Wailea 670 Under Fire
reprinted courtesy Maui Weekly 8/2/07
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Thursday,
August 02,
2007 |
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Allegra Fasnacht Can Maui afford to accept affordable housing in exchange for more traffic, loss of native plants and another gated community? “The new invasive species are multimillion dollar developments.” Plans to develop 670 acres in Makena came under attack on Wednesday, July 25, as hundreds of Maui residents visited Council Chambers prepared with three-minute speeches and heavy opinions. Only 55 of the 122 testifiers had their chance to speak in front of the Council Land Use Committee on Wednesday, the rest of which spoke on Friday, but the majority voiced opinions against the project. Wailea 670, also called Honua‘ula, has been in the planning stage since 1980. Had it been built then, its 1,400 homes (700 affordable), golf course and country club might be regarded today as barely a blip in the grand scheme of South Maui development. But when affordable housing and water are the two biggest issues facing Mauians today, testifiers called for developer Charlie Jencks to come up with some serious answers to the big questions of the day: Where is he getting his water supply and what exactly does he consider affordable? The affordable housing component is drawing the defining line of the project. If approved, Honua‘ula would become the first to adhere to the County Council’s new Residential Workforce Housing Policy, requiring 40 to 50 percent affordable housing for all new developments, and would serve as an example to all those who feared that the policy would frighten developers away from Maui entirely. “We have a developer here who’s willing to prove that 50 percent is not an impossible goal,” said Gene Zarro, board chairman of Kihei Charter School. But poignant was the outcry from the younger generation, whose pleas to the council to stop appeasing the rich and take their future into account were met with cheers of gratitude. Many said that the $247,000- to $535,000-priced homes were still out of their reach, and Wayne Nishiki, former County Council member for 22 years, agreed. “The cost of these homes I don’t think is for people who live here,” he said. Jencks’ proposal includes drilling two wells on the property for non-potable water for irrigation and golf course use, but it is either unknown or being kept secret where their source for potable (drinkable) water will come from. When assured by one testifier that if the council asked Jencks for his water plans, he would surely provide them, Councilwoman Michelle Anderson replied, “We have. He hasn’t.” Recently Anderson re-introduced a bill called “Show Me The Water,” requiring developers to demonstrate a guaranteed source of water for the next 20 years before getting any approvals. “Prove to us that you can produce the water you say you’re going to produce,” she said on Wednesday. Honua‘ula will border the Maui Meadows rural subdivision mauka of the Wailea Resort. Many Maui Meadows residents wondered how traffic would be impacted on the Pi‘ilani Highway. Colin McCormick of Kihei spoke of the endangered ecosystems within Wailea 670. Councilwoman Jo Anne Johnson pointed out that the planner had only set aside six of the 143 acres of native dryland forest for preservation. Wiliwili trees, some over 400 years old, and other native plants such as awikiwiki, nehe and akoko, were worth holding on to, said McCormick, and it would be wise to preserve it. “You can’t duplicate, replace or displace it. Just leave it alone,” he said. Rob Parsons, the county’s former environmental coordinator and conservation chair of the Sierra Club, called for a new Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which is currently 20 years old, as well as a Supplemental EIS. “My analysis is that this project has changed so much since its original study, and an updated SEIS is absolutely warranted,” he said. Those who spoke in favor of Honua‘ula were primarily impressed with the affordable housing ratio, but many were asked pointed questions from Anderson that questioned their expertise about the project. Certain groups rallied together with T-shirts that stated their position. One said, “Housing Now,” another, “Wailea 670 Just Say No,” and yet a third group wore hats with the name “Honua‘ula.” While the County Council meeting was packed to capacity, more than one testifier chided the council for the 1:30 p.m. meeting in Wailuku. “This meeting was scheduled at a time that alienated a lot of people,” said Imez Okamura. Committee Chair Michael Molina said he would consider a night meeting in South Maui in the future. The thread among the testimonies was that this one development may determine a course for Maui that it will travel for years to come. Are we willing to accept affordable homes in exchange for another golf course and gated community? Can we afford to turn it down? Angie Hoffman is clear in her opinion. “The new invasive species is multimillion dollar developments.” For more information, visit www. honuaula.com
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reprinted courtesy Maui Weekly 8/2/07
brought to you by Wailea Makena Real Estate Inc.
www.Wailea-Makena-real-estate.com
Peter Gelsey R (PB)
Wailea Makena Real Estate, Inc.
direct (808) 357-4552
Toll free 800-482-5089
fax (808) 442-0946
email pgelsey@aol.com