Some Maui residents have expressed worries that a proposed 1,500-unit Olowalu development will strain fire and ambulance services and harm a popular snorkeling and diving area.

But the developer of Olowalu Town says his project would help improve emergency services in the area and has safeguards to prevent damage to the environment.

The rural area, about 7.5 miles from the nearest fire station at the Lahaina Civic Center, has become vulnerable to brush fires since commercial sugar cane cultivation was abandoned in 1999 with the closure of Pioneer Mill.

Joe Pluta, a director and former president of the West Maui Taxpayers Association, said the proposed development, on the southern border of West Maui, is on land that has had recurring brush fires.

One fire in 2010 burned 1,100 acres and forced the evacuation of 100 people from Olowalu.

Pluta, interviewed by the Star-Advertiser, said the association is not opposed to the expansion of Olowalu town.

But he said he thinks the project by Olowalu Town LLC would stretch emergency services and leave homeowners increasingly vulnerable to fires and that the development needs a fire and ambulance station.

The proposed Olowalu Town Master Plan includes relocating the main transit corridor through Olowalu farther up the mountain, maintaining access to the old shoreline road through three new arterial roads, and to reclassify about 460 acres of former sugar cane land from agricultural to urban and rural.

Olowalu Town LLC project developer William Frampton said the development will improve fire protection by providing more irrigated and green areas.

Frampton said the plan calls for setting aside an area for a station for police, fire and emergency services, but there is no firm agreement to build such a facility.

Environmentalists have expressed concern about the potential impact of runoff on nearby reefs, described as the best leeward reef on Maui, with turtles, an occasional monk seal, a large concentration of manta rays, and breeding grounds for black tip sharks.

State aquatics officials say studies show there has been a decline in coral reefs in West Maui, including Olowalu, as more people move into nearby areas.

Researchers say evidence suggests elevated nutrients and fertilizers entering the ocean are contributing to algae blooms that harm the reefs.

"I don’t see how they’re going to prevent runoff in the area," said Irene Bowie, executive director of Maui Tomorrow.

Frampton said the plan calls for reducing runoff by building storm water retention basins, grass parking areas, and pavement that allows water to seep into the soil.

He said the development will also build a wastewater treatment and recycling system and conduct a baseline marine study to detect changes in the reef.

Maui resident Hinano Rodrigues said his family lives in Olowalu and is in favor of the development because the landowner has been responsive to the community’s wishes.

He said the developers moved plans for the town center closer to the Lahaina side of the parcel so that traffic between Lahaina and Olowalu would not affect as many Olowalu residents.

Rodrigues said the landowner, Olowalu Elua, is installing improvements to the water and fire hydrant system for existing residents.

"It will bring improvements to us that we have not had before," Rodrigues said.

A copy of the draft environmental impact statement is available online at goo.gl/ON4Dl. The deadline for comments is April 23.