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Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority receives update on Pulapanui infrastructure planning
Summary
HCDA staff and contractor Wilson Okamoto presented a planning assessment update for the roughly 988‑acre Pulapanui Community Development District on Maui, outlining scope, timeline and coordination needs with state projects; the Planning Assessment Report is expected by year‑end.
The Hawaiʻi Community Development Authority on Dec. 4 received an update from staff and consultant Wilson Okamoto Corporation on the planning, design and early construction approach for infrastructure in the Pulapanui Community Development District on central Maui.
The report covers a roughly 988‑acre district identified by four Maui tax map keys and focuses on an initial Planning Assessment Report (PAR) that will inventory existing conditions, identify infrastructure deficiencies and recommend next steps for transportation, water, wastewater, drainage, electrical and telecommunications systems. "The PAR is the foundational step in this process," said Harley Myers, project manager with Wilson Okamoto.
Why it matters: the district includes or abuts several known or proposed state projects — including a State Veterans Home, a Maui jail and other facilities mentioned during the presentation — and the PAR will help HCDA and project teams align infrastructure timing and capacity with those projects. Wilson Okamoto said the PAR will inform a master plan and an infrastructure master plan, with work on those documents expected to begin in early 2025 after the PAR is complete.
Wilson Okamoto and contract structure Wilson Okamoto is working under a design‑build arrangement tied to a prime contractor, Hawaiian Dredging, to lead the first phase of the Pulapanui effort. Gilbert Chang, identified as planning director at Wilson Okamoto, told the authority the project officially began in July 2024 and that the team is now completing the PAR. "So looking ahead, we'll finalize the planning assessment report by the end of this year," Chang said.
Scope and environmental review Presenters said the district falls within the state land use agricultural district and that planning must account for state and county frameworks, including the Maui Island Plan and the South Maui Community Plan. The team said it would consider existing environmental and cultural protections, citing compliance with Chapter 343, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, for environmental review; they said the eventual review could be an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact statement (EIS). The presentation also referenced Chapter 6E, HRS, for historic and cultural resource considerations.
Coordination and information gaps Board members pressed the project team on several coordination points and information gaps. Member Evans asked for a budget breakdown for the planning work; staff did not provide a number at the meeting and said they would follow up with a contract breakdown. The consultant said it is relying on available program information from other project teams and that some projects lack detailed programmatic data, which limits precise sizing of infrastructure needs at this stage.
On land use and entitlements, HCDA staff said the agency intends to work within existing county zoning rather than impose a separate HCDA zoning overlay for the district. "I'm hoping that the infrastructure can be built under existing county zoning, and I don't intend to implement, kind of a zoning overlay," a staff member said, noting that individual stakeholders will still need whatever entitlements are required for their vertical projects.
Timing, funding and construction Staff described timing and funding as key risks. The contract includes a construction component to allow HCDA to encumber funds before they lapse, but presenters said some construction elements may come later and may need additional funding. Board members emphasized timing concerns — building infrastructure too early could leave improvements unused if project entitlements or project funding are delayed.
Community outreach and next steps Wilson Okamoto said it will develop a community outreach plan to gather input from Maui residents and stakeholders and that the HCDA board will receive drafts for review. Board members on Maui asked to be involved in shaping outreach. The PAR, the presenters said, will integrate ongoing projects, prior HRS 343 reviews, infrastructure master plans and feasibility studies as available.
Public comment A representative from the county land division, Lauren Yasaka, asked that DLNR's Buenavie Business and Industrial Park be included in the PAR's consideration; presenters confirmed it will be included.
What happens next Presenters said they expect to finalize the Planning Assessment Report by the end of the calendar year, then begin drafting a Pulapanui master plan and an infrastructure master plan in early 2025. The project team will continue outreach and will seek program details from state and county stakeholders to refine infrastructure sizing and timing.
