A New Condo Project Has Been Proposed Above Kihei Kai Nani.KKN Owners, An article appeared on the front page of the May 12, 2015 Maui News about a planned condominium complex to be built on Lot 1-A, which is directly behind Kihei Kai Nani. Victory Development has filed a SMA (Special Management Area) permit application with the county. The SMA process requires several county and state departments to review and sign off on the permit. They are in the early stages of the review process. As you may or may not know, Lot 1-A is landlocked and has an access easement through our property as well as a utility easement through our parking lot. While this may have a huge impact on KKN owners during construction, I don’t think that is of particular concern to the county planning department. They are more concerned about the impact on the area as a whole, particularly how it will impact things like traffic, water supply, archeological features, and endangered species. The article states that there would be no impact on traffic at nearby intersections. However, we all know that the Kam II section of S. Kihei Rd. is extremely busy with Fred’s, KKN and a cross-walk to the beach, all in very close proximity. Additional traffic will have a negative impact. Local experts on water quality and conservation have been saying for some time that there will be a shortage of water on Maui. To add more condos is not very forward thinking. Unfortunately, the county does not want to hear from the experts on this issue. Even though it would be prudent to stop or slow down future development, the current administration is very pro-development. Interested parties can send comments to William Spence, Maui County Planning Director at planning@mauicounty.gov before June 8, 2015. I encourage you to voice any concerns you may have. Bette Belanger, President Kihei Kai Nani AOAO email Maui County Planning Director William Spence, with comments and concerns. |
