Voice of Stephanie Salazar

As if things weren’t challenging enough for the DW Aina Lea development – the housing project on the mauka side of the highway along the South Kohala coast – a new lawsuit threatens to impede building progress even further.

The state Land Use Commission has already proposed reverting Aina Lea’s land classification back to agricultural. These buildings are all that have been built and the LUC says the developers are not meeting deadlines.

Now, The Kona Blog passed along the news, first reported by Environment Hawaii, that the Mauna Lani Resort Association – which represents the interests of the various residential sub associations, resort owners and commercial properties in the Mauna Lani Resort, located right next to Aina Lea, makai of the highway – has filed a lawsuit.

The Association is alleging that the Environmental Impact Statement prepared for the DW Aina Lea development fails to adequaltley assess the effects of the 5,780 added residents to the South kohala district.

The final EIS was accepted by Hawaii County in October 2010. The county is also named in the lawsuit.