DRIP-17 Bill 132 (2025) BILL 132 (2025), AMENDING ORDINANCE 3889 (2011), RELATING TO CHANGE IN ZONING (CONDITIONAL ZONING) FOR WEST MAUI PROJECT DISTRICT 5 (PULELEHUA) FOR PROPERTY SITUATED AT LAHAINA, HAWAI'I (DRIP-17)
Honorable Members of the Maui County Council Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 (9 a.m. agenda)
Subject: Opposition to Bill 132 to amend Condition 2 in Ordinance 3889 (2011) to facilitate the Change in Zoning for West Maui Project District 5 (Pulelehua), encompassing 304.255 acres identified as Tax Map Keys (2) 4-3-001:082 and (2) 4-3-001:083, situated in Māhinahina, Kahana, and Lahaina.
Aloha Chair Paltin, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and esteemed members of the committee.
Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP) is a nonprofit organization representing 6,000 union carpenters, 250+ signatory contractors, and various community stakeholders across Hawai‘i. PRP is committed to promoting a vibrant economy, creating jobs, and enhancing the quality of life for all residents, while ensuring our industry follows the rules, regulations and standards that protect the well-being of our members and the safety of our neighbors.
Respectfully, PRP submits the following testimony in opposition to Bill 132 (2025), which seeks to amend Condition 2 in Ordinance 3889 (2011) to facilitate the Change in Zoning for West Maui Project District 5 (Pulelehua), encompassing 304.255 acres identified as Tax Map Keys (2) 4-3-001:082 and (2) 4-3-001:083, situated in Māhinahina, Kahana, and Lahaina.
At a time when Maui’s recovery from the devastating 2023 wildfires demands transparency, accountability, and resource stewardship, advancing this bill raises profound concerns about the developer’s integrity and the project’s feasibility. Developer Paul Cheng, a Texas-based principal behind the Pulelehua initiative, carries a serious criminal record that disqualifies him from stewarding public resources for community housing. In the 1990s, Cheng served six years in federal prison after conviction on multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, making false entries, and transporting ill-gotten gains across state lines. Despite his unsubstantiated claims of exoneration — unsupported by public records — Cheng failed to disclose this felony history to the Maui County Council when seeking public funding, eroding trust in his ability to deliver ethically and responsibly.
PRP cannot endorse zoning amendments that empower a developer with such a track record, especially one previously criticized for failing to pay prevailing wages to local tradespeople.
Compounding this is the glaring reality of insufficient water resources to sustain the Pulelehua project. West Maui’s water supply remains critically strained post-fires, producing a reliable 4.1 million gallons per day against pre-fire demands of 5.6 million — now temporarily at 3.5 million but poised to surge with rebuilding. The Pulelehua project requires a guaranteed 75,000 gallons daily, yet the Maui County Department of Water Supply cannot issue a "will-serve" letter due to no excess capacity, regulatory hurdles in this state-designated special management area, and threats from saltwater intrusion and climate impacts.
Cheng’s own 2022 wells on the site yielded only brackish water, with no permits sought from the Commission on Water Resource Management for new diversions or desalinization — rendering the development unviable and any county incentives, like the $33 million from the Affordable Housing Fund, premature and risky.
Pouring public dollars into a waterless pipe dream diverts vital recovery funds from proven, community-led housing solutions. PRP urges the Committee to recommend filing Bill 132 until these red flags are resolved: full disclosure and vetting of the developer’s background, alongside a credible water plan backed by permits and supply guarantees.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Pereira
Director of Public Affairs
Pacific Resource Partnership
1100 Alakea Street, 4th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 528-5557
Email: apereira@prp-hawaii.com
Website: www.prp-hawaii.com
Testimony of Pacific Resource Partnership
Honorable Members of the Maui County Council Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee
Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025 (9 a.m. agenda)
Subject: Opposition to Bill 132 to amend Condition 2 in Ordinance 3889 (2011) to facilitate the Change in Zoning for West Maui Project District 5 (Pulelehua), encompassing 304.255 acres identified as Tax Map Keys (2) 4-3-001:082 and (2) 4-3-001:083, situated in Māhinahina, Kahana, and Lahaina.
Aloha Chair Paltin, Vice Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and esteemed members of the committee.
Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP) is a nonprofit organization representing 6,000 union carpenters, 250+ signatory contractors, and various community stakeholders across Hawai‘i. PRP is committed to promoting a vibrant economy, creating jobs, and enhancing the quality of life for all residents, while ensuring our industry follows the rules, regulations and standards that protect the well-being of our members and the safety of our neighbors.
Respectfully, PRP submits the following testimony in opposition to Bill 132 (2025), which seeks to amend Condition 2 in Ordinance 3889 (2011) to facilitate the Change in Zoning for West Maui Project District 5 (Pulelehua), encompassing 304.255 acres identified as Tax Map Keys (2) 4-3-001:082 and (2) 4-3-001:083, situated in Māhinahina, Kahana, and Lahaina.
At a time when Maui’s recovery from the devastating 2023 wildfires demands transparency, accountability, and resource stewardship, advancing this bill raises profound concerns about the developer’s integrity and the project’s feasibility. Developer Paul Cheng, a Texas-based principal behind the Pulelehua initiative, carries a serious criminal record that disqualifies him from stewarding public resources for community housing. In the 1990s, Cheng served six years in federal prison after conviction on multiple counts of wire fraud, bank fraud, making false entries, and transporting ill-gotten gains across state lines. Despite his unsubstantiated claims of exoneration — unsupported by public records — Cheng failed to disclose this felony history to the Maui County Council when seeking public funding, eroding trust in his ability to deliver ethically and responsibly.
PRP cannot endorse zoning amendments that empower a developer with such a track record, especially one previously criticized for failing to pay prevailing wages to local tradespeople.
Compounding this is the glaring reality of insufficient water resources to sustain the Pulelehua project. West Maui’s water supply remains critically strained post-fires, producing a reliable 4.1 million gallons per day against pre-fire demands of 5.6 million — now temporarily at 3.5 million but poised to surge with rebuilding. The Pulelehua project requires a guaranteed 75,000 gallons daily, yet the Maui County Department of Water Supply cannot issue a "will-serve" letter due to no excess capacity, regulatory hurdles in this state-designated special management area, and threats from saltwater intrusion and climate impacts.
Cheng’s own 2022 wells on the site yielded only brackish water, with no permits sought from the Commission on Water Resource Management for new diversions or desalinization — rendering the development unviable and any county incentives, like the $33 million from the Affordable Housing Fund, premature and risky.
Pouring public dollars into a waterless pipe dream diverts vital recovery funds from proven, community-led housing solutions. PRP urges the Committee to recommend filing Bill 132 until these red flags are resolved: full disclosure and vetting of the developer’s background, alongside a credible water plan backed by permits and supply guarantees.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Pereira
Director of Public Affairs
Pacific Resource Partnership
1100 Alakea Street, 4th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 528-5557
Email: apereira@prp-hawaii.com
Website: www.prp-hawaii.com