Controversial West Hawaii housing project is rejected again
A 10-year extension for a controversial West Hawaii housing development to complete construction has once again been rejected, this time by the Hawaii County Council.
The Kona Vistas subdivision began development in 1984 on Queen Kaahumanu Highway in Holualoa, with plans at the time for a second phase that would add a 450-unit multifamily housing project on an adjacent 69-acre parcel.
Plans for that phase have lingered even as the developers changed, with companies KV3 LLC and Kona Three LLC purchasing the land in 2015 with the intention to complete the project. Despite this, little progress has been made, and the developers in 2022 requested a 10-year extension from the county.
A Council committee recommended in June that the extension be denied, with residents speaking for hours about the project’s unsuitability for the area. That recommendation came before the full Council on Wednesday, where members were tasked with deciding whether to approve the extension.
Once again, residents urged the Council to reject the project. Community members cited environmental concerns about the area’s location within a flood zone, particularly after the area experienced floods in 2023.
“Development is in a floodplain, with the applicant intending to place the lowest-income area at the bottom of the runoff,” wrote Cindy Freitas.
Several testifiers suggested that flood maps for the area should be updated, particularly as the effects of climate change become increasingly more apparent.
Others mentioned that the area’s infrastructure already is overtaxed by existing users and that if the 450 units of multifamily housing came online without corresponding upgrades, then roads, wastewater systems, medical facilities and more could be overwhelmed.
“I live on Kilohana Street (less than a mile south of the project parcel), and believe me, we have enough traffic on the highway at any time of day,” wrote Margaret Spitler. “And with the water in short supply, we also do not need to add any other residences in the area.”
Still others noted that the area is dense with historical and cultural landmarks. The remnants of a holua slide — a course used by Hawaiians to bring large logs down the mountain to carve them into voyaging canoes — have been found on the project site.
While the developers did not appear at Wednesday’s meeting, planning consultant Daryn Arai requested that the Council postpone its decision until a later date as the developers considered other courses of action. Arai said doing so would be courteous and a sign of good faith.
But Kona Council member Rebecca Villegas disagreed, saying that postponing the matter would be discourteous to the two new recently elected Council members, who would have to be introduced to the issue for the first time.