Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 33, Number 12, 1 December 2016 — Settlement on Honuaʻula reached [ARTICLE]

Settlement on Honuaʻula reached

Environment and cultural groups have reached a settlement with Maui County and Honua'ula Partners to ensure the proposed "Wailea 670" development includes protections for archaeological sites, rare plants and animals and other significant features. In 2008, Honua'ula Partners initially obtained approval from the Maui County Council for a project that would include single and multifamily housing units, a golf course, commercial units and mixed-used units. The City Council initially required a native plant preservation area no larger than 130 acres and no smaller than 18 acres. The settlement comes more than three years after the Sierra Club and Maui Unite contested Honua'ula Partners' environmental impact

statement. The agreement reached among the three parties includes protection of 160 acres of land containing endangered fauna and flora and ancient Hawaiian villages and portions of the historic KaniaoKalama road, as well as ensuring access rights are granted to the public and cultural practitioners. In addition, a planned 18-hole golf course will be reduced in size; a deer fence will be erected in order to protect endangered plants and a conservation easement over the protected lands will be provided to the Hawaiian Islands Land Trust.