2024-11-21 Moku Loa Hawaii Island Sierra Club Testimony (2)

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Hawaii County Scenic Resources Inventory and Mapping Project Likewise, the UDRB and Maui Planning Commission have also not received sufficient training on scenic resource impact management and mitigation. 3. Maui Coastal Scenic Resources Study (August 1990). Recognizing these shortcomings in the SMA permitting process, the County of Maui's Planning Department commissioned the above-referenced study in 1990 to address the following gaps: • Inventory and describe scenic resources within the developed and developing areas of the SMA; • Propose measures, if necessary, to improve the quality of these resources; • Develop a scenic resources design manual; and • Establish a training program for Planning Department staff. The study recommended that the design manual be used by the UDRB as well for reviewing coastal developments; and the study recommended the establishment of an in-house evaluation committee to "specialize in the review of coastal projects." Unfortunately, the study's recommendations were never implemented by the Department. The study continues to serve as a resource for both SMA Permit Applicants and Planning Department staff to help determine if a development is within an area of the SMA that may contain visual resources. However, the design manual is rarely used to determine appropriate mitigation and the training and evaluation programs were never institutionalized. Recommendations to Improve the Process Maui County's reliance upon SMA permitting to protect coastal scenic resources could be significantly improved through enhanced training of Planning Department staff, the UDRB and the Maui Planning Commission. Practices should be put into place to produce more consistent documentation of scenic resource impacts and to identify appropriate mitigation strategies and standards for determining if the development is consistent with the SMA's scenic resources objectives and policies. Maui County could amend its SMA Rules (§12-202) to ensure more effective scenic resource protection through HRS 205A. Such amendments could include the addition of: 1) a design manual to be used for the mitigation of scenic resource impacts; 2) application content requirements for projects that produce scenic resource impacts; 3) criteria for Scenic Resource Protection Programs and Strategies Page 19