First Hawaiian Bank parcels in Lānaʻi City on Maui Council’s July 8 regular meeting agenda

Maui County Council members are set to consider accepting two parcels of land in Lānaʻi City that had been the site of First Hawaiian Bank’s Lānaʻi branch for a century before it closed at the end of June last year.

Ready for consideration on the Council’s July 8 agenda, resolution 25-122 would authorize the acceptance of two parcels at 644 Lāna‘i Ave. and Seventh Street, Lāna‘i City, Hawai‘i, with 14,379 and 10,510 square feet, respectively. Council approval by resolution is required to accept donations of land.

According to Wikipedia, 98% of Lāna‘i is owned by billionaire and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, who has an estimated net worth of $234 billion and is ranked as the third wealthiest person in the world as of June this year.

The former First Hawaiian Bank in Lāna‘i City is a 2,009-square-foot, single-story building on 644 Lāna‘i Ave. It’s on business-zoned property, according to Maui County real property tax records. The separate Seventh Street property is zoned for residential use. Any structures on that property were demolished as of November 2011.

According to the Office of the Mayor, the former Lāna‘i Branch building is in disrepair. However, its “location and size of the lots offer significant opportunities to meet the community’s needs,” according to the resolution. “Public outreach and community engagement are anticipated to help determine how the properties would be used.”

Possible uses for the property include:

• Office and meeting space for the Maui County Emergency Management Agency’s Lāna‘i staff or other County agencies.
• Short-term lodging for visiting service providers.
• A shared commercial kitchen or other community support functions.

The Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Council Member Tom Cook, acknowledged the generosity of First Hawaiian Bank for its donation to the County. The committee voted unanimously in favor of accepting the land donation.

Other resolutions

A separate, unrelated resolution (23-163) would refer to the Lāna‘i, Maui and Moloka‘i planning commissions a proposed bill to require places of public accommodation with at least 50 parking spaces to have at least two parking spaces specifically designated for electric vehicles; and have an additional two spaces for electric vehicles for each increment of 50 parking spaces. (For example, the bill would mean that the Queen Ka‘ahumanu Center’s with its more than 2,000 parking spaces would be required to designate 40 spaces for electric vehicles.)

Another resolution (25-139) support’s the County’s planned conveyance of land for Hale Makua Health Services and Alaka‘i Development to create approximately 100 workforce rental housing project for healthcare and education workers and people displaced by the Maui wildfires. The resolution also reaffirms the County’s commitment to retaining recreational facilities, including the Kokua Pool and Kahului Community Center, ensuring continued community access.

Resolution 25-140 would authorize the grant of a lease of a little more than an acre of County property in Kualapu‘u Park and Community Center for $1 a year to the Ho‘ahu Energy Cooperative Moloka‘i and Ho‘ahu CBRE 2 Kualapu‘u LLC. The lease would expire Sept. 18, 2043.

Resolution 25-142 would submit to the Lāna‘i, Maui and Moloka‘i planning commissions a proposed bill to standardize the allowable size of accessory dwellings and associated decks and similar structures for lots that are smaller than a half acre. The resolution includes a Council finding that “one approach to addressing the housing shortage is to allow property owners the flexibility to maximize the potential living area in accessory dwellings.”

Bills set for first reading

Bill 75, which would establish agricultural tourism as an accessory use in the agricultural district. The measure also aims to promote the teaching of traditional practices, including aquaculture, subsistence agriculture, alternative health practices and indigenous Hawaiian architecture. It also would help diversity the tourism industry by supporting niche activities such as medical and ag-tourism.

Bill 47, which would authorize the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Hawaiʻi Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and Hawai‘i counties for the Hawaiʻi Creative Economy Collaborative. The collaborative is a statewide initiative to develop workforce, facilities and infrastructure in support of television and film production and other performing arts.

Bills set for second-and-final reading

Bill 104, which would permit kitchenettes (with long-term occupancy and added parking) and restrict wet bars in residential/rural zones on Maui and Lānaʻi, along with conforming definition updates.

Bill 76, which would allow mobile food trucks or trailers of 1,000 square feet or less as permitted accessory uses on farms in Maui County’s agricultural district.

Bill 158, which would authorize the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement for the Maui Police Department to help Kaua’i County with forensic drug testing.

Bill 83, which would disband the South Maui and Pāʻia-Haʻikū advisory committees to the Maui Planning Commission.

Bill 84, which would amend the fiscal 2026 budget to appropriate another $95,600 from the state Department of Health Clean Water Branch to the Department of Environmental Management to update the Māʻalaea Wastewater Study.

Bill 85, which would amend the fiscal 2026 budget, adding an $80,750 “Emergency Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant” appropriation to the Office of the Mayor. The purpose of this grant is to purchase two electric vehicles.

How to participate

• Friday’s Council meeting will be televised live beginning at 9 a.m. July 8 on Akakū Maui Community Media, cable Channel 53. It also can be viewed online via Teams at http://tinyurl.com/2p9zhjr2
• To call in testimony, dial 1-808-977-4067, code 234 794 559#
• In-person testimony also is taken at the beginning of meetings in the eighth-floor Council Chamber at the Kalana O Maui Building, 200 South High St., in Wailuku.
• Written testimony will be accepted via eComment. Search for the meeting date on mauicounty.us/agendas, click on the eComment link, then select the agenda item to submit comments on.
• Also, written testimony may be submitted by email to county.clerk@mauicounty.us, by fax to 808-270-7171, or to the Office of the County Clerk, 200 South High St., Ste. 708, Wailuku 96793. Written testimony should be received at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
• Information regarding upcoming council and committee meetings, including instructions on how to provide testimony, can be found at mauicounty.us/agendas.