WAILEA – Developers broke ground this week for a 70-unit luxury condominium complex that they say will create hundreds of jobs, generate property tax revenue and lead to affordable housing in South Maui.

Slated for completion by the end of 2017, Keala O Wailea will include seven, 10-unit buildings winding around the Gateway Shopping Center at the corner of Piilani Highway and Wailea Ike Drive. The two- and three-bedroom units sell for $700,000 to $1.8 million.

“The views here are as spectacular as you can get at Wailea,” said Armstrong Development President Bob Armstrong, speaking to nearly 50 project consultants, architects and condo buyers at a groundbreaking and blessing ceremony Tuesday morning.

The three-story buildings are detailed with “elements of other Hawaiian resort architecture” to reflect the area’s resort setting, said project manager Daniel Sandomire. Units will range from 1,252 to 1,741 square feet, with stucco and stone detailing and 10-foot-deep lanais.

Sandomire, vice president with Armstrong Development, touted the privacy of the buildings, which feature direct entrances instead of ground-floor lobbies. Residents will have access to a swimming pool, recreational center and open-air pavilion with barbecuing facilities. Rooftop solar panels are included in the plans as well.

Around 60 percent of the 50 units initially placed on the market have been purchased, according to Brad MacArthur of Wailea Realty Corp. He estimated that the buyers so far have been about 55 percent from the Mainland and 45 percent local. The final 20 units are expected to go on sale at the beginning of next year.

Armstrong envisioned a plan for a sprawling condominium complex eight years ago, after seeing the undeveloped 7.4-acre lot while his company was building the shopping center nearby. After the center was completed, he brought his idea to landowner Alexander & Baldwin, which agreed to partner with Armstrong.

“This is exciting because it allows us to provide housing inventory for Maui, not just here in Wailea, but we’ve got our project Kamalani . . . which we’re scheduled to break ground with in the first quarter of next year,” said A&B Properties President Lance Parker.

A&B’s 630-unit Kamalani housing development in north Kihei will cover 95 acres mauka of Piilani Highway above Kaiwahine Street. As part of the Keala O Wailea project, Armstrong Development plans to add a 40-unit, 100 percent affordable housing complex in Kihei at 45 Kanani Road.

Originally envisioning Keala O Wailea as single-family homes, Armstrong said the company opted for a multifamily condominium project because it would be easier to design each unit with an ocean view.

However, the unspoiled views of Kahoolawe, Lanai and West Maui were both the attraction and the concern when the company brought the project to the county in 2014. Some community members and county planning officials were worried that the buildings would obscure ocean views from nearby Piilani Highway. Armstrong said architects and engineers made multiple adjustments to preserve the scenery.

“We worked with city planners on the heights of the buildings. We lowered them, moved them around,” he explained. “We did a lot of things to make it so the views would be maintained as much as possible.”

The project is expected to create hundreds of jobs – both during construction and afterward with building maintenance, Armstrong said.

Because the units will not be marketed as vacation rentals, condo buyers could provide an economic boost with limited environmental impact, said Keith Regan, managing director of the county Department of Management.

“Because the majority of owners will be part-time residents, it’s not going to have a significant impact on traffic,” said Regan. “It’s not going to add a lot of vehicles to our roadways.”

He added that property tax revenue generated by the project would help the county improve parks, roads and do other projects.

The first units are scheduled to be ready for residents to move in by mid-2017.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.