The $1.4 billion project envisions 975 high-end homes in and around the Wailea resort community that would cater to seasonal residents. A developer’s plan to construct up to 975 mostly luxury homes for part-time residents in South Maui is raising concerns among advocates for affordable housing, water, cultural preservation, wildfire evacuation routes and traffic reduction, among other issues.
The proposal comes at a time when Maui is struggling to house hundreds of fire survivors on an island that had a severe housing crisis before the Aug. 8 inferno. Ledcor Maui, the developer, put a 2,113-page draft environmental impact statement out for public review with comments due Thursday.
The study describes a $1.39 billion project spanning eight parcels, seven in the Wailea Resort community and one just north of Kilohana Drive and the Wailea Fire Station in Kihei. The single- and multi-family homes would be built over 15 to 20 years.
Most would be market-priced and intended for seasonal residents, with a portion set aside as workforce housing. The average home price on Maui hovers between $1.4 million and $1.
5 million, according to real estate companies that track the housing market. Under county law, one workforce housing unit must be built for every four market-rate units, although developers can bypass constructing them by purchasing offsite affordable housing credits or paying fees to Maui County’s Affordable Housing Fund. During a May 14 Maui Planning Commission meeting , L.
