Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
After more than 6 1/2 years of our community-driven planning process, we are pleased to announce that their Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Olowalu Town Master Plan has been published with the State Office of Environmental Quality Control. The submittal of the DEIS is based on the General Plan Advisory Council (GPAC) overwhelmingly voted 21-4 to support Olowalu Town and the Maui County Planning Commission voted 5-2 in favor of Olowalu Town. We look forward to continued public review and comments during this DEIS process.
We acknowledge and respect that the County Council is presently in the process of reviewing the Maui Island Plan, and as such, we feel our DEIS can provide our elected officials with a thorough analysis of the project which can be used to help make well-informed decisions on the Maui Island Plan. Publication of the DEIS and community review is another step in the process of re-establishing a small town at Olowalu.
The Olowalu Town Master Plan is unique in that the ancient ahupua‘a planning and resource management principles, as explained by the late educator and Kumu Hula, John Kaimikaua, were applied during the shaping of the plan. Knowledgeable local families and Hawaiian practitioners shared with town planners the need to recognize and respect the importance the connection between the ocean and mountain environments, understand and cherish the rich cultural heritage of the area. Olowalu Town will not recreate an ahupua'a system; rather seek to integrate the sustainable values of the system into future plans by balancing the needs of Maui's growing population; yet upholding and valuing our cultural, historical and natural resources.
Olowalu Town has pledged to develop a community where Maui's residents can afford to live and raise families; a community that reflects both Maui's small town values and innovative design concepts; a community where infrastructure is built concurrent with the homes; a community with a strong base of locally owned small businesses providing good jobs; a community that opposes the idea of injection wells and makes protection of our reefs a priority. Detailed studies of the innovative infrastructure, traffic improvements, job creation, and cultural and archaeological reviews are included in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for further review and comment by the public.
