This is the area in Lahaina slated for the next phase of the Villages of Leiali‘i subdivision mauka of the Lahaina Civic Center. State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands photo
The timing of construction for the next phase of the Villages of Leiali’i subdivision mauka of the Lahaina Civic Center “will follow recovery of the project’s surrounding area” impacted by the fires, the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands said in a report last month.
Recovery work in the surrounding area may involve hazardous debris and material removal and environmental testing by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the DHHL said in its final environmental assessment for the $75 million project that received a finding of no significant impact.
The Villages of Leali’i, Villages 1-B, will consist of 86 single-family units and 95 single-family lots on 51 acres of DHHL land north of Lealii Parkway and the existing Village 1-A subdivision.
DHHL said an alternative to the plan involving a single-family and multifamily mixed development of up to 250 units has been considered but the current plan was selected based on beneficiary preferences and the ability to provide larger individual lot sizes.
The Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfires did burn vegetation on the project’s vacant land. Overall, DHHL said it is moving forward and will continue to carry out its mission in Lahaina “to develop and deliver land to native Hawaiian beneficiaries.”
The neighboring Village 1-A subdivision, which has 104 homes and was fully occupied by lessees by the end of 2007, was largely spared by the fire, although two units were lost in the blaze.
“DHHL beneficiary demand for homesteading opportunities is very high and may have been exacerbated for those affected by the tragic August 2023 wildfires,” the DHHL document says.
Village 1-B’s single-family lots will be approximately 7,500 square feet, with a minimum lot area of 5,000 square feet.
The single-family lots will feature six different model types that will provide three or four bedrooms and two to three bathrooms and will range in living area from approximately 1,088 square feet to 1,674 square feet.
Parking will be provided in attached garages.
Offsite improvements will also be required which involve:
• Development of two new offsite retention basins mauka of Village 1-B, on lands owned by the state’s Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.
• Adjustment of the outlet drainage pipes in the existing retention basin mauka of Village 1-A on lands owned by HHFDC and enlargement of the basin.
• Grading and development of drainage interceptor ditches mauka of Village 1-B on lands owned by HHFDC.
• Roadway improvements to Lealii Parkway and Honoapiilani Highway, which include widening Lealii Parkway from two lanes to four lanes.
• Roadway repairs to existing portions of Lealii Parkway.
DHHL estimates that it will take three years for offsite improvements and Increment 1, the 86 single-family units, to be completed. Increment 2, the 95 single-family lots, is anticipated to be completed one year after Increment 1.
The project area has historically been utilized for agricultural cultivation but has not been actively cultivated for many years, DHHL said. It is adjacent to existing urban development and has been identified for future urban use by the Maui Island Plan and West Maui Community Plan.
DHHL said that in recognition of Lahaina’s wildfire risk, hazard mitigation measures to reduce vegetative fuel will be implemented and include vegetation control, regular trimming of tree canopies, removal of leaf litter, planting of drought-tolerant, fire-resistant plants away from power lines and removal of highly flammable materials such as scrap wood, firewood and combustible furniture.
Contractors may also use construction materials and methods that reduce wildfire-caused ignitions of residences and structures, including noncombustible building materials.
DHHL will maintain a 50-foot area mauka of Village 1-A and Village 1-B to be free from vegetation for fire and rodent control. Utility lines within Village 1-B will be installed underground.
To view the full report, visit planning.hawaii.gov/erp/environmental-notice/ and click on the Nov. 8 edition.
* Staff Writer Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
This is the area in Lahaina slated for the next phase of the Villages of Leiali‘i subdivision mauka of the Lahaina Civic Center. State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands photoToday's breaking news and more in your inbox
The Maui News Maui County Department of Finance Director Scott Teruya was placed on administrative leave on last ...
Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, formerly on Front Street in Lahaina Town and destroyed by the fire, announced the ...
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7rq3UoqWer6NjsLC5jqecsKtfobykrctmpZ6vo2R%2FcX6SaGhrZ5ikwrS1zaBkqaqfn7KkwNJmq6KlmaO0brDEqZynnKNivK95y5qfmqGelnqzscKorZ6qqWQ%3D