A&B files for new residential project in Kihei

The Maui News
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
By BRIAN PERRY, Assistant City Editor

KIHEI - With improved traffic flow expected at the new intersection of Mokulele and Piilani highways, A&B Properties is proposing long-range residential development of 93 acres in North Kihei.

On Tuesday, 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.

The development's entrance would be near the reconfigured intersection of Mokulele and Piilani highways, which is designed as part of the state's widening of Mokulele Highway from two to four lanes. The $22.5 million contract for the Mokulele-Piilani segment has been awarded to Goodfellow Brothers.

The new intersection will have enhanced "capacity and efficiency," Chun said.

As planned by the state Highways Division, Mokulele and Piilani highways will be realigned to become a single roadway, with merge lanes into and from North Kihei Road, while a remnant segment of Mokulele will be eliminated.

Now the four-way intersection controlled by a traffic signal is a bottleneck for motorists, particularly during morning and afternoon rush hours.

A&B's plans for the property were posted in a legal notice issued by the state Land Use Commission.

Chun said the commission will determine whether the developer will need to do an environmental assessment or a more detailed environmental impact statement for the project.

The narrow property, formerly used for sugar cane cultivation, is bounded on the west by the northern part of Piilani Highway and runs east toward Haleakala.

Chun said it is bounded to the north by Waiakoa Gulch and to the south by the Hale Piilani subdivision. The project's conceptual plan calls for development of a park adjacent to an existing recreational area at the Hale Piilani subdivision. The land is vacant and fallow except for 38 acres on the west portion of the property used for seed corn cultivation.

A flood plain analysis has been done for the project area, and the study is under review by the Federal Emergency Management Administration, Chun said. Preliminary indications are that the area is outside of areas prone to flooding.

Chun said A&B has asked the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee to consider designating the property for residential development as part of the ongoing update of the county General Plan and community plans.

The property is currently designated agricultural in the Kihei-Makena Community Plan and zoned for agriculture. It is not within the county special management area.

The time frame for development of the project depends on how long it will take to make its way through the state and county land-use approval processes, Chun said.

But he said A&B's preference would be to provide housing aimed for the local resident market sooner rather than later.