For immediate release: August 29, 2013
Press Release by:
Councilmember Robert Carroll, Chair
Council Committee to Consider Waikapu Gardens, Phase II, Affordable Housing Project
WAILUKU, Maui, Hawaii — On Wednesday, September 4, the Council’s Land Use Committee will consider the Waikapu Gardens, Phase II, affordable housing project, proposed for development on 10.5 acres on East Waiko Road. The proposed project site is located mauka of the intersection of East Waiko Road and Waiale Road, and makai of the Waikapu Cemetery.
The project consists of 48 affordable single-family housing units, on lots ranging from 5,000 to 9,000 sq. ft., to be sold as house-and-lot packages. One hundred percent of the project will be offered at affordable prices to income-qualified households. The project also includes a 60,000 sq. ft. lot for a neighborhood commercial center.
“I strongly support working with the private sector to make affordable housing available to people who really need it,” said Councilmember Robert Carroll, who chairs the committee. “The location of this project is appropriate because it is near public services and Waikapu Gardens, Phase I.”
The Director of Housing and Human Concerns submitted the project under the “fast-track” provisions of Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, which allow the Council to grant certain exemptions from statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and agency rules. JES Corporation – whose principal, Jesse Spencer, developed the 411-unit affordable housing subdivision known as Waikapu Gardens (Phase I) – is the landowner and developer of the project.
Under the proposal, house-lot packages will be priced for three income groups. Fourteen homes will be priced for families earning between 80 and 100 percent of Maui’s median income, 14 homes will be priced for families earning between 101 and 120 percent of median income, and 20 homes will be priced for families earning between 121 and 140 percent of median income.
According to the application, proposed homes will include approximately 1,200 to 1,800 sq. ft. in living area, with three-bedroom/two-bath models and four-bedroom/three-bath models.
Carroll noted the 45-day time frame within which the Council must act on the proposed 201H project “presents a challenge for the Council, as we must immediately immerse ourselves in the project when we receive it and gather the information needed to make our decision”.
The project was transmitted to the Council for review on August 26. Therefore, the Council’s deadline is October 10.
“Despite strict time constraints,” he said, “I continue to be amazed by what the Council can accomplish when affordable housing for the County is at stake.”
The committee will conduct a site inspection of the property on Wednesday at 9 a.m., followed by a meeting in the Council Chamber at 11 a.m. As always, the public is invited to attend and testify.
If the committee is unable to reach a recommendation that day, Chair Carroll noted he anticipates scheduling a further committee meeting on the project on Thursday, September 12, at 9 a.m.
Meeting agendas and the project application are available on the Land Use Committee website at www.mauicounty.gov/committees/LU. For more information, please contact the Land Use Committee staff at lu.committee@mauicounty.us.
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Click to visit:
Site inspection agenda
Meeting agenda
Waikapu Gardens, Phase II 201H Application
Waikapu Gardens, Phase II, Letter from Planning Director
