County Hosts West Maui Community Planning Workshop

West Maui mountains. PC: file Maui Now

The County Department of Planning invites the public to participate in a workshop for the West Maui Community Plan from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at the West Maui Senior Center.

The West Maui Community Plan will guide future growth in the area and is the first of Maui Island’s six regional community plans to be updated since the adoption of the Maui Island Plan in 2012.

During the workshop, the department will assist the community through an exploring process to gauge what it wants more of, wants less of, wants to preserve, and what its values are. The department will then use the gathered input to collaborate with the community on a vision statement for the plan.

Creating a vision – which describes what the community wants to achieve in 20 years – is an important step in the process of updating a community plan. It reflects the community’s values and priorities for future growth, development and preservation. It also serves as a guide to help identify goals, policies and actions in the community plan.

The existing West Maui Community Plan was adopted in 1996. The update process has and will continue to involve numerous community meetings and workshops. The review process formally begins with the Community Plan Advisory Committee, which will review a draft updated plan and offer recommendations. The Maui Planning Commission will then review the draft updated plan, and the Maui County Council will review and adopt the updated plan.

More information about the West Maui Community Plan update is at www.wearemaui.org.