General Plan Advisory Committee continues its discussion of Maui Island Draft Plan. “We are trying the best we can to keep Maui from going over the falls… or to the point of no return.”The Maui General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) met on Thursday, May 1, at the Kaunoa Senior Center in Spreckelsville to hear public testimony regarding components of the Maui Island Draft Plan.
Prepared by the county Planning Department, the Maui Island Draft Plan is a blueprint outlining two decades of growth, development and infrastructure on Maui. GPAC members received copies of the draft plan in April, with instructions to submit final recommendations by the end of October. The 167-page plan shapes the future of Maui and addresses a range of issues, including community character, transportation, water, development, agricultural activities and preservation of environmental and cultural resources. Much attention has been focused on the plan’s proposal for a series of urban growth boundaries aiming to restrict further growth in rural areas and increase growth in existing urban areas. In addition, the plan also seeks to resolve issues of infrastructure, agricultural land use and protection of historical and cultural sites. After finalizing its recommendations, the 25-member advisory committee will forward the plan to the Maui Planning Commission and subsequently to the County Council for final approval.
Thursday’s meeting reviewed Volume I, Chapter 2 of the proposed islandwide plan, which outlines the protection and sustainability of Maui’s heritage resources. Supporting the Cultural Resource Management Plan for Maui, the document profiles a range of problems, needs, opportunities and values of the cultural, historic and archaeological resources specific to several island regions. The analysis of these heritage resources seeks to meet “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
As the sun began to set, the conference room filled with residents eager to testify before the committee. In a sequence of eloquent anecdotes and observations, testifiers urged GPAC members to protect the cultural resources that set Maui apart from the rest of the world. Kihei resident Michael Duberstein reminded the panel, “You are the voice of the people of Maui.” “The final plan should save these cultural treasures; otherwise, they will be bulldozed,” he said. “We are almost approaching disaster.”
Encouraging audience members to narrow testimony to specific areas of cultural significance, GPAC member Lucienne de Naie said, “This is the kind of information we need to plan for the future.”
In his captivating testimony, Save Honolua Coalition President Kahu David Kapaku shared the spiritual connection he experienced during a recent visit to the Honokohau Valley. “This land deserves everything we can give it,” he said. “Please, do your best to protect it.”
South Maui resident Daniel Kanahele appealed to committee members to make value-laden decisions. “Every decision should be governed by your values,” he said. “So many decisions are based on the ‘bottom line,’ but the bottom line is not always good for the ‘aina.”
Curbing existing development—and prohibiting new development—in sensitive areas should be a top priority, he said. “You need to make the decision when it comes to protecting a rare and endangered dryland forest, or a rare and endangered 18-hole golf course.”
In more than two hours of testimony, it became clear that heritage is viewed by many as the basis of nearly all of the issues addressed within the pages of the Maui Island Draft Plan. “Land is heritage,” said testifier Richard Lucas. “And we have a responsibility to protect it.”
Reminding audience members that the committee’s function is to make recommendations, not rules or regulations, GPAC Chairman Thomas Cannon promised, “We are trying the best we can to keep Maui from going over the falls… or to the point of no return.”
While some took the microphone to urge the panel to maintain strict focus on Native Hawaiian culture and heritage, there were several who indicated their faith in the decision-making abilities of the advisory panel. “You know what’s right and what needs to be done,” said Lucas. “We need to hold sacred those sites that belonged to the generations that came before us… I’m just here to encourage you to do that.”
The GPAC will continue its discussion of the Maui Island Draft Plan at two Upcountry meetings scheduled for Thursday, May 15, and Saturday, May 17, at the Kula Community Center.
To view a copy of the Maui Island Draft Plan, visit www.co.maui.hi.us/departments/Planning/gp2030.