Retail Center and Outlet Mall Proposed for Kihei
The Eclipse Development Group of Irvine, Ca., is proposing a retail center and outlet mall to be built in Kihei.  The combined projects feature 700,000 square feet of retail space and 3,500 parking spaces on what the compnay describes as “roughly 30 acres of pristine irreplaceable real estate on the Island of Maui. The site provides over three quarters of a mile of frontage on one of the busiest highways on the island with over 38,000 cars per day. This is expected to almost double when the expansion of the ‘Up Country Road’ is completed, connecting the site to the Up Country residential market then on to Kahului.”
Download the project site plans and sales binder as PDF files here.

New invasive species alert
DOA airport inspections have raised concerns about seeds in incoming cargo from Phragmites, or Common Reed, a new aggressive, invasive species know for taking over wetland areas. No established plants have been found to date but that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there. The more eyes on this the better. If you see this species, report it immediately to the Invasive Species Committee of your island or call the invasive species hotline at 643-PEST (643-7378, direct dial on any island).

Maui Research & Tech Park
The Kihei R&T Park wants to transform the research and technology campus into a mixed-use community focused around a regional high-tech employment base. Implementation will require amendments to the Kihei Makena Community Plan, State Land Use District Boundary, and County Zoning. Read the Master Plan and EIS as PDF files here.

The phenomenon known as the “urban heat island” effect is getting increased attention nationwide and cities are finding new ways to help cool sweltering cities, saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. One way to cool communities… cool your pavements. What are cool pavements? How cool is cool?

Kilakila o Haleakala
Kilakila o Haleakala is a Native Hawaiian organization set up to provide education to the public in opposition to the proposed ATST telescope that the National Science Foundation is planning to build atop sacred Haleakala.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Transportation public meeting
Thursday, December 2, from 5 to 7pm in Laulima 105 at the UH Maui College campus at 310 Ka‘ahumanu Avenue in Kahului. Learn about the Non-Motorized Access Plan and Implementation Program for the Wailuku-Waikapu-Kahului urban corridor. Pu-pu will be provided.

Turn your rooftop into a power plant
This week the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) issued a breakthrough order that opens the grid to small-scale energy projects. Known as a “feed-in tariff,” the program provides a price guarantee for clean electricity.

FINAL Environmental Impact Statement for OHANA KAI project (formerly Ma‘alaea Mauka). Proposed 1,100 units of housing above Ma‘alaea Harbor.

Major Projects List for Maui
Here is a list of Maui’s already committed projects with over 100 units each. Please keep in mind that there are DOZENS of other projects with less than 100 units, plus ohanas, vacant lots, and large agricultural sub-divisions.
Total number of units? More than 15,941.

EIS for proposed Wai‘ale project
Read the Environmental Impact Statement Preparation Notice for A&B’s 545 acre, 2,550 residential units located between Waikapu and Maui Lani. This project is basically an expansion of Kahului and Maui Lani out toward Waikapu.

Pele’s Dilemma: The Future of Geothemal in Hawai‘i
Henry Curtis offers a comprehensive and historical overview of geothermal issues in Hawaii.

Injection Wells: Are There Any Alternatives?
Methods do exist that can be used to clean up our treated sewage to levels that will not harm the marine environment, might even help to provide fresh drinking water and could enhance already existing wildlife habitat and the maintenance of productive green spaces.

Beyond Sustainability: Blue vs. Green
Henry Curtis, of Life of the Land, went to the World Congress on Zero Emissions at the Hawai`i Convention Center and reports back on its wide-ranging agenda.

Regional Transportation Plan Volunteer Opportunity
The Hawaii Department of Transportation invites you to apply for the Citizen Advisory Committee for the Regional Long-Range Land Transportation Plan for the Islands of Maui, Molokai and Lanai.

Reef advocates blast Maalaea study plan
Maui County is moving forward with a contract to study the impacts of pollution on Maalaea’s reefs, but some ocean advocates complain the project has been watered down.

Hawaii Ag Conference 2010 scholarships available

Island Wide Beach CleanUp
Surfrider Foundation- Maui Chapter has partnered with Community work day for a Historic Island-Wide Beach CleanUp. Community Work Day is creating FOUR brand new 1st annual town cleanups modeled after this year’s 6th Annual Lahaina Town CleanUp

New Management for Makena Beach & Golf Resort
Landmark Hotels Group to assume management on September 16

The Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program is requesting your help to complete a survey. If you use the shoreline or ocean for recreation, work or any other type of use, and/or if you reside near or along the shoreline, please complete the survey at the link provided below. If you can complete the survey by September 8, 2010, your comments and concerns will be counted.
www.surveymonkey.com/s/section309

Na Wai Eha: Streams flow again – along with controversy and conflict
Wailuku Water Co. restored water to the Wailuku River, carrying out the terms of an order by the state Commission on Water Resource Management in June that the company return 12.5 million gallons per day to two of the four streams that make up Na Wai Eha.

“Geotube” project called a failure
A Sprecklesville beach restoration project that used large bags of sand has come under criticism for blocking beach access and damaging the reef.

Injection well work draws attention
The Maui County Department of Environmental Management has issued a call for bids to clean all 18 of its injection wells across the county. Department Director Cheryl Okuma said the cleansing project is routine maintenance to ensure that the wells, which funnel treated wastewater up to 200 feet underground, do not break and result in sewage spills into the ocean. But whenever the county plans to do something with its injection wells, it attracts the attention of local environmental watchdog groups.

A proposed bill amending rules for development on steep terrain
Read the draft submitted by Councilor Sol Kahoohalahala (PDF file)

Waiale treatment plant report impacted by Na Wai Eha ruling
Maui County has agreed to withdraw its acceptance of the environmental impact statement for the proposed Waiale Road water treatment plant. The project is being studied by Alexander & Baldwin, which would split half of the 9 million gallons per day of potable water with the Department of Water Supply.
See also: Groups reach settlement with Maui County regarding water treatment plant EIS

Sand replenishment effort runs aground
An attempt to slow beach erosion by the Stable Road Beach Restoration Foundation of Spreckelsville has been suspended. Opinions on the project range from “complete failure” to “disappointment” to “overall success”, depending on who you ask.

Central District Water Strategies Report Meeting
Participants in the Water Advisory Committee process are encouraged to offer comments and recommendations regarding the Central District Report by providing public testimony at upcoming meetings of the Water Resources Committee of the County Council.

Download the Environment Hawai’i newsletter (PDF file here) with their view of the final Na Wai ‘Eha and East Maui streams decisions. The July issue is the latest in a long series of articles that Environment Hawai’i has published about Maui water disputes. We invite you to visit their website at www.environment-hawaii.org and encourage you to subscribe in support of their efforts.

Ahihi-Kinau to remain closed
BLNR votes 2-year extension to draft management plan
The Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve will remain closed to people for another two years. The Board of Land and Natural Resources voted last month to extend the closure, which had been scheduled to expire Aug. 1. The restrictions will allow Ahihi-Kinau’s natural resources to continue to be protected while staff members complete a draft management plan for the area. The reserve was closed to people in 2008, after years of escalating conflicts over human use.

Sierra Club Maui Group comments on the Wailea 670 Draft Environmental Impact Statement

What Rules Maui Water, Law or Sugar?
Michael Levine at Honolulu Civil Beat online asks the question, “Who ultimately controls this invaluable public resource, and how is that power used?”

Ka’anapali Makai Watch “Talk Story” meeting

Honua’ula opponents: EIS remains incomplete
The Maui Planning Commission got the first public look at detailed designs for the long-debated – and for many – long-awaited Honua’ula 1,400-unit housing development in South Maui. Tuesday was the first of two opportunities the commission will have to review, and ultimately pass or fail, what is currently the draft environmental impact statement for the $1.2 billion Honua’ula, formerly known as Wailea 670, development. The county administration also will do a final review of the EIS.

Draft EA posted for Strawberry Guava management
The Hawai’i Department of Agriculture has posted a draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the release of a natural predator (Tectococcus ovatus, a Brazilian scale insect) for the sustainable management of strawberry guava in Hawai’i. This action is proposed to mitigate the impacts of strawberry guava on native forests, the water supply, and agriculture.

Wastewater Injection Wells May Be Polluting Our Ocean
And the County wants to build more

Pa‘ia Bypass report issued
The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration, has prepared an Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate alternatives to improve the roadway capacity, safety, and reliability of Hana Hwy between the intersection of Haleakala Hwy and Hana Hwy and Maliko Gulch on the north side of Central Maui in the Pa‘ia-Ha‘iku region. Potentially significant environmental, economic, and social impacts could result. Download the full EIS here.

Water is the topic at KCA meeting
One of life’s most fundamental needs, clean water, may soon be in short supply on Maui.  And the way we dispose of our wastewater may be causing irreparable harm to our environment. At the June 15 meeting of the Kihei Community Association, representatives of three environmental groups explained how our water is under assault from the land and the sea.  They sounded an alarm that critical issues need to be addressed now to avoid a future crisis.

The Ma’alaea Small Boat Harbor Project is being re-evaluated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the State of Hawai’i Department of Land and Natural Resources – Division of Boating and Ocean Recreation. Over the past forty years, ongoing planning efforts have sought to address navigational safety issues and substandard facilities within Ma’alaea Harbor. Throughout this process, concerns over potential impacts to adjacent surf breaks, coral reefs, and sensitive marine species have been raised by community members and environmental groups. As a result of these concerns, project development has been repeatedly delayed.

Na Wai Eha: Decision in but dispute lingers
HC&S says no victory, rather a reprieve as it tries to survive. Some planning appeal, argue legal precedent is on their side.

Compromise reached on East Maui stream flow case
In a compromise decision that is being called “groundbreaking” and “historic”, State Commission on Water Resource Management members chose to restore some of the natural water flow to six East Maui streams.
See also: Water decision meets most demands

Draft EIS for $1.2 billion Honua’ula (Wailea 670) project
Developers are moving forward with plans to construct the $1.2 billion project with 1,400 homes and apartments, an 18-hole golf course, commercial space, trails and parks. The development group recently made public its draft environmental impact statement, a three-volume document containing 2,380 pages of information, pictures, building designs, spreadsheets and maps.

Councilors consider restrictions on injection wells
County Council members heard proposals that would require Environmental Management Dept. to recycle more wastewater and sample more water for contamination before rehabilitating existing injection wells.

Injection wells permit exemption upheld
The Maui Planning Commission voted 5-1 to uphold Planning Director Jeff Hunt’s determination that the Division of Wastewater Management is exempt from having to obtain a special management area permit to build two replacement injection wells at the Kahului wastewater treatment plant. The sole dissenting vote came from Commissioner Warren Shibuya, and the five votes in favor were cast by Commissioners Kent Hiranaga, Jack Freitas, Orlando Tagorda, Ward Mardfin and Lori Sablas. Commission Chairman Jonathan Starr did not cast a vote.
see also – Thumbs down on appeal of SMA exemption for Kahului injection wells

Former Makena Resort and Maui Prince Hotel up for April auction
The 1,800-acre property formerly known as Makena Resort and the Maui Prince Hotel will be up for public auction April 29 in the lobby of the Wailuku courthouse. The auction is believed to be the largest foreclosure sale in Maui County history. The South Maui property stretches from Haleakala’s slopes, across dryland forests and over lava-rock expanses to beaches. The auction comes after Maui developer Everett Dowling and Morgan Stanley Real Estate defaulted in August on $192.5 million in loans for the original purchase price of $565 million in 2007 from the Japanese firm, Seibu.

Advisory body: Delay opening of Ahihi-Kinau Natural Area Reserve
Fish, turtles and birds have returned since it was closed to people two years ago, but the shutdown is set to expire at the end of July. An advisory group is recommending that the closure be extended until state wildlife officials can complete a master plan for the area.
The Division of Forestry and Wildlife held a meeting to gather public testimony on the proposal, and the Natural Area Reserve Commission is expected to review the recommendation for continued closure at a meeting May 5 in Honolulu. If the commission endorses the idea, it would then go before the Board of Land and Natural Resources for a decision in June.

Friends of reefs getting online home
Coral reef-loving advocacy groups and government agencies are collaborating to simplify ocean monitoring programs in an effort to increase the participation of Maui’s “citizen scientists

Hawai’i taxpayers aren’t done yet paying for the failed Superferry project
The state Department of Transportation’s Harbors Division has awarded a $218,000 contract to Healy Tibbitts Builders Inc. to tow a state-owned barge, which had been used to load vehicles on and off the now-defunct interisland ferry, from Maui’s Kahului Harbor to Honolulu. The $10 million barge Manaiakalani is being moved primarily so it can be better protected from the sea conditions at the Kahului port, where it is battered by storm surges. Hawaii Superferry stopped paying insurance on the barge after filing for bankruptcy in May.

Maui could lose tsunami preparedness program
A message from Jonathan Starr, Maui Planning Commission

Moratorium sought on solar installation
Hawaiian Electric told the state Public Utilities Commission earlier this month that it wants to suspend adding new photovoltaic systems to the grid because the growing number of renewable-energy systems poses a threat to the reliability and stability of its transmission system. It is asking the PUC to agree to the moratorium while a group is convened to study reliability issues.

As a counterpoint to HECO’s position on renewables, consider this report from the Rocky Mountain Institute:
Keeping the Lights On While Transforming Electric Utilities
Electric utilities operate now much as they did a century ago—but the environment in which they operate is changing dramatically. Potential competitors armed with new technologies, new business models, and greater cultural agility are emerging in many sectors.

Council sends policy plan back to committee
The Maui County Council came close to passing the 2030 General Plan’s Countywide Policy Plan on Friday, but instead decided to send it back for further additions. Earlier this month, the County Council had passed the Countrywide Policy Plan on first reading. But council members decided to work on it further in committee after a pair of amendments were introduced.

Water system maps from the recent Kula Community Association Forum –
“Who should get the East Maui stream-water?”

Modernizing Hawaii’s environmental review system
Here’s a UH blog offering results of a study of Hawaii’s EIS system along with some potential fixes. The study is the result of a request by the Hawaii State Legislature to the University of Hawaii.

From Sierra Club Hawai‘i –
Protect Smart Land Use Planning – Preserve Meaningful Public Participation
If you think citizens shouldn’t ask tough questions and challenge bad assumptions made by developers, please don’t read any further.
The legislature is considering eliminating meaningful public participation from the land use process (HB 2338). Under this measure, counties could ask the State Land Use Commission to reclassify large tracks of land without giving residents the right to intervene, cross-examine witnesses, or put on differing viewing views about the future of their community. This is wrong and counter to a democratic society.

Executive Director Irene Bowi testified in support of SB2441, which establishes the intentional taking of an endangered species as a class C felony and provides a private right of action to enforce conservation of aquatic life, wildlife, and land plants laws.
“In light of the recent killings of three seals on Kauai and Molokai, it is increasingly clear that stricter penalties and enforcement of laws protecting the monk seal and other endangered species are critical to their survival.”

REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON HAWAII’S ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW SYSTEM
(PDF file) – UH Manoa staff conducted this study of the environmental review system and developed legislative recommendations for modernizing Hawaii’s system of environmental review.

Council bill would allow wind-powered generators in all county zoning districts
Cities and counties across the United States have been busy the past couple years passing ordinances that allow homes, farms and businesses to install small wind energy systems, or turbines, to meet their electricity needs. Maui County could be next, thanks in part to a bill proposed Tuesday by Council Member Mike Molina, who holds the Makawao-Haiku-Paia residency seat. Mayor Charmaine Tavares, her administration and the Maui Planning Commission also have been working on similar small-scale renewable energy system allowances on a zoning district basis. It’s part of a much larger effort by county planners to update and streamline the Maui County Code.