The Maui News

Proposed zoning updates for Wailuku town will be the subject of Maui Redevelopment Agency workshops this and next week in town.

The agency aims to use the workshops, as well as public comment at its regular August meeting, to gather ideas, inform and answer questions on proposed zoning updates for Wailuku town. The public may drop in at the workshops anytime.

The agency meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Friday in the Planning Conference Room.

Workshops are set for 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday and 9:30 to 11 a.m. Friday, both in the Good Shepherd Church Parrish Hall; and 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Mayor’s Conference Room on the ninth floor of the county building.

“This is an important process of refining the details that will improve protections for the things we love most about Wailuku, while creating incentives for context-appropriate revitalization,” said agency Chairman Frank De Rego Jr.

The agency is working in partnership with the Planning Implementation Division of the Planning Department to kick off zoning updates in Wailuku town first. Last year, Wailuku was designated a federal Opportunity Zone by the secretary of the U.S. Treasury. Under the Opportunity Zone program, new investments may be eligible for tax benefits, making Wailuku an attractive place to develop or redevelop, the agency news release said.

To ensure new development is in keeping with Wailuku’s sense of place, zoning for the area needs to be clear, predictable and represent the community’s expectations for the neighborhood, the news release said.

In addition to the four meetings, the agency will host two meetings in September with the expectation of a public hearing to be held in November. Draft versions of the ordinance will be available on the Maui Redevelopment Agency’s website, www.mauicounty.gov/192/Maui-Redevelopment-Agency.

For more information, contract Erin Wade, redevelopment program planner, by email at erin.wade@co.maui.hi.us or phone at 270-6258.