-
Click above to keep up to date on what's happening with the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee
Download and read the draft of the Maui Island Plan that will be reviewed by the Maui General Plan Advisory Committee.
|
 |
Please help us to receive a significant Challenge Grant
by making a donation
|
Sign our
online petition
and help preserve the remaining South Maui coastline
|
 |
Contact Maui's elected officials
 
|
Visit our page of
downloadable aerial photo maps
showing most of the committed, designated, and proposed developments in the
six community plan districts on Maui
|
|
Life, Liberty, Water
As climate change and worldwide shortages loom, will people fight over water or join together to protect it? A global water justice movement is demanding a change in international law to ensure the universal right to clean water for all. It's a colossal failure of political foresight that water has not emerged as an important issue in the U.S. Presidential campaign. The links between oil, war, and U.S. foreign policy are well known. But water - whether we treat it as a public good or as a commodity that can be bought and sold - will in large part determine whether our future is peaceful or perilous.
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.
Lingle weighs ag land development bill
Owners of prime agricultural land could convert 15 percent of their acreage into new housing developments, under a bill awaiting Gov. Linda Lingle's signature. Concerned parties on both sides have been turning up the heat on Lingle as she weighs the merits of the bill, which would require the landowners to devote the other 85 percent of their property to farm use more or less in perpetuity. Proponents say the bill will help preserve ag land that is being diverted to housing under current land use laws.
Big on Bamboo
In a time when many conversations are turning to self-sufficiency, sustainability and revitalizing our economy, growing bamboo seems to outshine the status quo of importing virtually all of our building materials, and more than 90 percent of our food and energy needs. Bamboo is actually a family of plants in the grass family, found in both tropical and temperate climates, and native to all continents except Europe and Antarctica.
Lingle keeps lid on Superferry records
The Lingle administration, citing attorney-client privilege and executive privilege, has declined a request by The Advertiser to publicly release hundreds of e-mails and other documents related to its decision to exempt the Hawaii Superferry project from environmental review. State lawmakers had asked Lingle administration officials last year to disclose what, if any, legal advice they received before they exempted the project in February 2005. But the administration would not discuss the matter because of attorney-client privilege. Lawmakers wanted the information to determine whether the Lingle administration considered the legal risks before issuing the exemption.
116-unit housing project for seniors in Kula proposed
An architect who has specialized in high-quality resort residential projects, Clayton Nishikawa, is proposing to build a 116-unit senior housing project on Lower Kula Road. Kula Meadowood would include 70 affordable units and 46 market-priced units in what he described as an age-in-place, independent-living subdivision on 85 acres of former pineapple fields just south of Kula 200. Nishikawa said he is trying to get a reading on community support for the project, which has not been included in urban growth boundaries proposed for the county's General Plan. As such, it would likely not be endorsed by the county Planning Department.
GPAC Adopts Vision and Goals
The General Plan Advisory Committee assembled 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.
- Project Ka‘eo – The Challenge to Preserve Cultural Landscapes in Modern Makena
The need to create a bridge between Maui’s past and future is one of the challenges facing a rapidly developing island. It is also the unspoken subject of an extensive study researched and written by Lucienne de Naie.
Read the brief summary – download it here (160K PDF file)
Download and read a full copy of Project Ka‘eo here (42MB PDF file)
Superferry lobbies for military upgrade
Company spends $210K on lobbyists to obtain funds for vehicle ramp
Hawaii Superferry has spent $210,000 since last summer to lobby for federal money to install features on its second high-speed catamaran to make it more attractive for military use. Lobbyists hired by Superferry approached the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Defense to help pay for a vehicle ramp and other improvements. The ramp would allow the new catamaran to load and unload vehicles at most large piers instead of relying on shore-based ramps and barges.
Algae may be biofuel source
The marine algae gets a much better yield than many plants. Where the highest producing oil palm farmers get 600 gallons an acre per year, algae can produce 5,000 to 8,000 gallons per acre annually. Moreover, algae proponents note it has the attractive environmental side effect of being able to absorb carbon dioxide waste from industrial facilities such as power plants. Thus it's hoped the production of biodiesel and other fuels from algae could reduce global-warming emissions if paired with a nearby power plant.
"That's the exciting thing about algae and why everyone is so interested," said Ed Shonsey, chief executive officer of HR Biopetroleum. "It's ideal for Hawai'i because no fresh water is required, no ag land is required and it cleans up the environment."
Maui harbor plans pared as ships leave
The departure of two NCL America cruise ships from Hawaii waters this year has led the state to significantly scale back plans for improvements to Kahului Harbor on Maui. With the Pride of Aloha and Pride of Hawaii no longer in operation locally, harbor officials say there is no longer a pressing demand for a new breakwater, cruise terminal and ferry and barge slip on the west side of the harbor basin. No one is complaining. The departure of the two cruise ships is freeing up acres of space and reducing traffic in the state's most cramped and overcrowded commercial port.
Wailuku Water asks to become a public utility
Move would allow it to maintain control over West Maui waters
Wailuku Water Distribution Co. is seeking permission from the state to organize as a public utility in order to continue service, set new water rates and keep its contracts. Essentially, being a utility would allow Wailuku Water to stay in the water business as it faces an ongoing dispute over water rights with farmers, environmentalists and Native Hawaiians.
Project Ka‘eo – The Challenge to Preserve Cultural Landscapes in Modern Makena
The need to create a bridge between Maui’s past and future is one of the challenges facing a rapidly developing island. It is also the unspoken subject of an extensive study researched and written by Lucienne de Naie.
Read the brief summary – download it here (160K PDF file)
Download and read a full copy of Project Ka‘eo here (42MB PDF file)
'Crying' for Water – Anger resurfaces in hearing on East Maui stream flows
During an often highly emotional public meeting on a petition seeking the return of water to five perennial streams in East Maui, Native Hawaiian taro farmers made it clear that they need more water to grow their staple crop. The meeting was in response to a petition filed on behalf of local taro farmers seven years ago by the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. The petitioners said they actually want to see 27 streams restored. Because most of the streams have been diverted by East Maui Irrigation Co. mauka of Hana Highway, the natural water channels have been left as empty gulches that fill only during downpours.
(Read a brief report here by Alan Murakami of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation as he offers his perspective on the meeting)
Victorino proposes resolution seeking fairness for TVR operators
Operators of transient vacation rentals who have been "caught in legal limbo" because of the County's confusing and contradictory enforcement policies shouldn't be punished, Maui County Councilmember Michael Victorino said today. Victorino has proposed a resolution calling on the County Administration to suspend enforcement actions against TVR operators until the Council has had a chance to review and enact legislation currently pending before the Council's Planning Committee. The Committee isn't expected to review the bills submitted by the Department of Planning and the planning commissions until June.
Positive Energy – A legislative look at renewable energy bills
The 2008 Hawai'i legislative session began with great fanfare about the importance of local renewable energy sources. House Speaker Calvin Say and others brought attention to our state's over-dependence on imported fuels, and the opportunities to bolster our economy by keeping our energy dollars in the state with renewable energy incentives. Now it's crunch time at the legislature, and particularly for some important energy initiatives.
Audit: Superferry drove state actions
Lingle administration criticized for bypassing environmental review
The state may have compromised its environmental policy because of pressure from Hawaii Superferry executives who were worried about financing for the interisland ferry project, the state auditor has concluded. The auditor found that an internal June 2005 deadline imposed by Superferry executives "drove the process" and pushed the state Department of Transportation to bypass an environmental review. The deadline, according to the auditor, was tied to Superferry's agreement with Austal USA to secure financing to pay the Mobile, Ala.-based shipbuilder to construct two high-speed ferries. Maritime Administration officials told the auditor they did not set the June 2005 deadline as a condition of the loan guarantee.
Maui Becomes Power Player
The State of Hawai'i will take part in an innovative $15 million project aiming to reduce peak electricity demand by at least 15 percent. Hawai'i is one of nine states selected by the DOE to participate in a five-year, $50 million project designed to modernize the country's electrical grid system.
State to control Maui streams
Final testimony delivered in contested case hearing over Na Wai 'Eha streams
A state commission has decided to take over management of four major streams in central Maui. The decision marks the first time that the Commission on Water Resource Management has voted to designate a surface water management area. Read four stories to get the full picture of the consequences of this court case.
Ocean of energy – Three wave turbines are planned for Maui waters
Waves near the surfing area known as Jaws, just off Pauwela Point on Maui's northern coast, would be used to generate enough electricity to power about 1,600 homes on the Valley Isle. The plan was announced yesterday by state officials and executives from Oceanlinx, an Australian renewable energy company. The company now is performing preliminary site work, such as environmental assessments, and expects to have the generators in place by 2009.
The Drowning of Hawaii
Warmer waters. Melting ice caps. Disappearing glaciers. They are all expected to raise ocean levels by 39 inches in the next century, forever reshaping Hawaii. That's using the projection of one meter, or 39 inches, of sea level rise, a figure many scientists and planners who have reviewed global climate change predictions say is likely for Hawaii.
India's Tata backs air-power car
An engineer has promised that within a year he will start selling a car in India that runs on compressed air, producing no emissions at all in towns. The project is being backed by the Indian conglomerate, Tata for an undisclosed sum. It says the technology may also be used for power generation. The car will be driven by compressed air stored in carbon-fibre tanks. The tanks, built into the chassis, can be filled with air from a compressor in just three minutes - much quicker than a battery car. Alternatively, it can be plugged into the mains for four hours and an on-board compressor will do the job.
Makena: keeping our promises
Over thirty-five years ago a bold, visionary plan was launched to secure Maui's economic future. Begun in 1968, the federally funded Kihei Civic Plan set out to transform the dry, dusty, sparsely populated shoreline of South Maui. It envisioned a model community for residents and a world-class resort destination for visitors. Nearly one-third of South Maui's 1,200 residents (1970 pop.) gave input on the Civic Plan.
The efforts to preserve Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point
Read three articles on efforts by local citizens and elected officials to preserve Honolua Bay and Lipoa Point from luxury home development.
Kahului Harbor Master Plan 2030
The Harbors Division is undertaking the Kahului Commercial Harbor 2030 Master Plan concurrent with its Environmental Impact Statement. These concurrent efforts will enable the master plan task force's consideration of any potential environmental impacts while planning Kahului Commercial Harbor's 2030 improvements.
Statewide Transportation Improvement Program
The STIP is a four-year programming implementation document that identifies State and County transportation projects, statewide, to be funded, in part, with Federal Highway and Transit funds.
Status of Maui's Coral Reefs by the Coral Reef Assessment and Monitoring Program
|
