Kōloa Residents Oppose 148-Unit Development Over Size, Environment, Affordability

Kōloa residents have mobilized against a proposed 148-unit multifamily development on nearly 9.5 acres at the corner of Weliweli and Waikomo roads, saying the scale would overwhelm the town core, strain wastewater and traffic systems, and threaten nearby habitat for cave-dwelling species. Developer Mike Serpa of SK Investors LLC purchased the parcel in 2023 and is seeking two zoning permits from the Kauaʻi County Planning Commission to build the complex.

Serpa’s plan calls for 148 units arranged across 31 two-story "plantation-style" duplex, fourplex and eightplex buildings, with 226 on-site parking stalls and 25 additional stalls proposed along Waikomo, Weliweli and Hapa roads. Wastewater would run through private sewer lines along Waikomo Road and connect to HOH Utilities LLC’s wastewater treatment plant. Serpa has framed the project as aimed at locals who earn too much to qualify for subsidized housing but cannot afford single-family market homes; he has said one-bedroom units would start at about $520,000, two-bedrooms at about $650,000 and three-bedrooms in the high $600,000s.

The zoning request has become a focal point because multifamily housing is not automatically allowed under the South Kaua‘i Form-Based Code. Under the county’s traditional zoning allowance of six housing units per acre, the nearly 9.5-acre parcel would typically yield roughly 57 units. Residents and community groups note that 148 units would substantially exceed that figure. Friends of Māhā’ulepu and Save Kōloa have filed a petition to intervene in the Planning Commission proceeding, which officials say will resume on Tuesday.

Local voices at public meetings and in filings emphasized character and infrastructure impacts. Julie Souza, a fifth-generation Poʻipū resident, said, "It will literally kill us," and added, "They’ll make a lot of money, probably, from people from afar. Our local people can’t pay that amount." Bridget Hammerquist, president of Friends of Māhā’ulepu and a Kōloa resident, said, "It’s a small, quaint, historic plantation town, and these big developments with massive numbers of people and cars is not what that town has ever been."

Environmental and cultural concerns are now central to the dispute. Residents including Okinaka have pressed for additional studies, saying, "We’re trying to push for more surveys to be done." Ana Mo Des asked, "How can we know whatever is underneath, or what is on top? This could include the spiders, cultural sites, etc. How can we know?" Residents worry about the Kauai Cave Wolf spider and amphipods that inhabit caves and lava tubes near Kōloa; developers and consultants including Meridian Pacific have issued statements saying studies found no archaeological sites on the property and that U.S. Fish and Wildlife does not require permits, while residents point to a letter from the Department of the Interior and urge further biological assessments.

If approved, the project would be the largest multifamily development in Kōloa and would reshape housing density in the town core; opponents argue the stated starting prices would place many current residents out of reach. The Planning Commission’s upcoming sessions and the petitions to intervene will determine whether zoning relief is granted and which environmental and infrastructure studies are required before construction can proceed.