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The Maui News
Maui County has closed on a $10.5 million purchase with A&B Properties of about 500 acres in Waiale that the county plans to preserve after iwi kupuna, or ancestral remains, were discovered on the site.
The transaction also includes A&B's donation of 23 acres of undeveloped land for residential housing behind Target and Lowe's in Kahului.
"This is a historic acquisition for the people of Maui County that demonstrates our commitment and dedication to the preservation of lands with cultural significance," Mayor Michael Victorino said in a news release Thursday. "I want to thank Council Vice Chair Keani Rawlins-Fernandez and council members for their collaboration on making this important land purchase a reality."
Owned by A&B, the land was slated years ago for the company's Waiale master-planned community, with hundreds of homes, commercial areas, a middle school, public facility and parks.
However, community members and Native Hawaiian advocacy groups, including the nonprofit Malama Kakanilua, pushed back against the proposals because of historic Hawaiian burials in the area.
Janet Six, principal archaeologist for Maui County, recommended reconsideration of the plans after confirming the findings of iwi kupuna, according to a county news release in May.
Victorino proposed that the county acquire the property, and the Maui County Council approved the purchase later this year.
"This acquisition to protect iwi kupuna is the result of collaboration between the community, the administration, the council and the private sector to serve our county in a way that promotes healing and restores confidence that the interests of our community and kanaka 'oiwi are at the heart of decision making," Rawlins-Fernandez said in the news release.
Victorino added that the county is working with community groups to create a conceptual plan for a cultural preserve at Waiale.
"This land acquisition sets a new precedent for prioritizing cultural values over ordinary land uses," he said. "However, we have not forgotten our residents' urgent need for housing, and this transaction includes 23 acres donated for homes for our residents."