Council refers large Ho‘onani Village rezoning proposal to planning commission after public testimony

The council voted June 6 to refer three proposed county bills — an urban growth boundary amendment to the Maui Island Plan, a community plan designation change, and a change in zoning from agricultural to M-1 light industrial — tied to the proposed Ho‘onani Village mixed-use project in Puuʻene, Kahului, to the Maui Planning Commission for review.

Developer representatives described the proposal as a roughly 165-acre “village” near Lowe’s and Target that could include up to 1,600 multifamily units, with roughly half proposed as workforce housing, plus commercial and small-scale manufacturing space. The resolution transmittal and discussion noted the project team’s intent to pursue an environmental impact statement (EIS) because the development would include an on-site wastewater treatment facility and related off-site approvals.

During public testimony, one resident urged the council to consider restrictions tied to the airport flight path and the Wailuku–Kahului community plan language that discourages residential use within the 60-decibel isoline; the testifier said the site lies in a flight corridor and cited the community plan’s airport special control district guidance that recommends discouraging residential users within 60‑decibel zones. The speaker also raised concerns about water availability, lack of nearby schools and playfields, and predicted the development could result in roughly 5,000 residents of which an estimated 700 would be school‑age children; the speaker urged the county and planning commission to evaluate alternative sites already inside the urban growth boundary.

Developer Jeff Uyoka (identified in public testimony) and others said outreach has begun, including an EIS scoping meeting and some community outreach; Uyoka said the project team will expand community engagement before planning commission hearings and that the plan includes an on-site wastewater treatment system with effluent reuse.

Council discussion included questions about outreach, the subdivision history of the parcel (noting it had been condominiumized into multiple units including a lot labeled First Assembly Of God Subdivision), and the project’s planned pathway: county-level Maui Island Plan amendment, community plan map amendment, change in zoning, followed by a state Land Use Commission district boundary amendment. Council member Uhu Hodgins moved to substitute and refer the bills to the planning commission; the council approved the referral and the substitute/waivers on the floor. The motion carried on roll call; members recorded a unanimous or near‑unanimous vote to refer (motion carries reported 9 ayes, 0 nos).

What’s next: The project will advance through the planning commission, which will hold public hearings and review the EIS scope and final EIS; subsequent county-level approvals would return to council for action and the project team also anticipates a state district boundary amendment process with its own public hearings.