Breaking News Alerts

We'd like to send you alerts when breaking news happens. Hide this Message

Press "Allow" to Activate

Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
  • News Topics
    • Front Page
    • Maui News
    • 2022 Election
    • Business
    • Food & Dining
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Real Estate
    • Crime Statistics
    • Local Sports
  • Weather & Surf
    • Weather Forecast
    • Surf Report
  • Lifestyle & Culture
    • Maui Arts & Entertainment
    • Food and Dining
    • Real Estate
    • Obituaries
  • Opinion
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Maui Discussion
    • Reader Survey
  • Events Calendar
    • Upcoming Maui Events
    • Map of Events
    • Post an Event
  • Job Listings
    • Maui Jobs
    • Recent Job Listings
    • Job Alerts
    • Post a Job
  • Special Sections
    • IMUA Discovery Garden
    • Medical Minute
  • Video
    • Latest Maui Videos
  • × Close Menu
  • About Maui Now
  • Newsletter
  • Contact Information
  • Get the App
  • Advertising
  • Meet the Team
Choose Your Island:
  • Kauai
  • Maui
  • Big Island
Copyright © 2023 Pacific Media Group
All Rights Reserved

Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Maui Now
Search
Aloha, !
My Profile | Logout
Aloha, Guest!
Login | Register
    Maui Now
  • Sections
  • Maui News
  • Business
  • Weather
  • Entertainment
  • Election
  • Real Estate
  • Jobs
  • Obituaries
  • Opinion

Real Estate

Maui residents vow to pursue legal action over massive Nāpili home

By Kehaulani Cerizo
December 16, 2022, 7:00 AM HST
Play
Listen to this Article
3 minutes
Loading Audio... Article will play after ad...
Playing in :00
A
A
A

Building plans on the single-family residence call for an eight-bedroom home. PC: Kehaulani Cerizo 3/24/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22
  • PC: Planning Department presentation 12/15/22

Nāpili residents said they will take legal action against the county after the Maui County Council failed to follow through on an investigation into approvals for a massive Nāpili home.

“There is not a single citizen of our community that looks at this building every day and thinks that it’s compliant with the law,” Josh Downer of Nāpili Bay Community Association testified during the council’s Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee meeting Thursday. “If this council will not follow through on the investigation and provide an independent legal analysis to our questions, then we will have to get a court to do so.”

Owned by developer Greg Brown, the eight-bedroom, 45-foot-tall house at 5385 Lower Honoapiʻilani Road drew strong community opposition in 2021 over its height and its intended short-term rental use. The unfinished, two-story home originally called for two rooftop pools, eight bedrooms, eight bathrooms, along with multiple dens and media rooms.

County departments found that the building exceeded height and square footage limits. A stop work order was implemented late last year over potential violations. Months later, the issues were resolved, the order was lifted and the house is now compliant, officials said.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

After continued community pushback, the council voted to approve an investigation into the Planning and Public Works departments over the home’s approvals.

Committee Chairwoman Tamara Paltin, whose residency seat covers West Maui, said the council had tried to procure an investigator in August, but there were no responses to a request for proposals. The council then asked three vendors for submittals.

“Ultimately only one vendor submitted a proposal in the amount of $92,000 plus GET, and so we declined that offer (because) it was pretty substantial,” Paltin said during the Thursday meeting.

Paltin echoed at the meeting that the council’s role is to legislate, and the body doesn’t have jurisdiction over the permits in the Brown development.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

Planning Director Michele McLean on Thursday presented a timeline on the Brown development, along with community questions and county responses.

When asked by Council Member Mike Molina whether any corrective actions were taken within the Planning Department so the Brown house doesn’t happen again, McLean said staffers have combed through the issues.

“We went through it in great detail several times to really understand what happened and what got missed,” she said. “I think it’s pretty clear how those errors happened, and yes, we have made folks who review SMA as well as building plan reviewers aware, [of] things to look out for. And I can’t speak about discipline that was taken; I can say that appropriate action was taken.”

Now, any plans that push the 7,500 square foot limit should be checked with a supervisor. Also, when there are zoning standard questions, the supervisor should be consulted, McLean added.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW AD

When asked by Council Member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez whether the procedures should be “memorialized,” McLean said they could be added to standard operating procedure.

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea to document some of those into an SOP,” McLean said.

The county Planning and Public Works departments have maintained that errors were made but nothing illegal occurred. Brown has said the house is legal and all county rules were followed.

At the end of the meeting, Paltin deferred the item.

Maui resident Sam Small said the issue is far from over, though.

“Everything here is setting the stage for a catastrophic loss of the county in court. And the investigation was promised,” he said in testimony–to remove the need of the community to sue. “And the investigation hasn’t happened. This is not going to go away.”

Kehaulani Cerizo
Kehaulani Cerizo was born and raised on Maui and worked for nearly 15 years as a news reporter, copy editor and features editor at daily newspapers. She earned awards at The Maui News in Wailuku and at Today’s Local News in San Diego.
Read Full Bio
Maui Jobs View All Jobs Chevron Forward

Maui Health
Anesthesia Tech - Maui Memorial Medical Center
Central Maui · 1 week ago
MW Commercial Realty Inc.
MAINTENANCE MANAGER
South Maui · 5 days ago

Maui Health
Registered Nurse - Maui Memorial Medical Center
Central Maui · 2 weeks ago
AURA/National Solar Observatory
Electrical/ Electronics Technical Associate
Upcountry Maui · 2 hours ago
Looking for locally based talent?
Post a Job Listing

Sponsored Content

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Stay in-the-know with daily or weekly
headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Cancel
×

Related Articles

  • Council mulls whether massive Nāpili home warrants…
    March 25, 2022
  • Residents plan legal action to halt controversial…
    December 27, 2021
  • Hawai‘i Resumes Wiki Permits for Beach Weddings &…
    June 4, 2020
  • 35,000 free legal consultations for Hawaiʻi…
    February 3, 2023
  • Mayor Victorino to Pursue TAT Tax to Help Mitigate…
    April 28, 2021
  • UH Survey: Hawaiʻi Restaurants Expect Massive…
    December 23, 2020
Make the most of your Maui vacation with these top-rated activities: Maui Top 20: Maui Visitor & Tourism Information

Comments

This comments section is a public community forum for the purpose of free expression. Although Maui Now encourages respectful communication only, some content may be considered offensive. Please view at your own discretion. View Comments
View All Events: List Circle List Map
UPCOMING FEATURED EVENTS:
Add Post an Event More Events Chevron Forward
Trending Now
1Kihei Power Outage Leaves Parts Of South Maui In The Dark 2Maui County Testifiers Passionate Over Freedom To Choose Birth Practitioner 3Power Surge Likely A Contributing Factor To Fuel Spill At Haleakala Official Expresses Remorse 4Growers Enlist International Company To Verify Origin Of Hawaiʻi Macadamia Nut Products 5Maui Obituaries Week Ending Feb 6 2023 6Maui Dog Kennels Are Over Capacity Urgent Request Made For Sos Fosters
Arrow UpBack to Top
  • Maui News
  • Maui Business
  • Weather
  • Entertainment
  • Maui Surf
  • Maui Sports
  • COVID-19 Updates
  • Crime Statistics
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Maui Activities
  • Maui Discussion
  • Food and Dining
  • Real Estate
  • Events
  • What’s Open
  • Maui Jobs
  • About Maui Now
  • Contact Information
  • About Our Ads
  • App
  • Newsletter
  • Terms of Service

Copyright © 2023. Pacific Media Group.
All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | About Our Ads

Facebook YouTube Twitter Instagram