A Hawaii appellate court ruled the Maui Planning Commission used the wrong legal standard when it approved Phase II of the Honuaʻula master-planned community in South Maui, ordering the commission to reconsider whether a supplemental environmental impact statement is required. The court upheld the commission on drainage, due process, and delegation issues, while workforce housing and golf course disputes were rendered moot by a 2025 county ordinance amendment.
- The Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals found the Planning Commission applied the wrong legal test when it approved Honuaʻula Phase II in 2022, requiring it to evaluate whether the project changed substantially since its 2012 environmental review.
- The commission must now determine whether changes in size, scope, intensity, use, location, or timing since 2012 warrant a new supplemental environmental impact statement before Phase II approval can stand.
- The court rejected challenges related to the developer’s drainage plan, due process concerns, and alleged improper delegation of authority.
- Disputes over workforce housing units and a golf course requirement were declared moot after the Maui County Council amended the relevant ordinances in August 2025, setting a minimum of 288 workforce housing units.
- Community groups say they are evaluating whether to seek further review from the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Source: Maui Now
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