Megamall or Residences for Piilani Promenade?

11/9/2024 #kihei #megamall #mpc #smcp #piilanipromenade

After extensive discussion, the Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) for the South Maui Community Plan, a volunteer committee appointed by the County Council and consisting entirely of residents of South Maui, decided in 2023 that the large lot next to the Ohukai light industrial area – called Piilani Promenade – should be designated Residential. The designation allows for small shops in the area, with larger shops available just mauka, but focuses the use on housing. There have been years of opposition from the community to placing a “MegaMall” there, and it was felt by the CPAC that any need for an additional shopping center to compete with Kīhei’s existing shopping centers is less than the need for affordable housing for our residents. The CPAC also felt it was important to protect the gulches with significant buffers and to provide an offset from the highway both to protect the view plane from the highway with a vegetated zone and to buffer the residents of the neighborhood from the highway.

The Planning Department (PD)  is urging the Maui Planning Commission (MPC) at the request of the developer to change the land use designation to Small Town Center, which would allow significant commercial development. It is also urging the drastic reduction of the gulch buffers and the highway offset.

If that disturbs you, you can testify over Webex (a remote video application) at the MPC meeting on Tuesday, November 12 at 3pm:

https://mauicounty.webex.com/mauicounty/j.php?MTID=m3cd19b740ca34a7da2fa10a1329217a1

The agenda can be found here:

https://www.mauicounty.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/32274