Public Input Sought for West Maui Hospital Land Use Entitlement

West Maui Hospital site inspection location. Photo courtesy: Office of Council Services.

By Maui Now Staff

The Maui County Council’s Land Use Committee will hold a site inspection this Thursday, March 19, at the proposed site of the West Maui Hospital.

The committee will meet at 9 a.m. about 1,500 feet mauka of the intersection of Kakaʻalaneo Drive and the Honoapiʻilani Highway.

The nearly 15 acre project site is owned by Newport Hospital Corp.

Committee Chair Robert Carroll made the announcement saying the proposed land use entitlements would assist the landowner in developing facilities for acute medical care services, a full-service emergency room, and in-patient care and out-patient surgery.

Bob Carroll. Photo credit: Office of Council Services.

“The immediate development of the West Maui hospital would address critical medical needs, not only for the West Maui community, but also for Lānaʻi and Molokaʻi,” said Carroll in a press release statement.

The committee will also consider a proposal to change land use designations for the former site of the West Maui Hospital to Agricultural.

Carroll said the site had been re-designated from Agricultural to accommodate the proposed hospital in 2009.

In March of 2009, the state also issued a Certificate of Need for the hospital development.

Following the site inspection, a meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the West Maui Senior Center.

Other projects surfacing for consideration before the Land Use Committee include:

• The Downtown Kīhei project: which includes plans for a four-story hotel, a movie theater, and other commercial space.  The project includes plans for pedestrian and bike routes that would result in an extension to the existing roundabout near the Piʻilani Shopping Center.  The project proposed by The Krausz Companies Inc. would include residential and commercial components and a “pedestrian-oriented main street,” Carroll said.
• Science facilities at Molokaʻi High School: The committee is scheduled to review land use approvals for the project on Friday, March 20 at 1:30 p.m.  The Department of Education, which owns the site on Farrington Avenue, seeks to develop a $3.5 million, 4,500-square-foot science building on the campus. The building would include two labs, accommodating up to 32 students, and rooftop solar panels, according to Carroll.

“These projects before the committee offer employment opportunities, as well as education and healthcare improvements,” Carroll said. “But we must consider all potential impacts of the projects before making any decisions and look forward to hearing from the public, particularly neighborhood residents.  I invite the public to join us at the meetings and testify.”