Battle for Makena

More than 400 people and about 150 testifiers showed up to the public hearing on Wed. Nov. 19 to voice their concerns about the Makena Resort Project. This battle for the County Council Land Use Committee to change the zoning for 603.3 acres of the 755.6-acre project was proposed by Everette Dowling and his partners. Four years ago, the Land and Use Committee negotiated and accepted 41 conditions to make the plans a reality. However, the committee, and the entire council has waited since for a unilateral agreement from the owner which they finally received on Nov. 7 2008.

Throughout the day continuous testimonies were heard from those who were for and against the Makena Resort Project. The last speaker of the evening was Everette Dowling who said he was prepared to accept the 41 conditions and sign the agreement. He also dispelled what he called rumors, and declared that he would not build a second hotel or shopping mall or use wastewater injection wells. He did say that within his proposed project of 1000 multi- family and single- family homes he would build 70 condos on the Maui Prince Hotel parcel that could be used for short-term rentals, and about 500 affordable units that would be built anywhere from Ma’alaea through Kihei and Wailea to Makena, but none of those homes would be included in the Makena Resort area.

After two days of meeting, and hearing the testimonies from people who were against the project arguing that Maui doesn’t need more homes for the wealthy, how it would destroy sacred lands, damage reefs, native animals and plants with pesticides, runoff and construction, it would eliminated another natural place that attracts people to Maui, it would destroy archaeological sites, and so on; the Maui County Council Land Use Committee voted 7-2 to give Makena Resorts the agreements it needed for the controversial luxury development to move forward.

How sad is that! I hope the County Council is prepared to handle any ratification that may happen once the land-use entitlements are in place. My only hope is that they keep their promises to protect Hawaiian Cultural sites by doing a comprehensive inventory of cultural sites and a preservation mitigation plan before they submit the rezoning application.

Work Cited

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/511374.html?nav=10

http://mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/511462.html

http://www.savemakena.org/whatyoucando.php