Rezoning for Queen Kaʻahumanu Center clears path forward, owner representative says

The representative of the owner of Queen Kaʻahumanu Center is lauding the Maui County Council’s approval of rezoning for the Kahului complex that has struggled in recent years with the decline of brick-and-mortar shopping malls.

On Aug. 27, the County Council approved on second-and-final reading measures that provide for a Wailuku-Kahului Community Plan amendment for 6.75 acres and a change of zoning from M-2 Heavy Industrial District to B-3 Central Business District for 33.8 acres for the Queen Kaʻahumanu Community Center revitalization and infill project.

In a statement released Tuesday, Pacific Retail Capital Partners “announced” that the rezoning application submitted in conjunction with LNR Partners, LLC to the Maui County Council on behalf of the owner of Queen Kaʻahumanu Center was unanimously approved. PRCP is the property manager for Queen Kaʻahumanu Center and collaborated with LNR, the commercial mortgage-backed security special servicer for the property’s owner, to submit the application.

Lemore Czeisler, vice president development at PRCP, said: “We are very appreciative of the Maui County Council for voting unanimously in favor of the rezoning application submitted for Queen Kaʻahumanu Center. We look forward to the transformation of the property and having it serve as a beacon of energy and activity for the people of Maui.”

John Mitchell, senior vice president at LNR, said: “The approval by the Maui County Council allows for the reimagining of Queen Kaʻahumanu Center and the potential to reposition it as a community focused destination that reflects the culture, pride and heritage that endures throughout the islands. Now that the property has been cleared for rezoning, we invite others interested in investing in the reincarnation of Queen Kaʻahumanu Center to become part of something truly unprecedented in Maui.”

The announcement said: “The rezoning approval paves the way to transform Queen Kaʻahumanu Center into a vibrant mixed-use destination that will help address Maui’s critical need for housing and better serve the needs of the community.”