Paul Subrata, Vice President, Maui Land & Pineapple Co. Inc.
almost 3 years ago
Testimony
Maui County Council’s Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee 6/14/2021
Regarding: Kapalua Resort Project District 1
Date: Monday, June 14th, 2021
Dear Chair Paltin and Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee Members,
I respectfully request that the areas of the Kapalua Resort makai of Honopiilani Highway within Lahaina Project District 1 (Kapalua) (reference Chapter 19.73, MCC) be designated “Resort” rather than “Small Town Center” on the West Maui Community Plan Land Use Maps.
As stated 19.73, MCC 19.73.010(A):
“The purpose and intent of Project District No. 1 at Kapalua, Maui, which is referred to as the "Kapalua Resort Project District 1," is to establish a mixture of visitor oriented facilities, including hotel accommodations, single and multifamily residences and supporting commercial services within an open space setting organized around a central village core.”
The Kapaula Resort has long been planned as a resort and we feel that a “Resort” designation on the West Maui Community Plan is more consistent with the intent of Chapter 19.73, MCC (which is still in effect), than the designation of “Small Town Center.”
We would be happy to elaborate on this request via further written testimony / e-comments at subsequent hearings.
Let’s first talk about Hanakao’o Beach Park - home to all West Maui’s canoe clubs and where the State regatta is held when it comes to Maui, also a large cemetery and really, the last beach for locals to call their own in a sea of tourism in West Maui.
Amongst other considerations, the CPAC was asked to plan for 3.2 ft of sea level rise in our deliberations, we were asked to imagine a time when the entire park and cemetery is under water and the new shoreline is mauka of the highway.
We are tasked with putting into place plans for our grandchildren, the future generations, to continue to have access to the shoreline and celebrate and honor their culture.
We also received a presentation by the Parks Dept and I ask you to reference the technical resource paper provided which highlights that West Maui has the highest number of average daily visitor population in our County and that beach parks are highly used by both visitors and residents alike.
The most popular recreation in West Maui, according to a survey conducted by the parks dept, is utilizing the ocean and beach parks.
A shortage of beach parks and parks in general in West Maui was identified, in addition to the projected loss of up to 40 % of our beach parks in the future. In fact, it is happening right now, Puamana Park was closed recently.
Many current beach parks are linear, thin strips along the coastline, not very wide, with no where to go, so it is vital to protect mauka expansion of important coastal areas for future public access.
Let’s remember parks are a vital part of our infrastructure, just like everything else, and sometimes we forget this and treat them as an afterthought. This needs to change. Parks must be provided an adequate level of funding for acquisition, planning, development and maintenance.
Let’s go over the housing numbers:
Planning Dept Technical Resource Paper
Estimated Housing Units Needed in West Maui by 2040: 6,923
Estimated Housing Units Possible with this Scenario: 7,950 (1,027 surplus)
I encourage you to look at the big picture, not the individual sectioned maps, but look at the large map that shows the entire community plan area.
Look at the distinct breaks between developments of Napili, Kahana, Honokowai, Ka’anapali and Lahaina Town.
Envision the next 20- 50 years when Ka’anapali is fully built out with thousands of homes, Villages of Leialli, Puukolii Mauka, Ka’anapali Town North etc. and also Lahaina Town.
This park area also provides a much needed break between Ka’anapali and Lahaina once areas are fully developed and is supported by the Planning Department.
We are very appreciative of the time, thoughtfulness and community involvement of the original process in planning Ka’anapali 2020 back in the 90s.
Like all plans over time, with new information and newly identified community needs, plans must adapt to stay current. Sea Level Rise and coastal erosion wasn’t even a part of the conversation back then.
Thankfully K2020 planned a small 10 acre park in this exact area, we just needed to expand it a bit, making the vision that much better with room for canoe hales for all clubs, parking for events, community and cultural centers, etc.
Members of the paddling community are supportive.
Finally, the plan and the votes of the CPAC demonstrate and reflect support with all members, except one, voting in favor of the proposal.
Vote was 10-1 Hans Michel, Joseph Pluta, Dawn Hegger-Nordblom, Donald Gerbig, Karen Comcowich, Ravi Bugga, Angela Lucero, Leilani Pulmano, Yvette Celiz, Kai Nishiki voted in favor of the motion, with Dylan Payne opposed.
Aloha Kakou,
As you are in the process of updating the 1996 West Maui Community Plan (WMCP). Let's not forget or lose sight of the past updates made to the General Plan (GP) and the Maui Island Plan 2012 (MIP) for consistency sake. I recall the review as I was on the decision making body at the time of these updates.
I read ALL the meeting minutes of the West Maui Community Plan Advisory Council (WMCPAC) and at times CPAC members had questions on motions due to being unclear and were not given ample opportunity for clarification. Then votes for forcibly taken while a member was uncomfortable. I'm referring in particular to the Ka'anapali 2020 (K2020) South portion .
I am in full support of keeping the K2020 project in it's entirety. It's a Plan that has been vetted throughly with the West Maui community for decades and continues to do so Yet, the proposed changes to K2020 were not vetted by the current K2020 working group who continue to hold open public meetings. This begs the question as to how the changes came about and with whom? Certainly, Ka'anapali Land Management Company (KLMC) wasn't conferred with.
On top of that, Parks Department were NOT confided with on the new Park/Open Space (PKOS) designations during the Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) deliberations. There wasn't any discussion on why 97 acres of PKOS was wanted or needed by the county or community. I was told 97 Parks was needed by CPAC Chair in order to move the Canoe Hales form Hanakao'o Beach Park due to Sea Level Rise (SLR). I got comments from all three Canoe Clubs and all were not aware of this change
Another example of the lack of outreach to the affected parties by the current proposed Land Use designations is the 200 acres of PKOS proposed on Kamehameha School Bishop Estates (KSBE) lands just below Lahainaluna High School and the Solar Array. The land is currently in Agriculture (AG) and the landowners want to keep it that way. They want to continue with their agriculture endeavors to positively address our Food Security issues and secure land for a Green Waste Composting Facility. My main reason for keeping this land in AG is to support the Green Waste Facility proposal.This project has been the making for a few years now with West Maui Green Cycle at the helm along with, Maui EKO Compost and the Maui County's Department of Environmental, Protection and Sustainability (EP&S) Division. This proposed PKOS designation tells me that KSBE or the County's own DEM was NOT consulted with during the WMCP update process. Currently a Compost Facility is not an outright permitted use on AG but it is with a Special Use Permit (SUP). It is flat out NOT a permitted use on PKOS so the much needed Compost Facility would not have a chance to become a reality with the proposed PKOS land designation.
Please keep Ka'anapali 2020 South and the KSBE 200 acres in current designations.
Please no changes !
I am deeply offended by the continuous undermining of community sustainability for greed and personal gain. Why does west Maui NEED all its ag land? Bc there's ppl living there in food deserts! Where the ulu trees shld b everywhere?! Where the lo'i?! The kama'aina of west Maui fighting to stay healthy amidst the pollution and trash food being brought over by this greed and lack of comprehension! Stop changing ANY ag land!! ALL ag lands must remain ag in perpetuity!
The rivers need to b "planned" to meet the ocean!! For the health of the ocean, abundance of fish and even have any limu!
Fix the water treatment plant NOW!! Ppl r literally dying from that pollution.. auwe!!
And furthermore, im deeply EMBARRASSED by this county's lack of respect and care for kanaka!! That the "host" or "victims of this colonization" r being displaced and uncared for as their unhoused is so shame, so hewa, such bad form as to incite emotions of death and destruction to said offense! FIX IT NOW!! THEY NEED HOUSES, THEY NEED SERVICES.. THEY NEED TO B TAKEN CARE OF!!! NOT PUSHED TO THE SIDE AND FORCED INTO SUFFERING!! BUILD HAWAIIAN HOMES!! BUILD KANAKA FACILITIES AND GET THEM HELP!!
~C. Rose Reilly
Working in west Maui the last 15yrs
Testimony Maui County Council’s Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee 6/14/2021
Regarding: The West Maui Community Plan.
Date: Monday, June 14th at 9:00am,
The West Maui Community Plan is the product of hundreds of hours of work by the Community Plan Advisory Committee and many members of the public who have co-designed their collective vision for West Maui’s future land use.
The Community plan embodies the will of the people, and the needs of the community. The plans and land use designations also provide some important protections for the different environmentally sensitive areas. Environmental protection is essential to our island’s natural infrastructure, and the wider ecosystem.
It is also essential that this plan is used to provide truly affordable and attainable housing for local families, while protecting West Maui from unchecked growth that the community does not want, and that is harmful to the environment.
This community plan MUST be enforceable throughout all of West Maui, and not just in the Special Management Area near the shoreline.
In addition, the West Maui Community Plan is the first one that will be using new land use category descriptions that may set a precedent for all of the other community plans on Maui. These land use descriptions must be specific in order for the plan to be enforceable. This plan and all future Community Plans must be specific and enforceable so it will be a useful tool for directing land-use decisions on Maui.
Please support the West Maui Community Plan and ensure that it be made specific and enforceable.
TESTIMONY
TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL’S PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE COMMITTEE
June 14, 2021
From: DAVID DELEON, 335 Waiama Way, Haiku, Hi. 96708, dpdeleon@hawaiiantel.net 808- 575-9711
This is testimony in support of the proposed change in land use designation for the Kapalua Plantation Estates.
I support the proposal because:
The proposal to change the Kapalua Plantation Estates neighborhood from agricultural designation to 2-acre rural residential designation, accurately reflects the community’s actual current and historic use. After over two decades of occupation, this community is clearly not, and never will be, farm land.
Kapalua Plantation Estates does match the description of rural use found in state law – a non-urban development pattern characterized by low-density, scattered homesteads and occasional farms.
Once the subdivision for these properties was approved, the property that composes the subdivision ceased being viable farm land: the lots are too small to be viable farms. That was the reason the Maui Farm Bureau actively supported this proposal during the Maui Island Plan process.
Once rezoning is accomplished, the wasteful cat-and-mouse game between these property owners and the County Planning Enforcement Division – in which a dozen papaya trees or three goats can constitute a “farm” – can end.
The implication of this change will only be seen on paper. The size and use of these properties will not change, and anyone who wishes to farm, can. The only functional change will be the state’s odd requirement that people who occupy agricultural land must farm that land, will no longer apply. (Question: when Grandma becomes 80, is she still required to farm?)
The County Council created a spectrum of rural zoning classifications, from the traditional half-acre, to 1, 2, 5 and 10 acre lot scales. The purpose for creating this spectrum (2010) was so the County could accommodate exactly these types of Ag to Rural transitions.
The Department of Planning in 2012 supported and proposed this change in the then-draft Maui Island Plan. The then-director saw the wisdom of ending the unnecessary waste in attempting to force homeowners to conduct an economic activity they really have no intention of conducting.
This Ag to Rural concept was actively debated and approved by the County Council for inclusion in the Maui Island Plan in 2012 – nine years ago.
The intent of the Maui Island Plan should weigh heavily on this question and indeed the decision making for all six Maui community plans, starting with the West Maui plan. Well over a million dollars and 15 years of effort went into the creation of the Maui Island Plan, with the intention of setting the planning parameters for the Maui community plans. Ignoring that will now will amount to a mammoth waste of County resources and a serious insult to hundreds of Maui citizens who diligently participated in that effort just a decade ago in good faith.
There is nothing sacred about state agricultural land use classification. When the LUC maps were created in the 1960s, there were only three classifications: urban, agricultural, and conservation. Any lands that were clearly not urban or conservation were lumped into the agricultural class. The rural classification was added long after the initial boundaries were set. As a result, many lands that should have been classified rural were not.
The problem facing agriculture in Hawaii is that it never successfully transitioned from industrialized plantation mono-crops to more mixed-crop farms. A 2015 State Department of Agriculture report said there were 200,000 acres of fallow farm land in Hawaii. The problem is finding enough farmers and the necessary capital to put those lands to good use. Whether the Kapalua Plantation Estates neighborhood is designated rural residential will not impact those economic realities one iota.
Aloha. Please see my attached testimony in support of the West Maui Community Plan but with requested revisions for Kaanapali Land Management Corp.'s lands.
Gunars Valkirs (this is a copy of testimony I originally presented after the 6/3/21 meeting. I present it here to make certain it will be considered)
Aloha, I own a home in Plantation Estates, more specifically in Honolua Ridge. Honolua Ridge has been designated by the Maui Planning Department as Agricultural while the rest of Plantation Estates has been designated Rural Residential (see map on page 67 of Correspondence from Planning Dept. 01-19-2021). This is inconsistent with the Maui Planning Commission's recommendation that Plantation Estates be designated as Rural Residential and is also inconsistent with the Maui Island Plan. It remains a mystery to me how this came about but it is wrong and should be corrected.
I own and operate a commercial cacao farm and a chocolate factory in Lahaina and I understand what it takes to farm in West Maui. It requires decent soil, protection from damaging winds, adequate water, hard work, and hope that the demand for your product does not disappear as it did during the past year. None of the first three essentials are present in Plantation Estates (including Honolua Ridge). With the recent apportionment of water drawn from Honokohau ditch, agricultural water use in Kapalua is limited. The drilling of wells is regulated by the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), the same agency that regulates and has limited the use of diverted stream water. It is inconceivable that CWRM would approve wells on small properties like we have in Plantation Estates. Most are under 5 acres and even the largest properties might have trouble convincing CWRM that they deserve a private well. Commercial farming is expensive enough in West Maui due to labor and material costs (including water). When you add the risk of inadequate water supply the economic viability becomes tenuous at best. I know that my cacao farm cannot be profitable under the best of circumstances and exists only as a result of valued added in the form of finished chocolate sold at retail.
It seems to me that many proponents of farming at all costs have never been involved in a commercial farming operation that must make a profit to exist. Their arguments seem very analogous to those advocating for affordable housing by requiring builders to have a high percentage (75% and above) of affordable housing units. The end result is the same, no farms and no affordable housing.
Please make the West Maui Community Plan more specific and enforceable for the entirety of West Maui. We also need designated affordable housing areas as this is crucial with latest rapid selling of homes leaving renters without affordable places to live. Please go beyond just shoreline .
Please make the West Maui Community Plan enforceable for the entirety of West Maui. Please remember that we are each the stewards of our children’s children’s futures. Each decision we make effects the whole.
Testimony
Maui County Council’s Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee 6/14/2021
Regarding: Kapalua Resort Project District 1
Date: Monday, June 14th, 2021
Dear Chair Paltin and Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee Members,
I respectfully request that the areas of the Kapalua Resort makai of Honopiilani Highway within Lahaina Project District 1 (Kapalua) (reference Chapter 19.73, MCC) be designated “Resort” rather than “Small Town Center” on the West Maui Community Plan Land Use Maps.
As stated 19.73, MCC 19.73.010(A):
“The purpose and intent of Project District No. 1 at Kapalua, Maui, which is referred to as the "Kapalua Resort Project District 1," is to establish a mixture of visitor oriented facilities, including hotel accommodations, single and multifamily residences and supporting commercial services within an open space setting organized around a central village core.”
The Kapaula Resort has long been planned as a resort and we feel that a “Resort” designation on the West Maui Community Plan is more consistent with the intent of Chapter 19.73, MCC (which is still in effect), than the designation of “Small Town Center.”
We would be happy to elaborate on this request via further written testimony / e-comments at subsequent hearings.
Mahalos for your time and consideration.
Good morning Chair and Committee members,
Let’s first talk about Hanakao’o Beach Park - home to all West Maui’s canoe clubs and where the State regatta is held when it comes to Maui, also a large cemetery and really, the last beach for locals to call their own in a sea of tourism in West Maui.
Amongst other considerations, the CPAC was asked to plan for 3.2 ft of sea level rise in our deliberations, we were asked to imagine a time when the entire park and cemetery is under water and the new shoreline is mauka of the highway.
We are tasked with putting into place plans for our grandchildren, the future generations, to continue to have access to the shoreline and celebrate and honor their culture.
We also received a presentation by the Parks Dept and I ask you to reference the technical resource paper provided which highlights that West Maui has the highest number of average daily visitor population in our County and that beach parks are highly used by both visitors and residents alike.
The most popular recreation in West Maui, according to a survey conducted by the parks dept, is utilizing the ocean and beach parks.
A shortage of beach parks and parks in general in West Maui was identified, in addition to the projected loss of up to 40 % of our beach parks in the future. In fact, it is happening right now, Puamana Park was closed recently.
Many current beach parks are linear, thin strips along the coastline, not very wide, with no where to go, so it is vital to protect mauka expansion of important coastal areas for future public access.
Let’s remember parks are a vital part of our infrastructure, just like everything else, and sometimes we forget this and treat them as an afterthought. This needs to change. Parks must be provided an adequate level of funding for acquisition, planning, development and maintenance.
Let’s go over the housing numbers:
Planning Dept Technical Resource Paper
Estimated Housing Units Needed in West Maui by 2040: 6,923
Estimated Housing Units Possible with this Scenario: 7,950 (1,027 surplus)
I encourage you to look at the big picture, not the individual sectioned maps, but look at the large map that shows the entire community plan area.
Look at the distinct breaks between developments of Napili, Kahana, Honokowai, Ka’anapali and Lahaina Town.
Envision the next 20- 50 years when Ka’anapali is fully built out with thousands of homes, Villages of Leialli, Puukolii Mauka, Ka’anapali Town North etc. and also Lahaina Town.
This park area also provides a much needed break between Ka’anapali and Lahaina once areas are fully developed and is supported by the Planning Department.
We are very appreciative of the time, thoughtfulness and community involvement of the original process in planning Ka’anapali 2020 back in the 90s.
Like all plans over time, with new information and newly identified community needs, plans must adapt to stay current. Sea Level Rise and coastal erosion wasn’t even a part of the conversation back then.
Thankfully K2020 planned a small 10 acre park in this exact area, we just needed to expand it a bit, making the vision that much better with room for canoe hales for all clubs, parking for events, community and cultural centers, etc.
Members of the paddling community are supportive.
Finally, the plan and the votes of the CPAC demonstrate and reflect support with all members, except one, voting in favor of the proposal.
Vote was 10-1 Hans Michel, Joseph Pluta, Dawn Hegger-Nordblom, Donald Gerbig, Karen Comcowich, Ravi Bugga, Angela Lucero, Leilani Pulmano, Yvette Celiz, Kai Nishiki voted in favor of the motion, with Dylan Payne opposed.
Aloha Kakou,
As you are in the process of updating the 1996 West Maui Community Plan (WMCP). Let's not forget or lose sight of the past updates made to the General Plan (GP) and the Maui Island Plan 2012 (MIP) for consistency sake. I recall the review as I was on the decision making body at the time of these updates.
I read ALL the meeting minutes of the West Maui Community Plan Advisory Council (WMCPAC) and at times CPAC members had questions on motions due to being unclear and were not given ample opportunity for clarification. Then votes for forcibly taken while a member was uncomfortable. I'm referring in particular to the Ka'anapali 2020 (K2020) South portion .
I am in full support of keeping the K2020 project in it's entirety. It's a Plan that has been vetted throughly with the West Maui community for decades and continues to do so Yet, the proposed changes to K2020 were not vetted by the current K2020 working group who continue to hold open public meetings. This begs the question as to how the changes came about and with whom? Certainly, Ka'anapali Land Management Company (KLMC) wasn't conferred with.
On top of that, Parks Department were NOT confided with on the new Park/Open Space (PKOS) designations during the Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) deliberations. There wasn't any discussion on why 97 acres of PKOS was wanted or needed by the county or community. I was told 97 Parks was needed by CPAC Chair in order to move the Canoe Hales form Hanakao'o Beach Park due to Sea Level Rise (SLR). I got comments from all three Canoe Clubs and all were not aware of this change
Another example of the lack of outreach to the affected parties by the current proposed Land Use designations is the 200 acres of PKOS proposed on Kamehameha School Bishop Estates (KSBE) lands just below Lahainaluna High School and the Solar Array. The land is currently in Agriculture (AG) and the landowners want to keep it that way. They want to continue with their agriculture endeavors to positively address our Food Security issues and secure land for a Green Waste Composting Facility. My main reason for keeping this land in AG is to support the Green Waste Facility proposal.This project has been the making for a few years now with West Maui Green Cycle at the helm along with, Maui EKO Compost and the Maui County's Department of Environmental, Protection and Sustainability (EP&S) Division. This proposed PKOS designation tells me that KSBE or the County's own DEM was NOT consulted with during the WMCP update process. Currently a Compost Facility is not an outright permitted use on AG but it is with a Special Use Permit (SUP). It is flat out NOT a permitted use on PKOS so the much needed Compost Facility would not have a chance to become a reality with the proposed PKOS land designation.
Please keep Ka'anapali 2020 South and the KSBE 200 acres in current designations.
Please no changes !
Mahalo for time and consideration,
Elle Cochran
Testimonies submitted by Heidi Bigelow 06-14-2021
Please see attached testimony on behalf of Howard Hanzawa regarding Kaanapali 2020.
I am deeply offended by the continuous undermining of community sustainability for greed and personal gain. Why does west Maui NEED all its ag land? Bc there's ppl living there in food deserts! Where the ulu trees shld b everywhere?! Where the lo'i?! The kama'aina of west Maui fighting to stay healthy amidst the pollution and trash food being brought over by this greed and lack of comprehension! Stop changing ANY ag land!! ALL ag lands must remain ag in perpetuity!
The rivers need to b "planned" to meet the ocean!! For the health of the ocean, abundance of fish and even have any limu!
Fix the water treatment plant NOW!! Ppl r literally dying from that pollution.. auwe!!
And furthermore, im deeply EMBARRASSED by this county's lack of respect and care for kanaka!! That the "host" or "victims of this colonization" r being displaced and uncared for as their unhoused is so shame, so hewa, such bad form as to incite emotions of death and destruction to said offense! FIX IT NOW!! THEY NEED HOUSES, THEY NEED SERVICES.. THEY NEED TO B TAKEN CARE OF!!! NOT PUSHED TO THE SIDE AND FORCED INTO SUFFERING!! BUILD HAWAIIAN HOMES!! BUILD KANAKA FACILITIES AND GET THEM HELP!!
~C. Rose Reilly
Working in west Maui the last 15yrs
Testimony Maui County Council’s Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee 6/14/2021
Regarding: The West Maui Community Plan.
Date: Monday, June 14th at 9:00am,
The West Maui Community Plan is the product of hundreds of hours of work by the Community Plan Advisory Committee and many members of the public who have co-designed their collective vision for West Maui’s future land use.
The Community plan embodies the will of the people, and the needs of the community. The plans and land use designations also provide some important protections for the different environmentally sensitive areas. Environmental protection is essential to our island’s natural infrastructure, and the wider ecosystem.
It is also essential that this plan is used to provide truly affordable and attainable housing for local families, while protecting West Maui from unchecked growth that the community does not want, and that is harmful to the environment.
This community plan MUST be enforceable throughout all of West Maui, and not just in the Special Management Area near the shoreline.
In addition, the West Maui Community Plan is the first one that will be using new land use category descriptions that may set a precedent for all of the other community plans on Maui. These land use descriptions must be specific in order for the plan to be enforceable. This plan and all future Community Plans must be specific and enforceable so it will be a useful tool for directing land-use decisions on Maui.
Please support the West Maui Community Plan and ensure that it be made specific and enforceable.
Regards,
David Dorn
TESTIMONY
TO THE COUNTY COUNCIL’S PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE LAND USE COMMITTEE
June 14, 2021
From: DAVID DELEON, 335 Waiama Way, Haiku, Hi. 96708, dpdeleon@hawaiiantel.net 808- 575-9711
This is testimony in support of the proposed change in land use designation for the Kapalua Plantation Estates.
I support the proposal because:
The proposal to change the Kapalua Plantation Estates neighborhood from agricultural designation to 2-acre rural residential designation, accurately reflects the community’s actual current and historic use. After over two decades of occupation, this community is clearly not, and never will be, farm land.
Kapalua Plantation Estates does match the description of rural use found in state law – a non-urban development pattern characterized by low-density, scattered homesteads and occasional farms.
Once the subdivision for these properties was approved, the property that composes the subdivision ceased being viable farm land: the lots are too small to be viable farms. That was the reason the Maui Farm Bureau actively supported this proposal during the Maui Island Plan process.
Once rezoning is accomplished, the wasteful cat-and-mouse game between these property owners and the County Planning Enforcement Division – in which a dozen papaya trees or three goats can constitute a “farm” – can end.
The implication of this change will only be seen on paper. The size and use of these properties will not change, and anyone who wishes to farm, can. The only functional change will be the state’s odd requirement that people who occupy agricultural land must farm that land, will no longer apply. (Question: when Grandma becomes 80, is she still required to farm?)
The County Council created a spectrum of rural zoning classifications, from the traditional half-acre, to 1, 2, 5 and 10 acre lot scales. The purpose for creating this spectrum (2010) was so the County could accommodate exactly these types of Ag to Rural transitions.
The Department of Planning in 2012 supported and proposed this change in the then-draft Maui Island Plan. The then-director saw the wisdom of ending the unnecessary waste in attempting to force homeowners to conduct an economic activity they really have no intention of conducting.
This Ag to Rural concept was actively debated and approved by the County Council for inclusion in the Maui Island Plan in 2012 – nine years ago.
The intent of the Maui Island Plan should weigh heavily on this question and indeed the decision making for all six Maui community plans, starting with the West Maui plan. Well over a million dollars and 15 years of effort went into the creation of the Maui Island Plan, with the intention of setting the planning parameters for the Maui community plans. Ignoring that will now will amount to a mammoth waste of County resources and a serious insult to hundreds of Maui citizens who diligently participated in that effort just a decade ago in good faith.
There is nothing sacred about state agricultural land use classification. When the LUC maps were created in the 1960s, there were only three classifications: urban, agricultural, and conservation. Any lands that were clearly not urban or conservation were lumped into the agricultural class. The rural classification was added long after the initial boundaries were set. As a result, many lands that should have been classified rural were not.
The problem facing agriculture in Hawaii is that it never successfully transitioned from industrialized plantation mono-crops to more mixed-crop farms. A 2015 State Department of Agriculture report said there were 200,000 acres of fallow farm land in Hawaii. The problem is finding enough farmers and the necessary capital to put those lands to good use. Whether the Kapalua Plantation Estates neighborhood is designated rural residential will not impact those economic realities one iota.
Aloha. Please see my attached testimony in support of the West Maui Community Plan but with requested revisions for Kaanapali Land Management Corp.'s lands.
Gunars Valkirs (this is a copy of testimony I originally presented after the 6/3/21 meeting. I present it here to make certain it will be considered)
Aloha, I own a home in Plantation Estates, more specifically in Honolua Ridge. Honolua Ridge has been designated by the Maui Planning Department as Agricultural while the rest of Plantation Estates has been designated Rural Residential (see map on page 67 of Correspondence from Planning Dept. 01-19-2021). This is inconsistent with the Maui Planning Commission's recommendation that Plantation Estates be designated as Rural Residential and is also inconsistent with the Maui Island Plan. It remains a mystery to me how this came about but it is wrong and should be corrected.
I own and operate a commercial cacao farm and a chocolate factory in Lahaina and I understand what it takes to farm in West Maui. It requires decent soil, protection from damaging winds, adequate water, hard work, and hope that the demand for your product does not disappear as it did during the past year. None of the first three essentials are present in Plantation Estates (including Honolua Ridge). With the recent apportionment of water drawn from Honokohau ditch, agricultural water use in Kapalua is limited. The drilling of wells is regulated by the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM), the same agency that regulates and has limited the use of diverted stream water. It is inconceivable that CWRM would approve wells on small properties like we have in Plantation Estates. Most are under 5 acres and even the largest properties might have trouble convincing CWRM that they deserve a private well. Commercial farming is expensive enough in West Maui due to labor and material costs (including water). When you add the risk of inadequate water supply the economic viability becomes tenuous at best. I know that my cacao farm cannot be profitable under the best of circumstances and exists only as a result of valued added in the form of finished chocolate sold at retail.
It seems to me that many proponents of farming at all costs have never been involved in a commercial farming operation that must make a profit to exist. Their arguments seem very analogous to those advocating for affordable housing by requiring builders to have a high percentage (75% and above) of affordable housing units. The end result is the same, no farms and no affordable housing.
Please make the West Maui Community Plan more specific and enforceable for the entirety of West Maui. We also need designated affordable housing areas as this is crucial with latest rapid selling of homes leaving renters without affordable places to live. Please go beyond just shoreline .
Please make the West Maui Community Plan enforceable for the entirety of West Maui. Please remember that we are each the stewards of our children’s children’s futures. Each decision we make effects the whole.
Make the West Maui Community Plan enforceable in ALL of West Maui. We need to manage and steward mauka to makai, not just the shoreline!
Planning and Sustainable Land Use Committee Members -
Please see the attachment for my written testimony via e-comments on this topic.
Please see attached regarding Plantation Estates.
Please see attached testimony on behalf of Kapalua Resort Association.
Please see attached testimony on behalf of Kaanapali 2020 Community Members and Kaanapali Land Management Corp.