View, download or print out a map of proposed developments in the Wailea/Makena region from our Map Page

A proposed bill amending rules for development on steep terrain
Read the draft submitted by Councilor Sol Kahoohalahala (PDF file)

Wetlands Information page
Links to info on projects that use wetlands as a tool for cleaning wastewater.

Sand replenishment effort runs aground
An attempt to slow beach erosion by the Stable Road Beach Restoration Foundation of Spreckelsville has been suspended. Opinions on the project range from "complete failure" to "disappointment" to "overall success", depending on who you ask.

Developers readying to seek state permits for 636-acre, 1,500-home W. Maui project
A plan calling for 1,500 homes in a new Olowalu town has had its ardent supporters and equally passionate detractors for five years, and so far the proposed development has won support from the General Plan Advisory Committee and the Maui Planning Commission. If the project receives critical approvals, the developers could break ground in the next two or three years - and construction would last for three decades.
Download the 2010 Olowalu Town Master Plan EIS

Ahihi-Kinau to remain closed
BLNR votes 2-year extension to draft management plan
The Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve will remain closed to people for another two years. The Board of Land and Natural Resources voted last month to extend the closure, which had been scheduled to expire Aug. 1. The restrictions will allow Ahihi-Kinau's natural resources to continue to be protected while staff members complete a draft management plan for the area. The reserve was closed to people in 2008, after years of escalating conflicts over human use.

Sierra Club Maui Group comments on the Wailea 670 Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Ka'anapali Makai Watch "Talk Story" meeting
All community members who would like to help shape the development of and get involved with the newly-established Kaanapali Makai Watch program are invited to join us for a “talk story” meeting to learn about what's going on and what's planned, and to provide their input. The meeting will be held from 6-8 pm on Wednesday, June 30th, at the Lahaina Civic Center.

Honua'ula opponents: EIS remains incomplete
The Maui Planning Commission got the first public look at detailed designs for the long-debated - and for many - long-awaited Honua'ula 1,400-unit housing development in South Maui. Tuesday was the first of two opportunities the commission will have to review, and ultimately pass or fail, what is currently the draft environmental impact statement for the $1.2 billion Honua'ula, formerly known as Wailea 670, development. The county administration also will do a final review of the EIS.

Draft EA posted for Strawberry Guava management
The Hawai'i Department of Agriculture has posted a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the release of a natural predator (Tectococcus ovatus, a Brazilian scale insect) for the sustainable management of strawberry guava in Hawai'i. This action is proposed to mitigate the impacts of strawberry guava on native forests, the water supply, and agriculture.

Pa‘ia Bypass report issued
The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate alternatives to improve the roadway capacity, safety, and reliability of Hana Hwy between the intersection of Haleakala Hwy and Hana Hwy and Maliko Gulch on the north side of Central Maui in the Pa‘ia-Ha‘iku region. Potentially significant environmental, economic, and social impacts could result. Download the full EIS here.

Former Makena Resort and Maui Prince Hotel up for April auction
The 1,800-acre property formerly known as Makena Resort and the Maui Prince Hotel will be up for public auction April 29 in the lobby of the Wailuku courthouse. The auction begins at 11 a.m. at 2125 Main St. and is believed to be the largest foreclosure sale in Maui County history.
The South Maui property stretches from Haleakala's slopes, across dryland forests and over lava-rock expanses to beaches. The auction comes after Maui developer Everett Dowling and Morgan Stanley Real Estate defaulted in August on $192.5 million in loans for the original purchase price of $565 million in 2007 from the Japanese firm, Seibu.

REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON HAWAII’S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW SYSTEM
(PDF file) - UH Manoa staff conducted this study of the environmental review system and developed legislative recommendations for modernizing Hawaii's system of environmental review.

2009

A pledge to preserve open space on Maui
About 11,300 acres on the leeward slopes of Haleakala on Maui will be dedicated to agricultural use, in a plan to preserve ranching and the rolling green hills at Ulupalakua. The agricultural easements awarded to Maui Coastal Land Trust consist of two parcels, one of 6,000 acres and a second of 5,328 acres, stretching from the ocean to the 6,000-foot elevation.

Planners streamline permit processes
For the past year, at the direction of Mayor Charmaine Tavares, the county Department of Planning has quietly been working to streamline and update the county's out-of-date code into a new era of "smart-growth" and "mixed-use" planning.

View, download or print out a map of proposed developments in the Wailea/Makena region from our Map Page

Historic Stream Protection Effort needs your Kokua
Efforts by Hui o Na Wai ‘Eha, Maui Tomorrow and Earthjustice to restore continuous mauka to makai stream flows to the four great waters of ‘Iao, Waiehu, Waihe‘e and Waikapu are moving forward through the state’s contested case hearing process.

Isle luxury projects in limbo over financing
Keaka, Everett Dowling's development company, was at the Maui Planning Commission last week to seek an amendment to permits for its Maluaka project to drastically downsize the project from 71 luxury condominiums to 13 lots plus recreational facilities. The commission favored it, also praising Dowling for seeking LEED "green" certification on his development.
Demand for luxury housing is down, but it appears that lack of financing is an even greater impediment to developments and redevelopments along Maui's golden shores.

State set to review Pu'unani proposal
Developers of Pu'unani will need district changes approved by the state Land Use Commission and new zoning from the Maui County Planning Commission and County Council before the 208-acre project gets under way.The new subdivision would build 754 units in Wailuku, south of the corner of Honoapiilani Highway and Kuikahi Drive.

State panel reclassifies Kihei land from ag to urban
Although Maui County officials opposed the idea, the state Land Use Commission voted 8-1 to approve a district boundary amendment from agricultural to urban that may lead to a $150 million, 600-unit housing development in Kihei.

Planners seek limited water use by projects
The Maui Planning Department will consider restricting the daily water usage of planned new developments. That restriction would be in addition to the requirement that any new development must identify or provide its water source.

Watchdog Millionaire
Maui's environmental stewards need a lifeline. What will be the final answer?
Volunteer groups working on conservation, preservation, restoration, planning and sustainability efforts on Maui and throughout Hawaii have many successes to show for their work. Yet much more slips through their fingers each year, due to insufficient staff and funding and the enormity of the challenges they face. Part of the reason environmental efforts are in desperation mode is because Maui's planning process has operated something like a game show called, "Who Wants to Approve/Build/Sell a House for a Millionaire?"

The Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Commission has announced the online availability of the Kaho'olawe Island Reserve Strategic Plan 2009-2013.
"Our job is to restore the island and its waters and to increase the culturally appropriate, safe use of the Reserve toward the fulfillment of the vision for Kahoolawe," said KIRC Executive Director Mike Näho'opi'i. "Our updated strategic plan for the Reserve, outlines the goals we must achieve in the next five years in order to fulfill that vision."
The Commission's Strategic Plan 2009-2013 may be downloaded from the KIRC website.

Panel votes to allow B&Bs in agricultural districts
The Maui County Council's Planning Committee reversed itself and voted to allow bed-and-breakfasts to be located in agricultural districts. For about two months now, the five-member committee has been meeting to address a series of bills presented by Mayor Charmaine Tavares' administration and the Planning Department.
Tavares' approach has been both to streamline the transient vacation rental legislation and try to crack down on unpermitted vacation rentals located in residential neighborhoods. The premise is that short-term rentals damage a community's character and further deplete an already shallow pool for long-term rentals.

Maui Land & Pine's Pulelehua  project

Community learns about West Maui General Plan issues
At a community forum sponsored by Maui Tomorrow and Save Honolua Coalition, about 50 participants learned that County Councilors elected in 2008 will decide the outcome of the General Plan. If the review goes according to schedule, the General Plan will become legally binding in 2010 and remain until 2030 with reviews every ten years.

Court denies Wailea 670 motion to dissolve injunction
The Second Circuit Court in Wailuku today denied a motion by Wailea/Honua'ula 670 to "dissolve or reconsider" a preliminary injunction previously ordered by the court in the case of Kanahele et al. v. Maui County. This is the case in which five South Maui residents are suing to void the granting of conditional residential zoning to a 1,400 unit project south of Maui Meadows and mauka of the Wailea resort.

DLNR proposes new rules to create civil penalty system for natural resource violations
In an effort to step up the protection and compliance with the state's natural and cultural resources laws, the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) will hold statewide public informational meetings, starting July 14, on draft rules to establish an administrative system to process DLNR's civil (non-criminal) enforcement cases in a just, expeditious and cost-effective manner.
"People in Hawai'i care deeply about our natural and cultural resources, and want us to do a better job in protecting them and enforcing against violations that harm our lands and environment" Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairperson, said.

Sunshine suit on Honua'ula held up
Second Circuit Judge Joseph Cardoza gave the county and Honua'ula Properties LLC four months to prepare a defense on a lawsuit filed by five Kihei residents against the County Council. The residents, represented by attorney Lance Collins, had asked for summary judgment against the council for allegedly violating the Sunshine Law by restricting testimony from the public and for backroom negotiations during zoning hearings for the 1,400-unit South Maui development. Cardoza on Wednesday said it was premature to rule on the motion. Collins asserted that the county has already admitted the facts, so all the judge needs to do is apply the law.

GPAC Adopts Vision and Goals
The General Plan Advisory Committee assembled on Thursday, June 5, at the Kaunoa Senior Center in Spreckelsville in a meeting that uncovered signs of growing strain on both planning staff and GPAC's volunteer members. The meeting ended abruptly when Chair Tom Cannon declared the lack of a quorum after seven members left over the course of the meeting, completing only four of the 12 items on the evening's agenda. GPAC is slated to complete its work by mid-October of this year, although the original completion date was December 2007.

Maalaea project's EIS ready for review
The developers of a proposed 949-unit residential community at Maalaea have submitted their draft environmental impact study for public comment. The $400 million Maalaea Mauka would cover 257 acres of former sugar cane land classified by the state and county as agricultural. The project would be mix of single- and multifamily homes, townhouses, rental apartments and affordable housing for seniors. Maalaea Mauka would also include park land and a community center, according to the document issued Dec. 8.
(see also: 1,000-home Hawaii subdivision planned)

Bad reviews sink Molokai EIS
Those critical of Molokai Ranch's proposed luxury development at Laau cheered yesterday after the large landowner withdrew its environmental impact study during a state Land Use Commission hearing. Ranch representatives said they are still committed to developing the project but wanted to revise the 3,000-page study because of public criticisms. The commission's pending staff report, usually read at the end of the hearing, would have been unfavorable, according to one of the commissioners.

Transit corridors would link Maui's population cores
Unveiling a concept for a mass transit system for Maui, a subcommittee to the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee emphasized that establishing the routes may be a key to future success.
"It's important to set the corridors early on to keep down the cost of acquiring property," said Tom Cannon as he unveiled the mass transit concept for Maui. Cannon was reporting to the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee as it works with the Planning Department to come up with a Maui island plan as part of a new county General Plan designed to guide development through 2030.

Planning commission action on Montana Beach affirmed
Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto has affirmed a Maui Planning Commission decision to uphold former Planning Director John Min's withdrawal of SMA exemptions from the Montana Beach project. In an order issued Oct. 2, Raffetto ruled that the owners of the condominium units could not rely on "so-called 'long standing policy' and/or oral employee assurances" from county staff, since in this case "both are against the law."

Wailea 670 – What's in a name?
In traditional Hawaiian life, a name was often very important. A place name like Wailea, for example, told a story. In one more generation, few will recall that Wailea once referred to a small spring and the remains of an ancient Hawaiian fishing settlement on Wailea Point. Fewer still will recall the place name Kahamanini, referring to the abundance of reef fish in nearby waters. Who will remember that Wailea is part of the ahupua'a of Paeahu?

Sprawlification – A&B's plans for expanding Kahului's boundaries, and more
On July 5 the top brass of Hawai'i's largest corporation showed up at the Maui County Council Land Use Committee hearing on whether to reclassify 179 acres of agricultural lands on the outskirts of Kahului. The request for light industrial zoning for Maui Business Park Phase II could double the acreage already congesting the Dairy Road gauntlet of retail-commercial big box stores, traffic lights, fast food outlets and parking lots. Alexander & Baldwin owns 69,000 acres of Maui. Thirty-seven thousand of those acres, stretching through Maui's Central Valley and up across the lower slopes of Haleakala, are growing cane for Hawaiian Commercial & Sugar, an A&B subsidiary. Another 16,000 acres are conservation lands, including watershed areas with water catchment systems managed by A&B subsidiary East Maui Irrigation.

Will South Maui embrace golf links, or links to our past?
"Some places gotta be left alone," Ed Lindsey said. "We think we own the world. Here's a news flash: We don't. We represent the plants and animals and spirits and stories that have taken place here. Don't destroy any more of our cultural sites."

Developer: Land to stay agricultural
The developer of an 1,800-acre agricultural subdivision in lower Kula said the plan is aimed at keeping the former pineapple land in agricultural use. Farmers and residents in the area were not convinced when representatives of Kula 1800 Investment Partners LLC presented the plans at a special meeting of the Kula Community Association. Waiakoa Ranch would have 86 large lots on the former pineapple and pasturelands running from Pulehu to Naalae Road below Kula Highway. Lot sizes will range from 6 to 40 acres, with one large remnant parcel of 323 acres available for sale or lease.

Living Legacies: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Maui Coastal Land Trust
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. is one of America's most passionate environmentalists. Last Wednesday, Feb. 21, he addressed a near-capacity audience at Maui Arts and Cultural Center's Castle Theater, as the first of five speakers in the Focus Green lecture series. Though his voice quavered at times (Kennedy lives with a condition known as spasmodic dysphonia, which strains his speech), his ardent environmental and political message never wavered. In fact, he gave so much information that one audience member likened listening to "trying to drink from a fire hose."

Hawaii's paradise falls victim to progress
Early Hawaiian culture taught that the earth is a living, conscious being. It is not to be dominated but is to be cared for with pono (balance and rightness). In the land of true aloha (love, compassion, divine blessings) the land provides for its people. This sacred Hawaiian value is similarly expressed in the cultures of many ethnic groups. As 2006 concludes, I struggle to find the words to express the angst and powerlessness I feel about what is happening to our planet and to the values that should be guiding our relationship with it.

NORTH SHORE HERITAGE PARK
The Paia-Haiku and Wailuku-Kahului Community Plans set aside over 200 acres of north shore land for park and open space in the mid 1990s. Slowly, parcels designated for parks or open space are being sold off. The North Shore beaches serve thousands of residents and visitors every day. Let Mayor Tavares know that you support a North Shore Heritage Park that will eventually include all undeveloped shoreline areas from Stable Road to Maliko Gulch.