13-lot Pulelehuakea Subdivision Proposed in Pukalani

By Wendy Osher

A Draft Environmental Assessment has been filed for the 13-lot Pulelehuakea single-family residential subdivision in Pukalani.

Pulelehuakea Subdivision would be bordered by the Kaluapulani and Kalialinui Gulches. Rendering courtsy Munekiyo & Hiraga and DEA document. Click image to enlarge.

The Pukalani Town Center pictured here sits less than a mile north of the proposed project. File photo by Wendy Osher.

KG Maui Development LLC proposes construction of the project on 6 acres of land near the Pukalani County Club Golf Course. The subdivision site is surrounded by Holes 5, 6, and 7 and sits less than a mile south of both the Pukalani Town Center and the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center. The site also sits between the Kaluapulani and Kalialinui Gulches.

The proposed project is being developed to provide additional housing units in the region to help meet future demand for market-priced, trade-up housing opportunities. The DEA document references a 2006 Socio-Economic Forecast for the 2030 General Plan, noting the population in the Makawao-Pukalani-Kula area is expected to increase by 63%, creating a demand for 824 additional housing units in the region.

The area was once farmed with pineapple and was also used for cattle grazing, but today is dominated by non-native species and is not in active use. An Archaeological Assessment of the area did not find any cultural material of historic significance, but archaeologists recommend that an Archaeological Monitoring Plan be approved by the State Historic Preservation Division prior to any construction activity.

If subdivision approvals and entitlements are granted, site construction is projected to start in 2013, with completion anticipated in 2015.

Comments on the Draft EA are being accepted through January 22, 2011. Comments should be sent to the Applicant (KG Maui Development, LLC, 175 Paoakalani Avenue, Suite 300, Honolulu, HI 96815), with copies to the Approving Agency (Maui Planning Commission, 250 South High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793) and Consultant (Munekiyo & Hiraga, Inc., 305 High Street, Suite 104, Wailuku, HI 96793).