issues, noting she was in
just her 10th working day on the job and was still "sifting through the
facts" left to her when she took office. 01.17.07