County officials said Maui must pursue careful and sustainable planning solutions for its limited amount of undeveloped land – most of which is currently designated as agricultural or conservation – as the island buttresses itself for an estimated increase from a population of about 140,000 today to 200,000-plus permanent residents and 70,000 part-time residents by 2030.
’Time to hit pause,’ says the county’s planning chief
By CHRIS HAMILTON, Maui News, 3 February 2008
reprinted courtesy Maui News 2/3/08
WAILUKU – Maui County Planning Director Jeff Hunt faced a skeptical crowd
Friday evening when he explained why he and Mayor Charmaine Tavares’
made a decision that could slow development on Maui for the next few
years.
Last month, Tavares and Hunt announced that county planners would not support any applications for a community plan amendment until the Maui County General Plan update is completed.
That process could take as long as three more years on the island of Maui
while the drafts for a Maui island plan go through the Maui General
Plan Advisory Committee, the Maui Planning Commission and the Maui
County Council.
The process could take as many as four years on Lanai and Molokai, Hunt told about 30 people at a public meeting called by Hunt and held at the Cameron Center.
In the past, the Planning Department reviewed projects case by case and provided
recommendations to the planning commissions. When recommending approval
of community plan amendments, planners generally also recommended
conditions to deal with potential environmental or social effects.
“We believe this is an appropriate time to hit the pause button,” Hunt said.
The county General Plan will establish planning policies for the county and
accompany a Maui Island Plan, which for the first time ever will
establish urban-boundary districts.
Finally, each of the nine geographical regions on the islands will establish community plans to designate land use on a block-by-block level.
County officials said Maui must pursue careful and sustainable planning solutions for
its limited amount of undeveloped land – most of which is currently
designated as agricultural or conservation – as the island buttresses
itself for an estimated increase from a population of about 140,000
today to 200,000-plus permanent residents and 70,000 part-time
residents by 2030.
But the administration’s decision to pull support from any new proposals for developments requiring community plan changes was criticized by the volunteers participating in the
General Plan update.
“I’m disturbed and distraught,” said Thomas Cook, president of the Maui Contractors Association and a GPAC member.
He said he was appalled that the department has not met agreed-upon
timelines or had complete transparency in creating the General Plan,
which has been in the works for four years now.
As a result, Cook said, his association has 100 craftsmen apprentices waiting for jobs. There were no workers “on the bench” last year.
“God, we do not want to overdevelop the land,” Cook said. “We want to plan. You guys have got to get this together.”
Maui Planning Commission Member Bruce U’u of Paia said the county lost
10,000 longtime Maui residents last year primarily because of a lack of
affordable housing. The county must move faster, U’u said.
“People are moving to Las Vegas. Las Vegas is Hawaii, and that is sad,” he said.
Hunt said he’s not trying to make excuses, but the process has been delayed
for a number of reasons. The department had an illness to a key staff
person and no pre-existing master plans with which to work.
“We had nothing to pull off the shelf and update,” Hunt said. “We’re doing this from scratch.”
Hunt also faced some opposition to his department’s assertion that
construction workers can remain busy and housing needs could be met in
the meantime. He said the county currently has a supply of enough
vacant/entitled lands to accommodate 25,000 new housing units by 2015.
The number of housing projects “in the pipeline” exceeds the estimated
demand for new housing within that same timeframe by more than 3,500
units, Hunt explained. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Maui had a
total of about 64,000 housing units in 2006.
But Cook questioned whether those pipeline projects would come to fruition in the near
future or if developers are land banking, or holding onto the property
to sell at steep prices. He suggested that county planners contact all
the developers on the list and get an update on their projects.
Private planner Mich Hirano of Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc. said most of the
community plan amendments are actually made within the urban core and
not to expand growth areas. He said the no-support policy could be
detrimental to urban renewal efforts.
The policy could also stymie other kinds of construction needed to spur the anticipated
25,000 new housing units, such as offices, businesses, retail shops and
restaurants, Hirano said.
Hunt said that is not the policy’s intent. He said county planners will recommend some amendments for small projects only a few acres in size within urban zones.
Hunt also was careful to say that the new policy does not equate to a
moratorium; it doesn’t effect building permits or projects that benefit
the public, such as a West Maui hospital.
Builders can still submit applications for amendments and planners will process them, contrary to any rumors, Hunt said.
“We just won’t offer our support,” he said.
Maui Unite Vice President Gordon C. Cockett said he agreed with the
administration’s take-it-slow approach. Maui Unite is a new
organization devoted to connecting communities and protecting the
natural environment.
“We’ve got all the time in the world,” Cockett said. “We are not in a hurry for anything to happen.”
Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
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reprinted courtesy Maui News 2/3/08
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