After a week of controversy and confusion regarding the addition of Maui County Council meetings and a public hearing regarding bills related to Honuaʻula, formerly known as Wailea 670, the agenda items, as well as the public hearing, were canceled last minute.

Maui County Council Chair Alice L. Lee, who holds the seat for the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency area, announced Thursday that the agenda items related to the project were removed from Friday morning’s special council meeting due to a procedural requirement.

Lee said in a press release that the public hearing on Bill 171 and Bill 172, which would amend land-use and development standards for the 670-acre multi-use housing project, was also canceled because the hearing would need to take place in South Maui, required by county code.

“The Department of Planning advised the council this week that the Maui Planning Commission inadvertently failed to fulfill a procedural requirement for Bills 171 and 172,” Lee said. “The council will pause its consideration of the bills until the commission has conducted a public hearing in the South Maui community plan area, as required by the county code.”

The project continues to be disputed by some members of the public who have concerns regarding the development process.

Poised to be a mixed-use development project in South Maui, the decades-long project includes plans for more than 1,000 upscale units to be built around a private golf course. It has been the center of public debate and legal battles over the years.

Earlier negotiations led to developers saying they would provide 700 units of affordable housing, with 250 units to be built within the first few years. However, that number has changed several times.

Last week multiple council members spoke out regarding their concerns with what appears to be expediting the process to review the bills related to the project.

Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, representing Moloka’i, and West Maui council member Tamara Paltin both described the process as “rushed.”

Multiple council members have submitted amendments to the two bills to support local housing in the development efforts.

Earlier this month the attorney representing the project managers said they would be consulting with the Maui County Department of ʻŌiwi Resources.

A call was made to the department to see if that meeting had occurred. No response was given by deadline.

During Friday’s meeting, Bills 162, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, and 178 were reviewed by the council. The bills related to amending the 2025 budget for various purposes and can be reviewed online at mauicounty.us/agendas.

All county council members present voted in favor of the bills.

For more information, call the Office of Council Services at 808-270-7664.