A project map shows the planned location of the Hanamāʻulu master-planned community on 442 acres between Līhuʻe Airport and the Wailua Municipal Golf Course. PC: G70
A California developer has initiated the environmental review process for a proposed Hanamāʻulu master-planned community on Kauaʻi that would add up to 1,250 new homes to the island’s supply on more than 400 acres between Līhuʻe Airport and the Wailua Golf Course.
Somers West, with landowner Kūhiō Highway Investment LLC, of McClellan, California, has filed an environmental impact statement preparation notice with the Hawaiʻi Office of Planning and Sustainable Development for its Hanamāʻulu Village project, a plan to develop a mix of residential, commercial, and visitor accommodations on approximately 442 acres along the Hanamāʻulu bluff.
The developer states the village is designed to meet the island’s “critical need for housing.” According to the project filing, the 2024 Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study projected that Kauaʻi County would need approximately 4,914 new housing units by 2027.
The proposed village aims to provide diverse housing types, including single-family, duplex, and multiplex units. The filing states the project is designed to be “inclusive of people of all generations, income levels, and backgrounds. “The plan specifies that approximately 1,250 new housing units are planned for the village neighborhood and village edge areas.
A key element of the proposal is a commitment to provide about 700 housing units to Kauaʻi residents. These would be reserved for residents via a deed restriction program.
The project site is in the town of Hanamāʻulu, north of Hanamāʻulu Bay and adjacent to the Wailua Municipal Golf Course and Wailua Motocross Track. The parcels have been vacant for decades since the closure of the Līhuʻe Plantation and are used for cattle grazing.
Project scope and infrastructure
The master plan integrates principles of smart growth and proposes weaving the residential areas with parks, courtyards and commercial centers. The plan includes a village center featuring commercial, retail and overnight accommodations, including a “small inn and low-density sustainable resort” with an estimated 160 visitor units.
Hanamāʻulu project details. PC: G70
To support the community, Somers West plans several major infrastructure improvements. These include the expansion of water services in the Līhuʻe area through the construction of wells and storage systems, and the construction of an on-site wastewater treatment plant to service the village. The project is anticipated to be built in incremental phases over the next 10 to 15 years.
To move forward, the developer will need to petition the state Land Use Commission to reclassify the agricultural portion of the land to the urban district. The existing land use designations on the site are agricultural, urban and conservation at the state level, and agricultural and open space for county zoning. The Kauaʻi County Planning Department is the approving public agency for the project.
The preparation notice indicates that a golf course and residential community was planned for the site around 2003 under prior ownership, but those land use entitlements were never advanced.
Vegetation zones in the project area include (clockwise from upper left) coastal strand, pasture, forest and wetlands. PC: G70
Public comment opportunity
The public has an opportunity to review and comment on the scope of the environmental impact statement.
An in-person EIS scoping meeting will be held Nov. 3, beginning with an open house at 5:30 p.m., followed by the scoping session and public comments at 6 p.m. at the Outrigger Hotel, 4331 Kauaʻi Beach Drive, Līhuʻe.
Public comments on the EIS preparation notice are due Nov. 24. Comments can be sent via email to hanamaulu_village@g70.design. The project consultant is G70, and the contact person is Jeff Overton.