Maui GPAC meetings open to public input on the issues

The Maui News
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
VIEWPOINT by TOM CANNON

The Maui Island General Plan Advisory Committee wishes to give our residents an update of our activities and progress. The GPAC's task is to prepare two separate documents:

-- A countywide policy plan which will contain general goals and broad policy statements to guide our county over the next

20 years. An example of a possible policy might be, "Maui County will first utilize scarce water supplies for the benefit of existing residents before allocating the water resources to new developments."

-- A more detailed islandwide plan which will contain policies and urban growth boundary maps that will apply only to the island of Maui. An example of something that might appear in the islandwide plan is mapping a transportation and utility corridor connecting two separate communities or districts. A policy that might be found in the islandwide plan is a statement that critical infrastructure shall not be located in hazardous locations.

Creating these two components of the general plan has fixed time limits: 120 days for the countywide policy plan and 180 days for the islandwide plan. The GPAC is working to meet the following schedule: completing the countywide policy plan by May 24 and the Maui islandwide plan during the period from mid-July to January. After making its recommendations, the GPAC's two plans will be transmitted to the Maui Planning Commission for a six-month review. The planning commission will add its recommendations and send them along with the GPAC recommendations to the County Council, which has one year to finally complete the Maui County General Plan.

Thereafter, each plan district on the island of Maui will, in turn, begin the preparation of its much more detailed community plans. The community plans will follow the guidelines and policies established in the countywide policy plan and the islandwide plan. The community plans will provide detailed land designations involving residential, hotel, industrial, urban open space, etc.

The GPAC is composed of 25 residents from each geographical district of Maui. Nineteen members were selected by the council and six were selected by the mayor. The group represents a broad spectrum of our community with geographical, gender and ethnic diversity, and representation ranging from environmentalists to developers.

The GPAC held its first meetings in early 2006 but learned that the enabling legislation was flawed and needed amendment. The County Council made adjustments during 2006, and the GPAC was able to resume its activities in January of this year. Since then, we have been meeting approximately every two weeks, and occasionally all day Saturday, at Kaunoa Senior Center in Spreckelsville.

In the first meeting of the GPAC under our own direction, the 25 members began to get to know each other and considered how we might use our limited time most efficiently. Although we are a very diverse group, our meetings have gone well with members showing a great degree of respect for one another. There is much constructive discussion at the meetings on the proposed policies. Members are well aware of the responsibility they have been given and are very committed to producing an excellent general plan.

We are fortunate in having a number of very dedicated planning professionals from the county Planning Department who are assisting us. They have a very difficult job, not only staffing our meetings but also those of the Lanai and Molokai GPACs.

There is concern among our members that we are developing a long-range plan with many excellent policies that may not be carried out and enforced by future county administrations, and we are working on ways to guarantee implementation and enforcement.

Another challenge is to provide policies to guide Maui's two major industries, agriculture and tourism. Tourism began here as a hotel industry but has now added several new dimensions, including condominiums, time shares, vacation rentals and cruise ships. What

policies can be established to ensure that Maui has a healthy tourist industry that contributes to the well-being of our county and does not detract from the lives of residents or the environment?

Similarly, our agriculture is undergoing significant change. Plantation agriculture seems to be moving into a new phase, and new forms of agriculture are emerging, including growing a wider variety of vegetables, flowers, coffee, GMO research, biofuels. Which of these crops should be encouraged to make a positive impact on our county?

Other issues that we are considering relate to the increasing role of off-island investors. The issues range from more large land developments, additional big box stores, the Superferry and providing secondhomes for the wealthy. Should we have policies in place that regulate these activities?

The GPAC welcomes public participation and input. You may go to the county Web site and look at the Planning Department's draft document on which the GPAC is working. You may also give your input on the Web site. Finally, you are encouraged to come to our meetings and to provide written or oral testimony, or to just listen. The Web site is www.mauicounty.gov/departments/Planning/gp2030/index.htm

Tom Cannon is a Maui-born architect and chairman of the Maui Island General Plan Committee.