WAILUKU - Mayor Charmaine Tavares is asking for approval to remove and sell the luxury home built on the Montana Beach property in Paia.
A letter from Finance Director Kalbert Young proposing a resolution to authorize the sale was received by the Maui County Council on Thursday. It will need to be reviewed and approved by the council before Tavares could proceed.
Last year, the county closed the final chapter of a six-year lawsuit by purchasing the final, empty lot on the Montana Beach property as part of a $4.1 settlement. The county had previously settled with two other owners of the property by purchasing the other part of the site and the vacant house for $6.4 million.
Former Mayor Alan Arakawa had proposed keeping the luxury home intact and using it as a public building or environmental education center. But during her campaign, Tavares said she believed the best option was removing the house and restoring the beachfront site to an open park.
Young's letter said Tavares planned to offer the buildings for sale at a public auction.
A 2001 appraisal of the 2,500-square-foot, raised building found high-end materials and workmanship, including mahogany, slate and marble flooring, teak wood vaulted ceilings, a Jacuzzi tub, central air conditioning, mango and koa wood kitchen cabinetry, top-end appliances, teak exterior railings and eaves, a gazebo and in-ground spa. The property also has two separate guest rooms.
Kurt Ulmer bought the 5.7-acre property in 1995, dividing it into three condominium units that he later sold. The project was granted plan-review waivers to obtain building permits.
A group of residents fought the decision, noting the project was in a special management area and on land designated for open space.
The owners sued after the county withdrew permits and special management area exemptions for the project, with one building already under construction.
* Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.
