Pāʻia Development Explodes from 40 acres to 285 acres with "Pāʻia Farms Subdivision"
This is one instance where we hate to say "told you so." But unfortunately, we knew it was bound to happen. In 2016, as A&B ceased commercial sugar cane operations, the number one thought on many localsʻ minds were how quickly they would start subdividing the land under the guise of "agricultural parcels."
For Pāʻia land owner and EC Pāʻia LLC developer Sam Hirbod, apparently it takes about 10 years. At the end of 2016, Hirbod purchased the 340 acres stretching from directly across the entrance to Baldwin Beach Park, across to the mini-bypass and up Baldwin Ave to the Pāʻia Mill.
While Hirbod and his merry band of well-connected cronies continue to promise the public that the proposed 40 acres of mixed-use development in Lower Pāʻia is "for housing for our community," thereʻs really no good way to justify 18 "gentlemen estates" to residents who are struggling with the highest home prices in the nation, inflated rents, an astronomical cost of living, and ʻohana/friends/community who are STILL trying to rebuild 3 years post-Lāhaina fire. Not to mention Upcountry property owners who have been on water meter waitlists for years.
And we all thought Michael Baskins was bad...
Since Agriculture land does not have to go through zoning changes to apply for building permits, the subdivision of ag land can proceed pretty quietly out of the public eye. So even though Hirbodʻs additional 245 acres is considered Class A agriculture land, and even though it is NOT included in the Pāʻia Small Town Growth Boundary, it is moving through the approval process.
And interestingly enough, Pāʻia/Hāʻiku residents still cannot get the one thing weʻve asked for repeatedly over the last 30 years: A Pāʻia Relief Route via Sunny Side Road.
While gentrification is not new to Maui, Pāʻia has been relatively immune to these changes (save for certain pockets). Thatʻs getting ready to change if the community doesnʻt start pushing back on these developer driven plans getting fast-tracked via Councilmember Uʻu-Hodgins. Before you know it, the very locals she claims to want to house will be pushed out of Pāʻia completely.
Comments