What is EC Pāʻia Proposing for Lower Pāʻia?
Updated: Aug 25
Project Basics:
170 housing units (~500-800 additional residents)
34 of 50 apartments dedicated to workforce housing
120 single-family houses
16 houses for "gap housing" (e.g. workforce professionals) of 120% - 220% ami (which translates to annual household income of $177,600 - $325,000 for a family of 4).
A 200 stall parking lot located adjacent to current parking lot
A new traffic light on Hāna Highway
4 acres of new commercial stretching up Baldwin Ave
A proposed medical/urgen care facility
2-way Bypass and widened Baldwin Avenue
On May 20, 2026, EC Pāʻia Town representatives (including attorney Cal Chipchase) presented the first public unveiling of the proposed 40 acre EC Pāʻia LLC project.
The community at large, to say the least, was stunned. Sam Hirbod (head of EC Pāʻia LLC) has owned the land for over a decade and never once approached the community for public discussions about plans for the land. The handful of residents who were consulted were cherry-picked to meet developer needs.
When project plans were revealed, immediate red flags included a new traffic light on Hāna Highway (less than a quarter mile from the current traffic light), commercial sprawl up Baldwin Avenue and across from current residential neighborhoods, widening of Baldwin Avenue, adding 500-800 more residents in Lower Pāʻia without alternative emergency exit routes, and additional subdivision of Hirbodʻs remaining 300 acres.
In addition, the majority of residents did not even realize this area fell within the Pāʻia Small Town Growth Boundary (as identified in the 2012 Maui Island Plan).
Hirbod and his high-powered team point to the (outdated) Pāʻia-Hāʻiku Community Plan to justify their project, promising an urgent care facility, potential daycare, potential heritage hall (which would be Pāʻiaʻs second), gym/fitness center, and a general merchandising store. Note - they canʻt actually guarantee any of these specific services. It all would depend, ultimately, who signs
the leases if building is approved.
But the Pāʻia-Hāʻiku Community Plan goes beyond just more hardscape commercial or retail space, and specifically calls for a community library in the area as well as directs planners to "ensure that community parks are developed before major new development projects are allowed to occur." The Maui Island Plan also specifically identifies the need for appropriate public facilities, parks, civic and open spaces in this area.
In addition, there is already 9 acres of commercially zoned land in the heart of Pāʻia Town (owned by David Spee - whose proposed mixed-use retirement community idea was shot down in 2020). Why, then, is EC Pāʻia proposing more commercial? Where are the parks, civic and open spaces, dog parks, farmersʻ markets, playing fields, etc.?
Interestingly, the West Maui Community Plan (the first of the community plans to be updated on a 10 year schedule), recently determined that although agricultural land may be within the areaʻs growth boundaries, it should only be converted to urban or rural designations when conversion is required to accommodate the population or employment projections for the region.
But no matter if you are for or against more development in Pāʻia, the fact of the matter is, this project is currently bypassing public input. It is getting fast-tracked through a process known as council initated via Councilmember Nohe Uʻu-Hodgins. This allows EC Pāʻia to bypass critical reviews such as traffic, water, and community impact studies. It also allows them to avoid public hearings.
At a minimum, wouldnʻt you want a project that is supposedly for the community, to actually include the community?
Comments