Permitting Process Receives Cleanup
Reprinted from The Molokai Dispatch
The Molokai Community Plan, last updated in 2001, is on the move after holding community engagement workshops last October. Up next is for the Molokai Planning Commission is to choose a Plan Advisory Committee.
The Molokai Planning Commission will choose nine of the 13 members on the advisory committee, and Mayor Alan Arakawa will choose the other four.
David Yamashita, planning supervisor from the Long Range Division of the county, said that they are a looking at a variety of plans for Molokai, including environmental resources, historic and cultural resources, economic, land use and development, housing and infrastructure.
Changes in Permitting Process
The Molokai Planning Commission has also moved forward in their proposed changes for the Special Area Management (SMA) rules. Planning Commission Chairman Steve Chaikin said many of the rules in the permitting process required some “housecleaning,” since they have not been updated since 1989.
Currently, residents who do not apply for an SMA permit but move ahead on construction can see upwards of $1,000 per day fines. The commission recommends increasing the fine to $10,000 per day.
Shoreline setback areas were also given cleaner definitions.
For example, fishponds would be defined as a fixed shoreline, along with its current definition of “natural stabilized geographic features such as cliffs and rock formations.”
The new rules also state that desired construction projects should be 150 feet “from the high wash of the waves,” and applications must be published in newspapers at least once before the commission meeting it is presented at.
“We’re doing this to get rid of some of the inconsistencies,” Chaikin said.
The Maui County Planning Commission will first take a look at the changes before presented to the Molokai community.
New Faces on Planning Commission
William Spence, planning director is the former head of William Spence Company, consulting firm and former Planner for Maui County. He has a Bachelor’s in urban and regional planning from California State Polytechnic.
“I’ve worked on the government side and the private side of things. I bring a little perspective as far as looking out for the little guy, as well as the big guys. I want to look for the things that couldn’t possibly hurt the environment by addressing the projects that could.”
Michelle Conteau McLean, deputy, is the former Deputy Director of Kaho`olawe Reserve Commission and former consultant for Shouteau Consulting. She has a Bachelor’s in political science from Vassar College.
“I’d like to improvMichelle Conteau McLeanMichelle Conteau McLeane the communication between the community, the county and the planning department, and wear down any suspicions between those [entities].”