Council won't approve 250-unit development without stable supply

KIHEI, Maui — Without a guaranteed source of water, a proposal for 250 rental units in North Kihei as part of the affordable housing commitment by the Honua'ula development could be hung out to dry.

As the Maui County Council Land Use Committee continued its review of the project district request Tuesday, water Director Jeff Eng said it could be two to three years before the department can develop a new source of water to sate the demands of the thirsty South Maui region.

"For a project that size, we can't service them. At this time," Eng said. "But we're trying."

Eng discussed the water situation as part of the review by the council committee, whose members continued to work their way through 33 proposed conditions for the project district zoning requested by Honua'ula Partners LLC.

Honua'ula is proposed on a 670-acre site designated the Wailea 670 project district in the Kihei-Makena Community Plan, adjacent to the Maui Meadows subdivision.

The developers are seeking revisions to the project district designation for the site in line with a revised master plan.

The affordable rental project is proposed for a 13-acre site off Ohukai Road in an area zoned light industrial.

As proposed, it would count against the 700 affordable housing units that the Honua'ula project is committed to provide. The affordable rentals are aimed at providing for lower-income families in an apartment complex.

Land Use Committee members are recommending a condition that 100 of the units be made available for purchase, while also arguing that the location of the low-cost housing on the opposite end of Kihei from Honua'ula amounts to economic segregation.

But the primary obstacle to the rental complex Tuesday was the water issue.

Honua'ula representative Charlie Jencks said there is a 2-inch county water meter nearby that could provide 230,000 gallons a day for the apartment project.

But Eng explained that would not be enough water for peak-use spans. With the maximum flow from the 2-inch line, he said, only 64 showers out of at least 250 in the complex could be used at one time.

Jencks said that the county could provide more water meters, something Eng said the department isn't prepared to do until engineers have worked out the details with the developer on use and possible alternative water sources for uses such as lawn irrigation.

"Until Mr. Eng says there's water, I can't build anything," Jencks said.

Jencks also said the Honua'ula partners are at least three years away from beginning to build the Honua'ula project. That development is providing its own water sources.

The wells for Honua'ula are 5 miles from the North Kihei project site and Jencks said he would not plan to install a separate water line to the site. He also said the partners would be unwilling to put their private well water for Honua'ula into the county system because they could lose control of where it would go.

But council members said Honua'ula partners will need to provide evidence that they have sufficient water for all of their projects if they expect to win approval for zoning.

At one point, council member Michael Victorino pulled out his checkbook and said that having sufficient water sources is like personal finances — you've got to make sure you have enough money in your account before you buy something.

"We need to make sure that we have enough water first," he said.

Under the guidance of council member Danny Mateo, the committee members agreed in principle to support the construction of the 250 units in North Kihei within two years, provided that the Department of Water Supply and Honua'ula Partners resolve the water issue first.