Maui mayor asks developers to chip in for traffic remedies
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana yesterday called on resort and residential developers to voluntarily pay impact fees to help the county deal with the island's traffic problems.
Advertiser library photo Feb. 1, 2001
Apana said he's hoping "good corporate citizens" will step forward and donate $5,000 per house or hotel room until the county can come up with its own traffic impact fee schedule.
Maui Mayor James "Kimo" Apana says establishing a system for assessing traffic impact fees is at least two years away, but traffic relief is needed now.
"In the end, it will benefit them," he said. "We think they will understand that traffic is a hindrance to the product they are trying to sell."
In response to Apana's proposal, two Maui developers said they acknowledge the need for traffic impact fees, but might have problems with details of the mayor's plan, including a request for upfront payment before a project starts.
That might not be feasible, said Charles Jencks, owner's representative for Wailea 670 Associates, which wants to build a 670-acre master-planned golf community above the Wailea Resort. Under Apana's proposal, the developer's planned 1,400 units would be worth $7 million in traffic impact fees.
Another Maui developer, Doyle Betsill, suggested that instead of a flat per-unit fee, the county should come up with a sliding scale based on factors such as project affordability and adherence to smart growth principles.
"It's difficult for a person with a median income to afford housing here," Betsill said.
On O'ahu and Maui, government planning bodies consider on a case-by-case basis whether projects will have an impact on traffic. Some developers may be required to pay for road improvements related to their projects.
Apana is proposing that donations be collected islandwide, with the money to be used for road projects in the district where the development is located. The mayor's proposal would apply to Maui only.
Maui County is in the process of conducting traffic studies for South Maui and West Maui that, in part, would determine a fee system. The studies were required by county laws passed in 1988 and 1989 but never acted upon. The requirements came to light during recent discussions on a proposed moratorium on development in West Maui.
The Mayor's Transportation Action Committee, which met earlier this year, also recommended traffic impact fees for developments.
Apana said establishing a system for assessing the fees is at least two years away, but traffic relief is needed now. Any money the county can collect now, he said, could be leveraged tenfold through bond financing.
The mayor said he wants to receive the voluntary donations before construction starts, so the county can begin planning and building roads immediately.
Despite his concerns, Jencks said traffic impact fees are inevitable and "a concept that is welcome."
He noted that Wailea 670 has already committed to spending $300,000 in design money for widening Pi'ilani Highway in Kihei.
"That demonstrates we're clearly willing to participate and get the job done,'' said Jencks, a former county public works director.
Apana, speaking before the Maui Planning Commission, also announced the formation of a long-range planning team to work on the traffic-impact fee study and other projects. He said two additional planners will be hired along with a program chief, who will oversee a staff of five.
He said his aim is to steer the county on a course of "smart growth," which, among other things, ensures that infrastructure, such as roads and parks, are constructed simultaneously with development.
Reach Timothy Hurley at (808) 244-4880.
