Pulelehua, Olowalu projects get attention

LAHAINA - Hundreds of West Maui residents poured into the Lahaina Civic Center on Tuesday to share their views on the Maui Island Plan with the Maui Planning Commission.

Two developments that have stirred debate throughout the planning process, a proposed new town at Olowalu and Maui Land & Pineapple's worker-housing project, Pulelehua, were lightning rods again at the Lahaina meeting. Other projects, like an expansion of Wainee and the long-planned Kaanapali 2020, have so far enjoyed smooth sailing during the county's update of its General Plan, and the crowd didn't make any new waves for them Tuesday.

Some testifiers were alarmed by the overall scale of development called for in the Maui Island Plan, which as currently proposed would add between 5,000 and 6,000 new homes to West Maui over the next 20 years, to keep up with projected population growth.

"We live on an island," said Lahaina resident Gordon C. Cockett. "West Maui is only a part of that island, and we can't keep growing forever."

Former Maui County Council candidate Kai Nishiki said she was concerned that existing infrastructure wouldn't be able to handle so much new growth. Highways are already clogged with traffic, beach parks are bursting, and schools are so overwhelmed that some classes have had to meet in tents, she said.

"If 6,000 new housing units are added to West Maui, that could mean an additional 2,000 school-age children," she said, noting that only one project, Pulelehua, has proposed including a new school.

She asked planning commissioners to look at locating any new development close to jobs, noting long commutes - like the trip she makes several days a week from Haiku to Honokowai - are hard on families.

"I leave my kids before they wake up, and by the time I get home, they've already gone to bed," she said.

A number of residents asked for the plan to give more protection from development to the Honolua area.

John Carty and others with the Save Honolua Coalition asked for the urban-growth boundary to be moved back from Honolua to end at Kaanapali, to create a "hard edge" between developed and undeveloped areas.

"The entire Honolua ahupuaa is under tremendous stress, and there needs to be a much bigger buffer between urbanization and this marine life preserve and highly sensitive area," he said.

Former Maui Pineapple Co. Vice President Doug MacCluer, who continues to be active in agriculture issues, said he'd seen pineapple and many diversified crops grown successfully in the Honolua area.

"Those lands are important agricultural lands," he said, urging that they not be developed. "If we are ever to be sustainable, we need to protect good ag land and water."

A number of testifiers spoke in support of including Kaanapali 2020 and an expansion of Wainee in the planned development boundaries for West Maui.

May Fujiwara, president of the Lahaina/Honolua Senior Citizens Club, said both projects reflected good participation with the community by the developers. They would help provide badly needed working-class housing near existing jobs, parks, schools and infrastructure, she added.

"Many families have two or even three generations living under one roof," she said.

A proposed major development at Olowalu, which has been one of the most contentious in the planning process, continued to draw strong feelings at Tuesday's meeting.

Many said the project was too far away from existing jobs and infrastructure and didn't like its location along a stretch of highway that is already seeing major traffic problems.

"It will only make things worse," said Van Fischer, who said traffic in the area is already "miserable."

"The development of Olowalu serves no one but the owners of the property," he said.

The organization Maui Tomorrow ranked five projects proposed for inclusion in the general plan on criteria such as location, infrastructure and affordable housing, and gave Olowalu an "F."

"The Olowalu Town project was rated lowest, primarily because it is expected to have the minimum affordable housing required, and because its location is far from jobs in both West and Central Maui," said Executive Director Irene Bowie.

But Olowalu resident Ed Kaahui supported the project because it would bring needed housing and employment to the area his family has lived in "forever."

"If development brings jobs, why are we trying to stop it?" he asked.

He reminded planners that he and other residents of the existing Olowalu village had testified in support of the project for more than a year and questioned why county planners still did not endorse the project as proposed.

"Our community has spoken, but the Maui Planning Commission has not listened," he said.

While the General Plan Advisory Committee recommended including 290 acres for 1,500 new homes at Olowalu, the county Planning Department has recommended allowing only a small "rural service center" with a few businesses and about 100 homes.

Pulelehua also drew special attention by testifiers. County planners had recommended supporting the project as proposed by ML&P, designating 279 acres for 1,149 homes. But the General Plan Advisory Committee had recommended reducing the project's size to 116 acres and 696 residences, mainly to create a buffer between homes and the West Maui-Kapalua Airport.

Testifier Daniel San Miguel said he had hoped to buy a home in Pulelehua and was disappointed it was taking so long for the project to be approved.

"I believe this project is badly needed and overdue," he said. "It seems unfair for this project to be reduced in size when others are recommended at full size."

Mike Foley, a former county planning director, said Pulelehua was his "favorite project" in West Maui, while Olowalu was his "least favorite."

"Pulelehua is near many existing West Maui jobs," he said. "Olowalu is miles from jobs, and 2,500 to 3,000 people would have to commute every day on an already crowded highway."

Olowalu's distance from major infrastructure would mean developers would have to build their own, making it hard to keep the cost of housing down, he added.

"Which project should be supported should be all about location, location, location," he said. "Olowalu is a place where growth just does not make sense."

Rory Frampton, a consultant for developer Makila Land Co., expressed frustration that developers had been discouraged from testifying.

The Maui Planning Commission held a special meeting last month for developers to present their proposals - then requested that they not return and testify at future Planning Commission meetings on the Maui Island Plan.

The rationale behind the special meeting was to avoid having eager developers return again and again to make their pitch, since long hours of public testimony often leave commissioners with no time to discuss any business at meetings on the General Plan.

But Frampton said the request means developers don't have a chance to rebut accusations made by opponents of their projects.

"We see the Maui Tomorrows and the Mike Foleys coming up again and again, making their statements - some of which are very inaccurate," he said.

The Maui Planning Commission is expected to continue discussions of the Maui Island Plan at an all-day meeting Aug. 18.

* Ilima Loomis can be reached at iloomis@mauinews.com.