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Housing advocates say Pulelehua site has sat idle for two years and call for county accountability on water and permits
Summary
Nonprofit and community speakers told the council the Pulelehua housing site could produce 240 units but remains stalled; speakers urged the administration to execute grants, permits and water agreements and to consider mandatory water restrictions to prioritize housing.
Multiple community organizations and housing advocates told the Maui County Council that the Pulelehua housing site in West Maui has sat idle for two years and urged the county administration to move faster on approvals, water, and agreements needed to build permanent affordable housing.
Kai Nishiki, representing Maui Nui Resiliency Hui, said the Pulelehua site "has sat idle for 2 years." She said the site could accommodate "240 pet friendly housing units" with priority for kupuna and families displaced by the Lahaina fires and accused the administration of blocking the housing provider from executing grants, permits and water access the provider offered soon after the fires.
"This administration continues to block the housing provider at every turn," Kai Nishiki said. "No grants executed, no residential workforce housing agreement, no permits, no water."
Stacey Alapai and other speakers supported interim restrictions on new private swimming pools in the West Maui Community Plan area and urged the council to use the county's water authority to prioritize supply for housing. Alapai said the Department of Water Supply can provide water for new housing while awaiting permit approvals, and urged the county to enforce mandatory water restrictions on high users so that water can be allocated to housing projects.
Why it matters: Speakers said tens to hundreds of families remain unhoused or in temporary units and that administrative delays on water and permitting are prolonging recovery. Advocates framed water prioritization as a practical step to accelerate housing completion.
Details and council response: Testifiers asked the council to demand accountability from the administration, to ensure that infrastructure grants are executed, and to consider water restrictors and allocations so projects like Pulelehua can proceed. Council members asked administration and DHHL representatives questions during testimony; officials said some contracts are in place and emphasized the need to coordinate across agencies. No formal council action was recorded in the transcript on Pulelehua during the public‑testimony segment.
Ending: Community groups asked the council to follow up during the committee stage and to require the administration to produce plans, timelines and documentation that show how the county will deliver water and permits for affordable housing.
