WAILUKU – A mixed-use development cleared a hurdle Tuesday when the Maui Planning Commission accepted its final environmental assessment.

Commissioners determined there would be no significant environmental impact for the project planned on 9 acres between the Paia minibypass and Baldwin Avenue. Although parking has been a chronic problem in Paia town, the Paia Courtyard development would provide its own parking – 309 stalls, or 51 more than required by the Maui County Code.

The property is owned by the David R. Spee Revocable Trust and Paia 2020 LLC.

Spee, a Paia attorney, told commissioners that the project’s planned parking stalls are “really critical for Paia town improvement.”

He said he is in negotiations with nearby retailer Mana Foods, which doesn’t have its own parking, to come up with an agreement in which store customers could use excess stalls at the Paia Courtyard, with a validation from the store. He added that many Paia businesses are “grandfathered” from the current parking requirement because, originally, the town was not designed for much vehicle traffic.

Spee’s project calls for building six two-story, mixed-use buildings with nine upper-story residences and commercial space on the bottom floors. Project plans provide 56 apartments for people 55 years old and older. Other project features include a bus stop, landscaping, sidewalks and also photovoltaic systems.

Spee said the project would bring about a 20 percent increase in commercial space in Paia town and double private parking.

The attorney-developer also is talking with Diamond Parking to manage and monitor the parking area, which would not be exclusively for tenants and residents but also open to the public for a fee or with a parking validation. Details remain to be worked out, he said after the meeting.

Commission member Keaka Robinson said that “a lot of people don’t go to Paia because of the lack of parking.”

Some customers may want to pay to have the convenience, and Spee could profit from that, he said.

Spee said there wouldn’t be much profit from the parking lot because of the expense of hiring a company to manage it.

Commission member Richard Higashi asked if Spee had thought of multi-level parking.

Spee said that several stories of parking would not fit with the small-town feel of Paia and multi-level structures cost millions.

One doctor is interested in having an office in the project, Spee said, and there’s hope it could include a pharmacy.

Even while there were concerns about security for senior residents and a possible need for larger parking spaces for them, several commissioners expressed support of the project, especially with his provision for senior housing and a pharmacy.

“I really like the project. I think it fits a niche in the community,” commission member Wayne Hedani said.

The commission’s acceptance of the final environmental assessment is an early step in the development’s process. Spee still needs approval of a community plan amendment, state land use district boundary amendment, a change in zoning and special management area use permit.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.