Makena vote expected today
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
KIHEI, Maui — After hearing testimony from 187 speakers over two days, a Maui County Council committee today is scheduled to make a decision on a zoning request that would allow the development of hundreds of acres in Makena for luxury housing and visitor accommodations.
But before any vote takes place, a cadre of experts is expected to address council members about affordable housing, traffic, cultural and historic resources, drainage, parks and legal issues.
The council's Planning and Land Use Committee will reconvene at the Kihei Community Center at 11 a.m.
The Makena Resort is asking for a zone change that would allow some 150 acres of condominiums and apartments around the Makena North and South golf courses, as well as a 28-acre time-share project just south of the company's Maui Prince Hotel. The resort's 20-year plan calls for construction of 89 time-share units and 1,500 mostly condominium units.
This week's hearings were preceded by weeks of high-profile campaigning by the Makena Resort and development foes. Opponents gathered petitions, held a rally, staged a Makena video contest and ran newspaper and radio ads to counter full-page ads by the resort.
A majority of those who spoke during 19 hours of testimony Monday and Tuesday were against the proposal, saying the development plans are too large for an area lacking adequate water and roads. They also said the proposal would compromise the region's Native Hawaiian cultural artifacts, hurt its coastal waters and threaten beach access.
Supporters — including a sizable contingent of building and construction workers in blue T-shirts and hats — said the development would create jobs and stimulate the economy. They also pointed out that Maui's leaders set aside the Makena area for resort development decades ago and that the company has spent millions of dollars worth of infrastructure in anticipation of eventual expansion.
During Tuesday's meeting, representatives from the state Commission on Water Resource Management and the U.S. Geological Survey told council members that the 'Iao Aquifer — the main source of drinking water in Central and South Maui — is being pumped to near-capacity.
Resort officials pointed out that the administration of Maui Mayor Alan Arakawa is negotiating for the rights to tap into millions of gallons of West Maui stream water previously used for agriculture. According to a letter from the mayor, the first portion of some 25 million gallons a day will be available "within a relatively short time."
But Kapua Sproat of the Earthjustice environmental law firm and Moses Haia of the Native Hawaiian Legal Corp. indicated that the county may encounter legal challenges from others with claims to the stream water and therefore it may not be available soon.
Reach Timothy Hurley at thurley@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 244-4880.
