Bill to Add 3 New Rural Zoning Categories Advances

The Maui News Reports: Maui County Council members on Friday gave initial approval to a bill that would establish three new categories of rural zoning for the island. The new zoning districts would have minimum lot sizes of 2, 5 or 10 acres for rural properties. A parcel in one of the new rural zoning categories would be restricted to one single-family housing unit, along with other development standards. The council voted 6-1 to advance the bill, with Council Member Elle Cochran voting against it. She later explained that the bill “just needs more work” in large part because it was rejected completely by the Molokai and Lanai planning commissions. The Maui Planning Commission had concerns as well about including 2-acre lots in the new zoning districts, Cochran said by phone Friday night. “I am just looking out for the more rural communities,” she said. “Those are a lot of the people I want to represent.”