South Maui Boundaries Established
The future of Maui development is being discussed by the General Plan Advising Committee (GPAC), which has included over a hundred meetings over 37 months according to Jeff Hunt, the Maui County Planning Director. South Maui in particular is the hot topic under review.
The committee has been working to complete a review of the maps which designate a draft of urban growth boundaries (UGB) and rural growth boundaries (RGB). This includes recommended locations for said growth. Incomplete plans and recommendations were forwarded to the Maui Planning Commission when the Committee finished their review.
According to the chart provided to the GPAC by its Land Use/Directed Growth Investigative Review Committee, Kihei is expected to require another 1,631 housing units by 2030. With the GPAC estimate of 2.8 persons per household, South Maui is expected to face a deficit of 631 housing units by 2030. This deficit jumped to 913 when the GPAC voted to remove a growth area from the Kihei UGB mauka of Pi'ilani Highway to the planned Kihei School. This area would have included 282 units.
The 2.8 person household size estimate is being applied to the entire island and it's a compromise between those who wanted a smaller household size necessitating more housing units and those who wanted a larger household size necessitating fewer housing units. Although the Planning Department argued for 2.72 household size based on 2030 population projections from the Hawai'i Department of Business and other socio-economic data, the 2.8 household compromise was not based on scientific data.
Ultimately, there were a few concerns about South Maui. GPAC committee members expressed that Kihei was planned so poorly in the past that methods of correction are incredibly difficult. If Kihei is expanded up the mountain, it isn't a coastal community anymore. So said Rep. Joe Bertram. Another committee member was concerned about development planned above Pi'ilani Highway because of the potential for too much traffic there. Other members were pleased that the north end of Kihei is being planned as rural rather than urban.
This week we recommend a look at condos for sale in Lahaina and our featured homes in the Kaanapali Golf Estates. Remember, if you have any questions not answered on our website, you can call (800) 367-5632 or email us at info@whalersrealty.com. We would love to assist you. Mahalo!
*Source: Maui Weekly | 
