By ILIMA LOOMIS of the Maui News

The Maui County Council Land Use Committee voted 8-0 Wednesday to recommend approval of Maui Land & Pineapple’s West Maui housing project Pulelehua.

Council members hashed out conditions for the project, including updating affordable housing requirements, and warned developers that if they didn’t break ground within five years, they would consider exercising their right to revoke the zoning. ML&P Chief Operating Officer Ryan Churchill said that wouldn’t be a problem, and that the company hoped to move forward within three to four years…

…The project entitlements are expected to come before the full council for first reading Oct. 21. …

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Under the conditions approved Wednesday, the developers would be required to comply with the housing law and provide 25 percent affordable housing – a number that would increase to 50 percent if market-priced homes end up selling for more than $600,000.

Developers also would have to provide an additional 125 affordable homes to satisfy promises made in connection with the company’s Kapalua Mauka project.

Some council members noted that ML&P has pledged that half the homes at Pulelehua would be affordable, and favored setting the affordability requirement at 50 percent. But ultimately the panel decided to require the developer to follow existing work force housing rules…

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Council members heard from testifiers Wednesday, including Leonard K. Nakoa III, who noted that ML&P and other developers already owed the county affordable housing units in West Maui for Kapalua Mauka and other projects. He questioned the need for approving Pulelehua.

“Why not have them build the houses that they owe already before touching this project?” he asked. “Just go get ’em done.”

Read the whole article and more testifier comments at Maui News