#Michele McLean

Op-ed Commentary submitted by The Grassroot Institute of Hawaiʻi: ‘Wildly unbalanced’ planning commission potential problem for Bissen’s TVR phase-out. *****Views expressed in Op-Ed pieces are those of the author’s alone and do not reflect or represent the opinions, policies or positions of Maui Now.*****  

The Plans Review Section of the Zoning Administration and Enforcement Division will be closed to the public temporarily on Wednesdays beginning Nov. 16, 2022. The Maui County Department of Planning made the announcement today saying this will allow personnel to catch up on a backlog of plan reviews for permit applications.

The department has 82 full-time employee positions and one part-time position. Six positions were newly funded in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget and have not been filled. There are 12 other vacant staff positions.

The Hawai’i State Department of Education did not show up to a Maui Council committee meeting to discuss the pedestrian highway crossing to the new high school in Kīhei that is supposed to open in just four months.

Construction of the upper campus of the beautiful new Kīhei High School is expected to finally be completed enough to open in January for a small inaugural class of ninth graders, but the lack of a state-mandated grade-separated crossing may delay the opening.

The updated West Maui Community Plan and its web map have been posted online by the Maui County Department of Planning.

The Planning Department has completed an interactive and publicly accessible map of pending and recently completed projects throughout Maui County.

The County of Maui issued a Stop Work Order to Nāpili Beach House, LLC, developer of a large single-family residence under construction in Nāpili. The home has been the subject of an ongoing dispute over its permits and size, as well as community concerns involving the height of the structure.

Panelists from various state and county government agencies will discuss future street improvements planned for the South Maui region and answer the public’s questions about the area’s transportation network.

The Maui Planning Commission’s Department of Planning posted its draft of the West Maui Community Plan online for public viewing. The plan is intended to serve as a long-range guide for values and goals in West Maui.

The Maui County Planning Department launched a public engagement workshop on its We Are Maui website which, will remain open through the end of the year.  To participate in the workshop, visit the We Are Maui website and click on the “Get Involved” tab.

Maui County’s Department of Planning launched a publicly accessible and interactive “Land Use Viewer” for visualizing various Maui County land use datasets. 

A council committee advanced a recommendation of Michele McLean to the Dept of Planning, but voted down the mayor’s appointment of Pat Wong as Corp Counsel.

According to Victorino, more than 300 applications were received, including more than 100 applications for directorship and deputy director positions.

The public has two opportunities to comment on proposed revisions to the Maui Planning Commission’s Special Management Area (SMA) permits and shoreline area rules during upcoming meetings.

Maui’s Joseph Alueta was appointed to serve as the Deputy Planning Director for the County of Maui. The appointment was made by Mayor Alan Arakawa and was announced today.

Mayor Alan Arakawa today announced the appointment of Planning Director Will Spence to serve as Director of the Department of Housing & Human Concerns, and Planning Deputy Director Michele McLean as Planning Director.

The first review is free; the second will cost $250, the third will cost an additional $500, and any additional reviews will be an additional $1,000 each.

Currently, the county recovers approximately 19% of costs through permit application fees. Under the new structure, fees would be phased in over a five-year period, and would move the department towards 70% cost recovery.

Maui Deputy Planning Director, Michele Chouteau McLean was appointed as the new Chairperson of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.