DRIP Committee South Maui Community Plan Review, Oct. 6, 2026

The Disaster Recovery International Affairs and Planning Committee (DRIP) of the Maui County Council reconvened at 9:04 a.m. from its Oct. 5 recessed meeting to continue its review of DRIP 25, Bill 108 (2026), the South Maui Community Plan. Oral testimony had been closed the previous day, but written testimony remained open. Council Chair Lee led the meeting, with seven members participating in person or remotely; Councilmember Gabe Johnson joined later after a medical appointment. The committee took multiple recesses and reconvened, then adjourned at 4:42 p.m.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Oral testimony on the community plan was closed on Oct. 5; written testimony will continue to be accepted.
• Testimony referenced during discussion included a request to add Kalani Heao in the Garcia subdivision to Appendix G significant sites.
• CPAC Chair Weltman recalled property-owner testimony, including ATC Makena representative Kaimi Judd's Oct. 4 testimony about a long, skinny portion of a large Makena parcel requested to be designated open space.

Discussion Items

• Attachment 3B – Map Designation Changes: The committee continued parcel-by-parcel review of the planning department's matrix of changes made by the Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) and the Maui Planning Commission (MPC).
• Maui Research and Technology Park / Lipoa: CPAC had changed the designation to special purpose district, while the MPC recommended transit-oriented corridor (TOC) and removed gulches and drainage ways from open space. The committee heard the MPC discussion, which focused largely on parks rather than gulches, and deliberated whether one development should be exempt from the pattern of designating gulches and drainage ways as open space. Deputy Corporation Counsel Michael Hopper advised that consistency and reasoning matter, and that a drainage-way or gulch ordinance may be a better tool than open-space designation. The committee deferred a final decision and asked staff to obtain the relevant planning commission pages and continue analysis.
• Waipuilani Parcels: Three parcels were changed from residential to open space. Councilmember Cook said these are four parcels the county is trying to acquire for $6,150,000, with a tentative closing by end of January 2027 if the council agrees. The committee discussed whether open-space designation is appropriate while parcels are still privately owned and whether it would still allow flood-control maintenance. The managing director's office reported that acquisition is being actively pursued.
• Honuaʻula / Wailea 670: The committee reviewed Exhibit 53, the drainage master plan accepted by the MPC. The approved map appears to place the planned fire station and affordable housing over or near proposed retention basins. Councilmembers voted to send a transmittal to project representative Chip Chase and to the Department of Public Works to clarify the proposed locations and how the drainage master plan relates to regional drainage planning.
• Wailea Beach Marriott Parking Garage: The CPAC changed the parking garage parcel from small town center to resort hotel. Members discussed the existing parking need for hotel employees and guests; the resort hotel designation would support a future zoning change to hotel use but would not automatically allow new hotel construction.
• Wailea Gateway and Shops at Wailea: The gateway parcels were changed from TOC to small town center, and the Shops at Wailea was changed from small town center to resort hotel. Members generally accepted these changes.
• Wailea Golf: The committee considered three options: the MPC-recommended map, the owner Christian Chan's map with a neighborhood center, or the Kihei/Wailea version. No decision was made.
• Twenty-seven Undeveloped Parcels: Most are zoned residential with one apartment-zoned parcel, consistent with residential and small town center designations.
• Makena Skinny Parcel (TMK 21005108): A roughly 1,000-foot-long by 350-foot-wide sliver of a 489.432-acre parcel south of Pūlehu was recommended by CPAC and MPC for change from agriculture to open space based on cultural sites. The committee had difficulty locating the legal description and the CPAC rationale. CPAC Chair Weltman later reported a July 14, 2023 CPAC motion passed unanimously to designate the area as open space because it contained cultural sites. Corporation Counsel said the description should be sufficient to identify the portion and staff would work with planning on the exact wording. The committee agreed to consult ATC Makena representative Brad Anderson.
• Four Parcels Outside the Urban Growth Boundary: Three McKenna-related parcels and one state-owned parcel were recommended to change from residential to agriculture because they are outside the Maui Island Plan urban growth boundary. One owner-occupied parcel is held by the Harriet Tavares Trust; another belongs to the state. Councilmembers raised concerns about impacts on existing homeowners, farm-dwelling requirements, subdivision limitations, and the need for owner notification. The committee directed staff to reach out to the owners and, for the state parcel, ask whether the state prefers agriculture or another designation such as state conservation.
• Maluaka Parcels: Changes from resort hotel to residential were supported by CPAC testimony and the ongoing residential development use; no added outreach was required.
• 7000 Makena Road (Sturgis Trust): A state land-use layer error was corrected by the state, and the 0.8-acre parcel will be rural residential, consistent with prior rural designation and landowner testimony.
• Appendix F – Designations and Zoning Districts: The committee discussed the alignment table, including A1/A2 phase-out and new H3/H4 hotel districts, and whether urban reserve belongs under TOC or mixed-use designations. A motion to amend page 173 passed.
• Appendix G – Significant Sites: Department of ʻŌiwi Resources Director Kapono Aemolitao supported adding Kalani Heao and other requested sites, and described the cultural significance of ʻōniuli heiau, rain koa, and places such as Puʻu Hele. The committee discussed adding asterisks or references for degraded sites and place-name information. The department will transmit a fuller list of significant sites.
• Appendix H – Infrastructure Report: The appendix was created in response to a CPAC request for an infrastructure report with estimated timelines and costs. The committee discussed the low/medium/high priority rankings, the large unfunded costs, and whether priorities should be ranked by department. CPAC's 2023 digital rankings were uploaded as Granicus item 57. Staff will prepare a revised prioritization proposal, including the new items transferred into Appendix H. The committee also agreed to consider adding a disclaimer that inclusion is a community priority subject to future funding and implementation.
• Process Appendices: The committee requested updates to Appendix A describing public engagement, the August 8, 2023 wildfire pause, the creation of the Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, and dates for completed phases. Members asked for publication years on related studies and plans.
• Definitions: The committee discussed aligning the drainage-way definition with Maui County Code, adding a native-plants definition, and clarifying gray vs. green infrastructure. Councilmember Rollins Fernandez was assigned to draft a native/endemic/canoe plant definition. Staff will also check whether the code definition of drainage way should be used throughout the plan.

Key Outcomes

• Motion passed (7-0-0): Amend page 173, resort hotel row, to remove A1/A2 zoning districts and add H3/H4 as the most compatible zoning districts. Moved by Councilmember Cook, seconded by Councilmember Batangan.
• Motion passed (7-0-0): Amend page 152 by adding an appendices header and the statement that appendices include supplemental information. Moved by Councilmember Johnson, seconded by Councilmember Cook.
• Motion passed (7-0-0): Amend page 151 references to list both the 2020 Draft Kihei Drainage Master Plan Ecological Alternatives Analysis and the 2016 Draft Kihei Drainage Master Plan. Moved by Councilmember Cook, seconded by Councilmember Johnson.
• Motion passed (7-0-0): Add publication years for the Southwest Maui Watershed Management Plan (2019) and the Kihei Subarea Transportation Plan (2020). Moved by Councilmember Uu-Hodgins, seconded by Councilmember Rollins Fernandez.
• Referrals and directives: Staff will send transmittals to project representatives and the Department of Public Works regarding Honuaʻula; consult ATC Makena about the Makena open-space sliver and McKenna parcels; contact owners of parcels outside the urban growth boundary; provide revised Appendix H priorities; and continue written testimony review. The meeting was recessed and reconvened with a new meeting planned for the following day, when oral testimony would be taken again.