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Contact us at mcamaui@gmail.com
2012 Summary of MCA Accomplishments/Activities:
Ohana Kai Update:
A revised EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) is expected early in 2013. MCA officers have met with Jesse Spencer’s representatives to review proposed changes. Project density would be cut down to 527 units confined to 102 acres, with the remainder being divided into 5-acre lots. High salinity levels in the water source would be dealt with through reverse osmosis—a very costly treatment process, which requires up to three gallons of water to produce one gallon of potable water. Many of MCA’s past objections involving traffic, sewage treatment, lack of infrastructure, etc, as yet remain unaddressed. Details will not be known until the EIS is released. The project will be a fast-track affordable housing project (201H) that bypasses planning documents already in place, e.g. Maui Island Plan. It is unclear how the project can remain “affordable” given the high costs of providing infrastructure. The developer has mentioned that Hau’oli street condos might be invited/required to tie into its wastewater treatment system at an estimated cost of $25-30 thousand per condominium unit. Please consider making a separate Special Project’s fund donation to build up MCA’s reserves so that we can continue to affectively address this ongoing concern.
Maui Island Plan (MIP):
December 31st was the cut off date for the Council’s adoption of this vital plan for charting Maui’s future. Following many hours of meetings and testimony, MCA was successful in convincing the Council to retain the proposed tightly drawn urban growth boundaries around Ma’alaea. (This does NOT preclude fast track affordable housing projects from being considered for the area.)Yet to be addressed are implementation policies for the plan and how to provide infrastructure to support the massive amount of development added to the initially proposed Urban Growth Boundaries elsewhere. Over ten thousand new units are now scheduled for West Maui, including an entirely new community at Olowalu. However, nothing in the plan addresses the issue of traffic gridlock associated with the two-lane bottleneck on the pali. MCA must continue to draw attention to this issue, as it directly affects us. Next up will be the revision process for the Kihei-Makena Community Plan, of which Ma’alaea is a part. During the last revision of this plan in 1994, Projects Districts 11 and 12 were added at the last minute. Since these two districts have now been excluded from our growth boundaries, MCA must insist that they also be excluded from the community plan. We have our work cut out for us if we are to retain Ma’alaea’s unique sense of place and surrounding rural character.
Ma’alaea Gateway (Orm’s Corner):
MCA continues to provide oversight and landscaping services to ensure that the entranceway to Hau’oli Street is attractive and well maintained. The cost remains $1800 per year. We cannot manage this without continued donations and support from residents and condo associations on the street. Please consider making an additional donation to allow this good work to continue. Memberships alone will not cover the costs and we would hate to see the project have to be abandoned due to lack of sufficient funding.
Culvert Improvements/Flood Mitigation:
MCA worked with representatives from Island Sands and Ma’alaea Banyans, to convince County officials to allocate 2.5 million dollars toward widening and improving the Hau’oli Street culvert, which should help control flooding and property damage during heavy rains. Bids will be let in 2013 with construction anticipated to begin in the spring of 2014 and the project completed in eight months or so. A temporary road through the cane field will provide access to condos on the second half of the street. Work will be done 8-5 Monday through Friday. Only when water lines must be disabled for a short time will work be done at night.
Crime Updates:
From the week ending May 5 (when record-keeping began) through this writing, vehicle break-ins at the Harbor and Shops have topped the crime list. Hau’oli Street burglaries are in second place. Conclusion: Residents /guests should lock vehicles and lanai sliders night and day. Never leave visible items on seats of parked vehicles.
Hau’oli Street Burglaries – 7 (29.17% of total crimes)
Hau’oli Street Vehicle Thefts – 2 (8.33%)
Hau’oli Street Vehicle Breakins – 1 (4.17%)
Harbor/Shops Vehicle Thefts – 1 (4.17%)
Harbor/Shops Vehicle Breakins – 13 (54.17%)
Ma’alaea Garden Update: “Once upon a time, some 30 years ago, a parcel of land was leased to the Ma’alaea Community to create a garden. Trash was removed and with much hard work, devotion and love, the area slowly blossomed into a “Garden of Eden.” All were welcome to participate. Pastor Aga and his community of garden helpers cared for the garden. On Sundays, beautiful inspirational music emanated from the garden chapel. Many of the original gardeners have passed on but are remembered with small memorials placed within the garden. To see pictures of this paradise, Google “Maalaea Garden.”… And then the lease to the area was given to others. The Pastor, community gardeners and friends were locked out of the area. Four months later, all the love, hard work, passion and money have all gone to waste and most of the garden is dead, its beauty fading. The entrance sign may say “Ma’alaea Community Garden” but it is no longer so. This may sound like a fairytale, but sadly, it is a true tale—actually more like a nightmare...” Excerpted and condensed from a letter signed by area folks who once gardened in Ma’alaea Community Garden.
Other MCA Topics: Harbor improvements, Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge, disaster preparedness, nearby landfill, sewage treatment/wastewater/coral reef issues, alliances with other community associations.
PLEASE JOIN US IN OUR EFFORTS
TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY
Member Newsletter - 2011 IN REVIEW
1100-unit Affordable Housing project at Ma’alaea Stopped !
MCA, Maui Tomorrow Foundation, the Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation were successful in challenging the validity of the final EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) for Jesse Spencer’s 1100 unit affordable housing project, Ohana Kai on 257 acres at Ma’alaea. MCA assumed roughly half the costs of the joint litigation, and raised separate legal funds. Mahalo to all contributors!
Details:
March 29th, 2011: Judge Joel August voided the final EIS and declared it invalid on two counts: 1) The study did not adequately address the proposed injection wells for the on-site sewage treatment plant; 2) The study did not adequately address questions related to anticipated increases in salinity as the three wells on the property are pumped more to supply water for the project. Judge August found that the final statement did not adequately disclose and describe all identifiable environmental impacts or respond satisfactorily to comments made on the statement; and, therefore, “the project is not to be implemented in any form until an amended or supplemental EIS remedies the deficiencies.”
July 14th, 2011: Judge Rhonda Loo upheld Judge August’s ruling. Ohana Kai in its present form cannot go forward.
We won the battle, but dipped into MCA’s reserves and Special Projects fund to meet this challenge. Please consider making a separate donation to MCA’s Special Projects fund to build up MCA’s reserves.
MCA will continue to watchdog any forthcoming developments regarding this and other projects impacting Ma`alaea.
Maui Island Plan (MIP): MCA continues to monitor the County Council’s progress on updating the 10-year MIP. MCA opposes urbanization of Ma’alaea and will continue to press for the removal of Project Districts 11 and 12 from the Kihei-Makena Community Plan. (These PD’s call for urban development of Ma`alaea.) MCA has met with the current Planning Director and testified at many meetings and hearings. Ma’alaea lacks the necessary water and infrastructure for urbanization, which will bring with it increased traffic/crime/fire hazards and pressure on Hauoli Street and Haycraft Park.
Ma’alaea Gateway (Orm’s Corner): MCA provides oversight and landscaping services to ensure that the entryway to Hauoli Street is attractive and well maintained. The cost is currently $1800 per year. We appreciate the support of current contributors, but cannot cover the balance without additional donations and support from Ma`alaea residents and condo associations. Please consider making an additional donation to continue maintenance of Ma`alaea’s Gateway.
Culvert Improvements/Flood Mitigation: MCA has led the way in advocating/testifying/meeting with public officials to ensure that the culvert between Island Sands and Ma’alaea Banyans is cleaned, widened and improved so as to eliminate Hauoli St. flooding and property damage. Plans for a new/improved culvert have been finalized and MCA is coordinating efforts to advocate inclusion of the project in the County’s long range CIP budget. MCA will meet with officials to ensure cleaning/clearing of the present culvert to keep large items/mud/sediment from entering the ocean following heavy rains.
Harbor Improvements: MCA continues to monitor and advocate for harbor improvements to include a pump out station, safe walkways and docking facilities, mitigation of parking problems, etc.
Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge: MCA supports and advocates for improvements and refuge expansion so as to mitigate pond-associated nuisances such as insects, blowing dust and odors from dying fish, as well as to protect and safeguard this environmental treasure that provides habitat for so many valuable species, some endangered.
Ma’alaea Garden/Haycraft Park: MCA continues efforts to assist in mitigating noise/crime/vagrancy problems within the park and to aid beautification and security efforts at the garden. Both the garden and the park are community assets requiring diligent monitoring to ensure that they remain assets and not headaches for surrounding residents.
Sewage Treatment/Wastewater/Coral Reef Issues: Ma’alaea’s injection wells have been cited in several studies as major contributors to the collapse of the coral reef and pollution in Ma`alaea Bay. MCA has been and still is actively seeking solutions to our wastewater problems and has sponsored public discussion/presentations on possible alternatives. MCA’s Environmental Committee is polling condo associations and researching alternatives to our present systems, including a possible regional facility.
Other Important Issues: MCA addresses new issues affecting Ma`alaea as they arise. Crime prevention, disaster preparedness and the nearby construction landfill remain ongoing topics of concern.
For the latest MCA news and updates, please visit our website: http://www.mcamaui.org
