LAHAINA – With new housing units proposed at the Villages of Leiali’i, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has recommended withdrawal of its Honokowai Master Plan presented in 2003.

Prepared by Kimura International Inc., the Honokowai Master Plan focused on residential lot development.

The Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice (EISPN) for the project proposed up to 1,000 residential lots, kupuna housing, a commercial area and spaces for community centers, health care facilities, a school, churches and open space on 800 acres.

Subsequent to the publication of the Honokowai EISPN, DHHL acquired land in the Villages of Leali’i near Lahaina Civic Center.

“These lands provided DHHL with an opportunity to develop and offer residential homesteads within a developing community,” notes a project update published in the Nov. 23 issue of the state Office of Environmental Quality Control’s “The Environmental Notice.”

“The Kimura-Honokowai Master Plan was abandoned in favor of the development of residential lots within Villages of Leali’i residential community.”

To date, DHHL has developed and awarded 104 residential lots to beneficiaries in Leali’i, and the agency plans to develop an additional 253 residential lots in the Lahaina community.

DHHL’s master planning efforts at Honokowai have shifted from providing a primarily residential community to a lower impact agriculture community.

According to the OEQC bulletin, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is re-engaging its beneficiaries regarding development of its Honokowai property.

Once drafted, DHHL will submit documents to the OEQC based on the revised concepts.