Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Early Notice and Public Review of a Proposed Activity in a Wetland 

 

To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals 

This is to give notice that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), the Responsible Entity under 24 CFR Part 58, has determined that the following proposed action under the State of Hawai‘i, DHHL Wailuku Single Family Residential Subdivision Project 23HBGHI0001 NH-24-14.07 is located in a wetland, and DHHL will be identifying and evaluating practicable alternatives to locating the action within the wetland and the potential impacts on the wetland from the proposed action, as required by Executive Order 11990, in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management and Protection of Wetlands. The proposed project location is 101 Kuikahi Drive in Wailuku, Maui. The extent of the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard floodplain was determined using the 0.2 percent flood approach, and the Project is located in Federal Emergency Management Agency Flood Zone X, areas determined to be outside the 0.2% annual chance floodplain. 

The DHHL Wailuku Single Family Residential Subdivision Project involves the construction and development of a new residential subdivision comprised of a maximum of 204 residential lots (173 with turn-key single-family residences and 31 as vacant improved lots for single-family residences), an approximately 9-acre storm water retention basin, and an approximately 3.1-acre park. DHHL beneficiaries will be able to purchase a residence out right or via a potential rent-with-option-to-purchase. The Project also includes the construction and development of underground and overhead infrastructure to serve the residences and vacant lots, including potable water, fire protection, wastewater, drainage, street lights, electrical power, and telecommunication utility connections. The Project will construct new internal subdivision streets with 44-foot-wide Right of Ways, which will include a new underground drain inlet/line. Approximately 450 feet of paved shoulder along the southern side of Kuikahi Drive will be widened to provide a continuous 5-foot-wide paved walkway between Kehalani Mauka Parkway and Honoapi‘ilani Highway. All internal streets within the subdivision will have a 5-foot-wide paved sidewalk along one side of the street. Landscaping and irrigation will be provided within the park and along internal streets. 

The Project will require ground disturbing activities such as grubbing, grading, and trenching to prepare areas for construction and to ensure adequate drainage. The Project may provide services such as homeowner assistance, which may include assistance with down payment and closing costs, mortgage, utilities and insurance payments, rental and utility assistance and housing counseling. DHHL is the Responsible Entity undertaking the Project and is the owner of the Project site. The Project is located on an approximately 77-acre portion of Tax Map Key (2) 3-5-002:003, an area that includes parts of the intermittent riverine (excavated) Kaiapaoka‘īlio stream, Waihe‘e Ditch, Kama Ditch, and one unnamed dry ditch. According to the National Wetlands Inventory Wetlands Mapper, the stream and ditches within the Project site are classified as riverine habitat. 

The Hawai‘i Department of Health, Clean Water Branch classifies Kaiapaoka‘īlio stream as a ”Class 2” estuary, which should be protected for recreational purposes, the support and propagation of aquatic life, agricultural and industrial water supplies, shipping, and navigation. Two irrigation ditches have State Inventory of Historic Places (SIHP) numbers: Waihe‘e Ditch (SIHP 50-50-04-5197) and an unnamed ditch (SIHP 50-50-04-5729). The Waihe’e ditch was a contributing component of the Waikapu Sugar Company’s (WSCo’s) vast irrigation system and exemplifies the characteristics, technology, and pattern of features