County post Maui Island Plan

The Maui General Plan has 3 Components:

Maui Island Plan Overview (From the County’s Website)

 

The Maui Island Plan provides direction for future growth, the economy, and social and environmental decisions on the island through 2030. The Maui Island Plan establishes a vision, founded on core values that break down into goals, objectives, policies, and actions. In addition, the Plan incorporates lessons from the past. The Maui Island Plan is the second component of the decennial General Plan update.

Specific Outcomes
The MIP looks comprehensively at many factors that influence the physical, social, and economic development of the island.  The MIP establishes a Directed Growth Strategy, which identifies areas appropriate for future urbanization and revitalization.  The MIP also identifies and addresses key environmental, housing, and economic development issues relevant to Maui’s current and future generations.

The MIP will be used by the County Council, the Maui Planning Commission, County staff, and the community as a policy foundation for day-to-day decision making in the following ways:

  • Developing, implementing, and applying policies and regulations (e.g., zoning and other ordinances, including the Community Plans, that describe the kind of development that is allowed); and
  • Determining the appropriateness of discretionary development proposals.

This Plan looks forward several generations, its recommendations will transform the way we manage our lands and plan for our communities.  Key highlights of the Plan include:

  • Adoption of a Directed Growth Plan.  Growth areas are established where future growth is desired.  This will make development more predictable for everyone, including County service and infrastructure providers.  This will help reduce development costs, provide more affordable housing, and lower taxes to the public.
  • Protection of Maui’s Small Towns and Rural Character.  Outside of growth areas development will be limited to preserve our agricultural lands and open space.  This will “keep the country – country”, a refrain repeated by many citizens.
  • Affordable Housing.  Maui will have safe, decent, appropriate, and affordable housing for all residents developed in a way that contributes to strong neighborhoods and a thriving island community.
  • Protection of Watersheds and Coastal Resources.  Watershed and coastal zone management will be integrated to protect those areas of the island that contain critical marine resources, including coral reefs.
  • Economic diversification.  We will promote emerging industries such as high technology, renewable energy, niche tourism, local agriculture, health care, entertainment, and education.  The important visitor industry will still grow, but at a comparatively smaller rate so that our economy will be more diversified.
  • Integration of Land Use and Infrastructure Planning.  We will implement a framework to ensure that our infrastructure and land use planning functions are integrated, so that infrastructure can be provided more effectively and efficiently.

 

        Maui Island’s six Community Plan Districts.