A rendering shows the future Hale O Pi‘ikea housing project, which was originally proposed as a 90-unit affordable rental project. Developers of the Downtown Kihei project now want to expand the housing to 223 affordable units while decreasing commercial space. 3 Leaf Holdings rendering
Staff writer Dakota Grossman wrote and article in the Maui News. The October 13, 2022 article, Less commercial, more housing in project plans discusses our Kihei project getting the green light for our proposed changes
Here is an excerpt from the article:
Developers of a South Maui project are replacing previously approved commercial developments and a movie theater with more than 200 fully affordable rental units for low-income families.
Originally planning for restaurants, shops, medical offices, a parking structure, a movie theater and a hotel, the developers of the Downtown Kihei project located mauka of Liloa Drive want to increase the 100 percent affordable housing component of the project. While the hotel would remain, retail and commercial space would be significantly downsized.
On Tuesday, the Maui Planning Commission gave the green light to the proposed changes.
“I would just like to commend the applicant for the revisions that they made to support workforce housing or affordable housing,” Commissioner Mel Hipolito Jr. said. “I appreciate them working with us and with the community.”
The applicant and landowner is Krausz Companies California LLC.
The project site is about 27.4 acres and is bordered by Longs Drugs Kihei Center and the Azeka Mauka Shopping Center, Yee’s Orchard, a single-family residential neighborhood, Pi’ilani Village Shopping Center, a multifamily residential neighborhood and various commercial and business centers.
Gwen Rivera of consultant Munekiyo Hiraga said Tuesday that the Maui Planning Commission granted a special management area use permit for the northern component on July 28, 2015, which allowed for the construction of a four-story, 93,000-square-foot hotel with 150 rooms as well as 257,098 square feet of leasable area to be used for businesses and medical offices, shops, parking and related improvements.
In 2016, the commission approved the southern component that would include a three-level parking structure, a 34,401-square-foot movie theater, about 83,243 square feet of commercial and retail area segmented in five, one- and two-story buildings, as well as parking, landscaping and related improvements, Rivera said.