MAKENA, Maui — More than 27,000 acres on Maui are being designated as important agricultural lands.

The state Land Use Commission unanimously approved Alexander & Baldwin’s request for the designation, which restricts development on most of the land.
The company said it would waive an option to reclassify up to 15 percent of the acreage into urban use.
The lands include areas currently being used for sugar cane cultivation and other farming activity in central Maui and Makawao.
Other lands in areas Alexander & Baldwin has previously indicated an interest in development — in Maçalaea, Haliçimaile and along the north shore — are not included.
County Planning Director Jeff Hunt said the county wants to see the same protection given to those areas.