Makena Archives Through 2009

Maui has a good General Plan We Should Follow It ACT BEFORE APRIL 7 Your Voice is needed! Wailea 670 is doing a Environmental Impact Statement

• The first step is an “EIS Preparation Notice” (EISPN) that the public can comment on. Deadline for comments is April 7. If you had concerns during the hearing process, please ask to be a consulted party. Go to SaveMakena.org for details on where to send in comments. The EIS prep notice and other documents are also posted there.

Comments can be simple. Our concerns about traffic, water, protection of existing historic roads and trails, native plants and cultural sites, adequate buffers from Maui Meadows, impacts to beaches, and compliance with Kihei-makena community Plan policies, are not addressed in the EISPN, which instead avoids meaningful comment on the topic.

• Hawaii’s Administrative Rules (HAR) make it clear that an EIS needs to be developed through a thorough process. This EIS Prep notice is vague, contradictory and evasive. Not a good start.
• From HAR:
• “An EIS is meaningless without the conscientious application of the EIS process as a whole, and shall not be merely a self-serving recitation of benefits and a rationalization of the proposed action. Agencies shall insure that statements are prepared at the earliest opportunity in the planning and decision making process. This shall insure an early open forum for discussion of adverse effects and available alternatives, and that the decision makers will be enlightened to any environmental consequences of the proposed action” (11-200-14 HAR General Provisions)

  Shoreline protection in Hawai‘i is based on Chapter 205A of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. A proposed bill (SB1318) originated by the leadership of the State Senate will repeal 205A, if it continues through the legislative process and becomes law. In addition to eliminating all current protection of our shorelines, it will eliminate the State Office of Planning. Anyone who feels strongly that current and future efforts to research, manage and protect our diminishing shoreline resources should continue, may want to offer comment on Senate Bill 1318 to their legislators. A copy of SB1318 is available at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2009/Bills/SB1318_.HTM  

Wailea 670 (Honua’ula) files EIS preparation notice.

Stand for Makena Memorial on YouTube This video captures the spirit of that place and urges folks everywhere to “Stand for Makena!” – Part 1 •  Part 2  •  Part 3

  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. Download a PDF of Project Ka‘eo here 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 nature of Wailea 670 In the spring of 2008 David Suzuki addressed an overflow crowd at the Maui Arts and Culture Center’s McCoy Theater as part of the Focus Green lecture series. His topic was our narrow window of opportunity to alter the collision course we are on with the planet that sustains us. As he quoted his daughter: “This is the moment when we will define the future of humankind and all species.” Absent from the listening audience were members of the Maui County Council, who were busy deliberating a rezoning application from Wailea 670 (Honua`ula) to develop 1,400 new housing units and a golf course in South Maui. Honua’ula makes halting progress After more than six hours of discussion, Council Land Use Chairman Mike Molina put the Honua’ula project district on hold for three months, giving committee members until June 15 to prepare comments on conditions proposed by the planning staff and developer. Molina said on Thursday that he expects the Land Use Committee to continue its review of the 670-acre residential development in late summer or early fall. Save Makena.org Wailea 670 is still not a done deal! The Land Use Committee voted yes to Wailea 670, but that is only one part of a three-part process. There will be more public hearings with testimony and more chances coming up to voice your opinions to the County Council. Planning commission OK’s Dowling’s Keaka project The pros outnumbered the cons 5-2 when the commission voted Tuesday on a special management area permit and special accessory use permit for the $220 million project down the coastline from the Maui Prince Hotel. Hawaii’s paradise falls victim to progress Early Hawaiian culture taught that the earth is a living, conscious being. It is not to be dominated but is to be cared for with pono (balance and rightness). In the land of true aloha (love, compassion, divine blessings) the land provides for its people. This sacred Hawaiian value is similarly expressed in the cultures of many ethnic groups. As 2006 concludes, I struggle to find the words to express the angst and powerlessness I feel about what is happening to our planet and to the values that should be guiding our relationship with it. The game is over for shoreline developers The Hawai‘i Supreme Court has issued a ruling strongly reaffirming that the shoreline in Hawai‘i, which marks the boundary between public beach and private land, extends to the highest wash of the waves, and rejecting the use of artificially planted vegetation to determine the shoreline. Healthy reefs may help shield against tsunami damage Nature may be best at reef repair Read two articles that point out the importance to all island residents of healthy offshore reef systems. New threats loom at Ahihi-Kinau reserve With commercial activities banned and more watchful eyes on the scene, have things changed for the better at the Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve and adjoining Keoneoio? Yes – and no. Trail will ease access to ocean A recent Hawai’i Supreme Court ruling reiterated the state’s commitment to retaining as much of the shoreline as possible for use by the public.