Four Seasons Resort to seek permit for $16.3 million in exterior renovations and improvements

The Maui Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing tomorrow morning on a $16.3 million proposal for exterior renovations and improvements at the Four Seasons Resort Maui in Wailea.

The meeting is set for 9 a.m. Tuesday in the Planning Department conference room at Kalana Pakui in Wailuku. The item is the first on the day’s agenda, where commissioners will consider the application for a special management area use permit and a planned development step II approval. (To see the commission’s full agenda, click here.)

The meeting is accessible to the public remotely through Interactive conference technology via Microsoft Teams videoconferencing: Meeting ID: 243 169 899 149 2 Passcode: ti9oq7k7. Viewing or video testimony is also available by clicking the meeting link at https://tinyurl.com/bdx82df4.

The Maui County Department of Planning is recommending the commission approve the project, with conditions, citing the resort’s commitment to sustainability and compliance with all applicable land use designations. The plans, submitted by Munekiyo Hiraga on behalf of 3900 WA Associates LLC, propose enhancements that do not change the existing 383 guest rooms.

Scope of improvements

The proposed project focuses on upgrades to existing developed areas of the 14.59-acre resort property at 3900 Wailea Alanui Drive. Key elements of the renovation include the construction of a new leisure pool, a new pool for the “Lokelani” presidential suite, and two new massage hale.

A major component of the project involves infrastructure and sustainability, including the installation of solar photovoltaic arrays at the guest parking lot and on the resort rooftop. The improvements are expected to reduce the resort’s dependence on fossil fuels.

The project also has a net positive impact on water conservation. A water demand analysis included in the application shows that the reduction in irrigated landscaping, achieved by eliminating a large lawn area, will result in a net reduction of 30,209 gallons of water per year, even with the addition of new pool water use.

Public concern over solar arrays

While the Planning Department has received no formal objections, one piece of written public testimony has been submitted ahead of the hearing. Donna Upton, a long-time owner at the adjacent Hoʻolei condominium complex, expressed concern over the visual impact of the solar panels.

Upton wrote that the current resort roof “blends into the surroundings and any change to color or addition of solar panels will greatly affect our view of the ocean.” Her testimony asks the commission to ensure the Four Seasons will “provide any mitigating factors, non-reflective panels, ocean-side only installation, etc. to help reduce the adverse effects on our views from Hoʻolei?”

In its report, the Planning Department addressed the potential visual impact, concluding that the solar panels “will be screened from view from outside the property, and will not be visible from the roadway, shoreline or other public vantage points.” The report says that the visual impacts “are not anticipated to be significant” and are “offset by the renewable energy benefit.”

Department’s recommendation

The Planning Department is recommending the commission approve the project subject to several conditions, including that all exterior lighting is shielded to mitigate light pollution and possible seabird strikes, and that public beach access routes on the property are maintained throughout the duration of construction. The department recommends requiring that the Four Seasons Resort begin construction of improvements no later than Sept. 30, 2030, and that work should be completed in no more than five years.

Construction of the $16.3 million project is anticipated to be completed within two years of receiving all applicable permit approvals.