Developers readying to seek state permits for 636-acre, 1,500-home W. Maui project
MAUI NEWS
Sunday, July 19, 2010
By CHRIS HAMILTON, Staff Writer
OLOWALU – A plan calling for 1,500 homes in a new Olowalu town has had its ardent supporters and equally passionate detractors for five years, and so far the proposed development has won support from the General Plan Advisory Committee and the Maui Planning Commission.
And earlier this month, the 209-page environmental impact statement preparation notice – a precursor to the draft and final EIS versions required to get the state permits needed to build – was posted on the state Office of Environmental Quality Control website.
If the project receives critical approvals, the developers could break ground in the next two or three years – and construction would last for three decades, said Olowalu Town LLC partner Bill Frampton last week.
"We have always had those who opposed the project, and they’ve brought up valid concerns, but we say, ‘Give us a chance. We’ve done our homework. And we’re listening,’ ” Frampton said. "We’re going to go back to how Maui used to be. We are going to build communities where you can live, work and play.
"It will be affordable, too," he said. "It’s important that we provide a wide range of housing for a wide range of incomes. It’s about options."
Critics of the project have said such significant construction in an area so far from existing infrastructure would clog Honoapiilani Highway, and that construction and residential runoff would devastate one of the last remaining healthy reefs on the island.
The 636-acre project still needs the approval of the Maui County Council in order to move forward.
Whether or not to include Olowalu in the Maui Island Plan has been one of the most contentious issues in the county’s update of its general plan.
Land set aside as "growth areas" in the plan would see their path cleared for development, while land outside those boundaries would face restrictions on development.
The General Plan Advisory Committee and the Maui Planning Commission both recommended including Olowalu in the plan as a growth area, while the county Planning Department has steadfastly opposed the idea.
The Maui County Council’s Planning Committee is now reviewing the plan, and the full council is scheduled to make a final decision in October, although some have expressed concerns that it will not meet that deadline.
While the county’s review of the development chugs along, the state Land Use Commission has told Olowalu Town LLC’s developers to move ahead and prepare an environmental impact statement for the project. That process could last roughly a year.
Frampton said that doing an EIS in conjunction with the county’s General Plan process – which is set up to address Maui’s anticipated significant population increases – will "allow them to make informed decisions."
According to the EIS preparation notice, Olowalu town would be a combination of single-family homes, apartments, cottages and farmsteads for a variety of income brackets. One-third of the project would be for people who earn less than the median income, another third would be for "gap" groups, such as teachers, firefighters and visitor industry employees often overlooked by developers, and the rest would be market-rate homes, Frampton said.
And the developers would build the homes and apartments in an equitable manner, he said. Or in other words, not all the luxury homes first.
Critics have questioned whether the project would be available for residents seeking affordable housing or just another development filled with luxury homes.
Frampton and his business partner, Dave Ward, have been lobbying hard for the project since 2005 and noted that it would comply with the work force housing ordinance. And, unlike some other projects, all the affordable housing would be on the same site as the market-priced homes, he said.
The project’s designers and planners from Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc. of Wailuku said it would be a "walkable" community with trails and sidewalks, more than 220 acres of parks and nature preserves and two neighborhood town centers, along with mixed-use buildings with stores below and condominiums above.
The plans call for up to 125,000 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space in the new town, and accommodate the landmark Olowalu General Store. Frampton and his supporters have also maintained that the community would include agriculture and have jobs on site to support many or most of the people who work there, actually reducing commuter traffic.
Frampton said the developers would also have innovative roundabouts to beat bottlenecks and no traffic signals on the highway, which will bisect the development. They also would build at least one pedestrian tunnel under Honoapiilani Highway, he said.
But opponents of the project were skeptical of Frampton’s claims.
"I doubt that most of the people will have jobs in that community," Maui Tomorrow Executive Director Irene Bowie said. "I also think it will be a bottleneck. And I’m worried about building in outlying areas that are prone to wildfires. It was just last month that that area went up in flames."
If zoning were to receive approval, elected officials would likely require the developers to build schools, public parks and police and fire stations they’ve promised, said Dick Mayer, who is vice chairman of the General Plan Advisory Committee. But the county and state would then have to pay for staffing and upkeep of those facilities for years to come, Mayer said.
"I’m interested in seeing the final EIS and what it will contain and what kind of public cost it will be to support the community," he said.
Mayer was one of the four committee members to vote against including Olowalu town in new urban-growth boundaries. But 21 GPAC members supported the proposed development.
"I want to know why it’s better than other communities that are much closer to the existing communities," Mayer said. "There’s still a lot of room available next to most towns."
Frampton, however, noted that Olowalu was a thriving village in Maui historically.
"If we didn’t have the support of the lineal descendants of that valley, then we wouldn’t have gotten this far," he said.
Maui Tomorrow also has expressed concern that the development will create more storm water runoff and damage one of Maui’s healthier reefs.
As for the reefs, Frampton said the developers would install a recycled wastewater facility for irrigation – and not use injection wells to dispose of treated wastewater. Their plans to date also include "above-standard" drainage retention ponds to capture storm water runoff.
In addition, in order to comply with a county ordinance, the developers would supply the projected 750,000 gallons a day needed for drinking water, according to plans. They would use one existing well, drill one more and build two water-treatment plants.
An EIS for a development studies issues ranging from archaeological finds to social and cultural impacts to the effects on the environment and traffic. The authors must respond to questions presented by the community during two 60-day comment periods.
"In the end, I’m interested in seeing how they plan to mitigate everyone’s concerns expressed," Mayer said.
Download the EIS OlowaluTownMasterPlan.pdf
The deadline to submit comments for EIS preparation notice is Aug. 7.
Comments can be sent to Orlando "Dan" Davidson, executive director of the state Land Use Commission, at P.O. Box 2359 Honolulu 96804. Or contact project manager Colleen Suyama at Munekiyo & Hiraga Inc. at 305 High St., Suite 104, Wailuku 96793.