When you consider a real estate investment, especially if you plan to live in it, getting a sense of future developments is always important. Things change, and when you take as big a step as buying a home or condo on Maui, an ocean away from the mainland, you want to feel secure in your choices.

If South Maui interests you, some recent news on development should be worth your attention. Maui County Council members were considering the inclusion of several hundred acres of land in Pulehunui for development in the draft Maui Island Plan. South Maui residents were concerned about traffic and losing the boundary between Kihei and Kahului, but state officials said that state land to the east of Mokulele Highway would raise revenue for agencies like the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) and the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR). Both own land in that area.

A recent General Plan Committee meeting included the testimony of over 25 individuals, including a Maui District land agent for the DLNR who suggested that solar farms could be built there, along with other projects that could generate revenue. A Kihei Community Association board member and co-chairman of its planning committee suggested that the Puunene land be designated as a park.

After considering the testimonies from individuals and the DHHL and DLNR, the Maui County Council committee decided against the new urban growth boundary areas. Apparently, their plans for development weren’t specific enough. Also, there were too many concerns about traffic implications for Mokulule Highway, which gets a lot of use from visitors and has always been surrounded by open agricultural land. Less traffic should be looked on favorably for anyone considering a Kihei ​home or condo purchase.

We’ll have to wait and see what unfolds in future developments with regard to the planning process, but in the meantime, it’s good to know the committee is careful to think through potential changes very carefully.