Some residents oppose
new Kihei hotelThe Kamaole Beach Hotel is to
have seven stories and 24 condos
KIHEI >> A number of South Maui residents oppose a planned hotel fronting Kamaole Beach Park I, which they say already has traffic and drainage problems.
But Brad Henderson, a representative of the proposed Kamaole Beach Hotel, said his group has met and sometimes exceeded county code requirements for the development.
The hotel, located mauka of South Kihei Road between the Maui Coast Hotel and Pacific Shores apartments, would include a seven-story building with 220 rooms, 24 condominium units and a restaurant with retail shops.
To fulfill a county requirement for affordable housing, the developer also proposes building a separate 63-unit employee housing project on the mauka portion of the site.
Michael Trotto, who lives in a single-family house about an eighth of a mile from the proposed development, said a hotel would block the last mountain views in the neighborhood and aggravate traffic and drainage problems.
Trotto, who has lived in his Kihei home since 1977, said flooding continues in his community even with drainage gulches because the county does not take care of clearing debris.
George Rixey, president of the Kihei Community Association, said his group has not taken a position on the proposal yet but is encouraging the developer to provide bikeways and help develop a secondary road mauka of its property.
Henderson said the developer plans to provide a bike path and also contribute 30 feet along the mauka side of its property for a secondary road.
Chris Hart, a planning consultant working with Kamaole Beach, said the developer hopes to work with nearby property owners in developing the secondary road.
Hart said if unable to obtain participation, Kamaole Beach is willing to develop a two-lane secondary mauka road connecting to Keg Alii Alan Road.
Hart said the project has been zoned for hotel use since 1969, and the hotel use is also reflected in the county's general plan for South Maui.
Officials representing the developer said the height of the building, less than 75 feet, is in keeping with other nearby structures, including the six-story Maui Coast and four-story Pacific Shores.
Under county requirements the developer will have to eventually obtain a number of permits, including a shoreline special management area use permit from the Maui Planning Commission.
Hart said the developer has not submitted an application to the commission and is preparing an environmental assessment.
