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THE MAUI LANI RISE: Developer raises g...
<br />situation at Nakoa Drive during a Maui Planning Commission
<br />meeting a year ago.
<br />"Some of these projects have been around for a long time, but
<br />one of the controversial areas is in Sandhins (that borders Nakoa
<br />Drive), a portion of Maui Lani where the new project has been
<br />graded to the extent where the new houses are blocking the
<br />views from existing houses," Foley said, according to the meeting
<br />transcript. "The fill is 15, 20 feet on some of these Tots and It was
<br />approved, but It was approved with Inadequate review by the
<br />county staff and by the commission and by council and now we're
<br />seeing the unfortunate impacts of these approvals."
<br />At that same meeting, Susan Molkeha, then chair of the
<br />commission, said development plans that routinely come before
<br />the panel are almost always "conceptual" In nature "so we don't
<br />see grading." She said more information should be required early
<br />in the process so everyone realizes how much the original
<br />topography will be altered.
<br />Foley told commissioners he hoped that the new language would
<br />be approved and that the Planning Department would be able to
<br />"prepare some standards with Public Works regarding grading ...
<br />so that we have some criteria to look at that doesn't exist now."
<br />Corporation Counsel Brian Moto didn't respond to a phone call for
<br />comment, but he also spoke at that planning commission meeting.
<br />Moto said that some projects, particularly those with golf courses,
<br />often use fill to elevate the houses to resolve drainage issues.
<br />Golf courses often substitute for drainage areas, he said.
<br />Drainage is one of the key concems of the Palama Drive
<br />neighbors. Their street, already In a depression, floods so easily
<br />that "when we hear it start raining at night, we all jump out of bed
<br />and move our cars" to higher ground, said Annette Heu.
<br />While some runoff will be directed to the Maui Lani golf course, the
<br />13 -acre, 50 -lot subdivision above Palama also has been designed
<br />with a system of multiple sump pumps in a concrete manhole that
<br />will be located between the Tower tier of new homes and above
<br />four of the Palama residences.
<br />Annette Heu said she doesn't think the developer has done his
<br />homework. She said the area is infamous for its Infestations of
<br />ground termites that can eventually gnaw through pumps. Heu
<br />and her husband worry that the new wall of fill will result in more
<br />flooding and muddy runoff because it has taken the place of the
<br />gulch, which used to carry away at least some of the water.
<br />Both Palama and Nakoa drives are older neighborhoods, mostly
<br />with humble one -story homes, many of them still occupied by the
<br />original owners who are now senior citizens on fixed incomes.
<br />According to neighbors, Nakoa means "the Warrior" because the
<br />lots were designated for returning soldiers with the famed 442nd
<br />Regimental Combat Team. Palama was part of the seventh
<br />increment of Dream City, which gave families In the plantation
<br />camps the opportunity to own homes.
<br />Because approvals for Maui Lani were granted so long ago,
<br />neighbors were never told when the new round of construction
<br />began last fall with the clearing of the gulch. Annette Heu said
<br />that work sent "rats and rats and rats" running into their homes
<br />and yards.
<br />Earlier this winter, a stream of dump trucks began rumbling down
<br />nearby Kea Street with loads of mill mud. Ever since, neighbors
<br />have lived with noise so loud that their houses shake and with so
<br />much blowing dust that their windows are caked with black crud.
<br />One homeowner wants to know if the developer will pay for all the
<br />family heirloom vases that have been knocked off his shelves by
<br />the vibrations of the heavy machinery.
<br />The state Department of Health has also ordered that samples of
<br />the mill mud be tested at the site of the Pala mill as well as at
<br />Maul Lani and a Spreckelsville site where the mud is being used as
<br />till because of concems that the sediment could contain harmful
<br />UIC111nd1,.
<br />THE MAUI LANI RISE: Developer raises g...
<br />But work continues as usual.
<br />Karen Goo lives next to the Heus. Her mother has a home just
<br />down Palama where a tall dust fence now separates her backyard
<br />from the new construction by Inches. Goo said she's been trying to
<br />recover from surgery even as the trucks and bulldozers grind
<br />overhead, sometimes six days a week and even recently on
<br />Memorial Day.
<br />"It's not that we're anti -de-
<br />velopment," said Goo. But, "If they're going to build, don't destroy
<br />the original lay of the land."
<br />Annette Heu agreed.
<br />"I don't think we'd be complaining If the houses were all on the
<br />same level and If they would fix the drainage," she said.
<br />Foley told planning commissioners last year that there's nothing in
<br />the law that ensures protection of private views.
<br />"Our regulations currently tell us to address the views from the
<br />roads, from the public domain, from parks and highways," he said.
<br />"We don't have regulations that specifically protect the private
<br />views and people do complain about that."
<br />Two years ago, the Haiku community pushed for conditions that
<br />set a precedent on protecting views along Hana Highway by
<br />restricting a developer's building heights to 20 feet from the
<br />original grade (10 feet less than the law allows) and implementing
<br />permanent building footprints that permits structures to be
<br />constructed only where they would be the least intrusive.
<br />In that case, members of the public told landowner Francesco
<br />Moretti that being limited to a one -story home was the tradeoff for
<br />living in such a beautiful location with spectacular views that
<br />should be enjoyed by everyone. The Maui Planning Commission
<br />essentially agreed.
<br />Before commissioners made a site visit to his property early In the
<br />process, Moretti erected "story poles" along his 45 -acre
<br />agricultural subdivision that were as high as his proposed
<br />structures on the eight lots. Commissioners and neighbors alike
<br />were able to assess the impacts.
<br />According to Foley, story poles can be helpful on large -lot
<br />applications but can be less effective In dense projects or ones
<br />that follow a slope. However, he noted that in one of the
<br />jurisdictions where he previously worked, the poles were
<br />automatically required of developers - and were often beneficial
<br />to all parties.
<br />"we had a lot of projects that were modified by the owners and
<br />the architects when they realized what the result looked like on
<br />the site," Foley told commissioners last year. "So it worked for
<br />both the neighbors and for the applicants."
<br />Of course, It could be too late to help the neighbors of Palama and
<br />Nakoa drives, but they're not giving up. And neither are members
<br />of the council's Planning Committee who are gathering more facts
<br />and expect to hold more meetings on the subject.
<br />Valerie Monson can be reached at vmonsonaimauinews.eom.
<br />© Copyright 2011 The Maui News. All rights reserved. This material may not
<br />be published, broadcast, rewritten .orredistributed.
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