Committee backs 80-unit Waikapu fast-track project
A Maui County Council committee Tuesday voted to recommend approval of a resolution to fast-track a workforce housing project for 80 affordable units in Waikapu.
The Land Use Committee gave its blessing to Waikapu Development Venture’s project that will sit along Waiale Road on a parcel south of Longs Drugs. The resolution now will be forwarded to the full council for a vote at its Sept. 7 meeting, according to council documents.
Developers are seeking approval via the state’s 201H fast-track housing provisions that exempt affordable housing developments from certain land use and other governmental regulations. The council has 45 days from receipt, or until Sept. 8, to make a decision.
The committee discussed the project Aug. 22 as Hurricane Lane approached with the rest of the county shutdown. The committee decided it needed to review more documents and recessed until Tuesday.
The project’s plans include 68 single-family detached units, 12 duplex units and a neighborhood park. It would occupy roughly half of a 25.3acre parcel owned by Emmanuel Lutheran Church, which has agreed to sell 12.5 acres to Waikapu Development Venture once the land has been subdivided. Emmanuel Lutheran plans to build its new church and school campus next door.
Waikapu Development Venture is proposing three-bedroom, two-bath single-family homes ranging in size from about 1,200 to 1,800 square feet. Duplex units would be two-bedroom, one-bathroom units ranging from 700 to 900 square feet. Lot sizes for the units would range from about 3,200 to 6,500 square feet and each lot would include its own parking.
The project would be 100 percent affordable to qualified residents earning 70 percent ($56,980) to 140 percent ($113,960) of Maui’s median annual income, with half of the units priced to families earning 101 percent ($81,400) to 120 percent ($97,680) of the median income.
Some modifications of the project include that construction shall commence within two years. All units and infrastructure are expected to be completed within four years.