This is a, a really special project. It has a lot of history and it’s a project of really high quality that I hope the slide presentation will present to you or communicate to you. The request is for a Special Management Area Permit time extension and it’s for the redevelopment of the Maui Lu. The Maui Lu is a historical project that has existed in Kihei since the early 1950's, actually when Mr. Gordon Gibson purchased the property. It’s really South Maui’s first resort destination and it was basically an attraction that a lot of Canadians came to in the early days on Maui and in terms of the growth of the visitor industry in South Maui.
The land use designations, the property has been identified as Urban since the adoption of the State Land Use Law in 1962. The property is also been identified as Hotel since the adoption of the Kihei Civic Plan which was in 1968. And the property has been zoned H-1 Hotel and HM Hotel. H-1 is two stories, HM is six stories and that zoning designation has existed since the adoption of the Kihei-South Maui Zoning Ordinance, Zoning Plan in 1969. The existing facility was basically built in the late ‘50's, early ‘60's. The site is 27.28 acres. There’s currently a 120 transient vacation units available. Forty-eight units are in three, two-story masonry buildings with parking on the makai portion. The total unit count was 218 units. That was at its prime in 1982. Currently, dilapidated buildings exist on the site. The long house is basically vacant, I’m sorry, dilapidated buildings exist on the site in the context of vacant buildings. The long house, restaurant building exist still on the site. Also, minimal recreation facilities on site.
In the context of redeveloping the site, since the 1950's, the 1960's, a lot of development has taken place in Kihei in term s of development around the property. The project site has always had a reputation of having a park-like atmosphere to it and the scale of development around the property has been residential in scale. So the challenge was to essentially look at the zoning, H-1 Hotel on the ocean side and on the first 200 feet of the site on the makai side of the mauka property and HM Hotel and come up with a design that was residential in scale and in character.
The design basically, 52 percent of – is actually 52 percent of the allowable density. It includes beautification of roadways and public spaces. It embodies or incorporates traditional Hawaiianna or kamaaina architectural design. It also is going to result in the removal of units on the makai parcel which was a condition of the Maui Planning Commission. It also provides enhanced view corridors from South Kihei Road. Beach improvements involve beach nourishment, dune stabilization and enhancement, improve pedestrian beach access, improve shoreline lateral access, additional public beach parking, removal of the northerly revetment on the ocean which was also a condition of the Maui Planning Commission.
Traffic improvements, there’ll be a new traffic signal at the intersection of South Kihei Road and Kaonoulu. The Level of Service will go from F to C. There will also be a roundabout, the first one in North Kihei at Alulike and Kaonoulu Road – Kaonoulu Street which will be basically incorporated as a traffic calming on Kaonoulu. Road widening to County standards. There’ll be installation of curbs, gutters, sidewalks, install landscape median refuge island along South Kihei Road. Install median left-turn storage lanes, new bike paths and sidewalk. We also have bus pull outs on South Kihei Road on the mauka and on the makai side of South Kihei Road.
Drainage and utilities. One hundred percent retention of project generated storm water plus 40 percent of the existing. Mitigate flooding on South Kihei Road. On site water well for irrigation and we also have three existing water meters. It’s important to note that the project is existing and this is an – a redevelopment project and that water, basic water service, water supply to serve the expansion is available on site. The architecture. Now I want to say that the architect that was chosen was Watanabe Chun Iopa and Takaki from Honolulu. Rob Iopa and Kevin Chun were architects that were involved in the design of the Four Seasons Resort and our firm, together with Rob Iopa who is the chief designer worked to basically come up with a theme for the Maui Lu that essentially reflects the history of, of the Maui Lu as a kamaaina place. Not only did it serve visitors like we indicated from Canada and other parts of the world, it also, over the years has become an important kamaaina visitor facility on Maui.
Again, the intention as landscape architects working with Rob Iopa was to, and the client, was to basically perpetuate the character of the M aui Lu as a part like project. There’s substantial open space has been maintained. Even now as you drive along South Kihei Road you can see walls and, and ironwood hedges and there’s no real views to the ocean. All of those walls and hedges are to be removed and the opportunity for visual access to the ocean from the mauka to makai, you know, has been provided. And of course, as indicated, the existing buildings are, are to be removed. The existing parallel building to South Kihei Road and to the ocean is, is being renovated to a one-story building would basically become a beach club pavilion. One other thing I’d just like to say before I get into the parking, well, the parking summary. There’s 388 mauka units times 1.33 is 517 stalls there is for the basic guest rooms, the employee parking is 50 stalls, the restaurant parking is 16 stalls, public beach parking is 12 stalls, the total number of stalls is 687.
Kaonoulu is actually the mauka-makai collector from South Kihei Road. W e’ll see a larger drawing that shows Piilani Highway up here. That’s the major arterial. Traffic will come from the airport, turn right down Kaonoulu and the main entrance to the Maui Lu will be off Kaonoulu in this location here. Also, there as an article in the paper just the other day about improvement to South Kihei Road and, or, in, in North Kihei. From Kaonoulu to the intersection of Mokulele highway the opportunity exists essentially to provide a two-lane road with pedestrian amenities. In this particular case, we have curbs, gutters, sidewalks, bicycle paths, sidewalks for pedestrians, they also have a median strip down the center which basically provides a parkway type presence in this particular area of South Kihei Road. This is something that we worked a lot with the Department of Public Works, and of course, all of the infrastructure improvements will be provided in this area, and of course, it will provide opportunity of great, safe opportunity for pedestrians, guests from the mauka side to be able to walk across South Kihei Road to the makai side white stucco which is typical of some of the buildings that Charles W . Dickey designed and others during basically the period in Hawaii before World War II. And, you know, we, we feel and, and the use of natural rock and, of course, of plant material that’s appropriate in Hawaii. This is the m ain entrance building. You can see that it has a friendly porte cochere and canopy so that guests basically are able to get out of their cars, go into the second floor where the registration would be then, of course, on the bottom floor would be the restaurant which can exit out into the main pool recreation area. This is the character of our two-story buildings. And the building, the actual units are, are condominiums, residential condominiums. The basic square footage is 1,200 square feet. This essentially is our, our three-story configuration and it’s very similar to the four-story. This essentially, you know, shoreline improvements was a condition, Condition N o. 31. What we did was we basically removed the two-story and essentially we’re renovating the other two-story building and to a one-story. And essentially what we’re doing is, we removed 12 guest rooms from these particular structures.
And I’d just like to point out, these encroachments, these are revetments were created by Mr. Gibson actually back in 1964 according to our records and it was as a result of significant storm actually he thought, you know, there was also gonna be a tsunami associated with it. As part of the project improvement we were required by the Planning Commission to remove the northern most revetment which we are in the process of negotiating with the State Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Also, I’d like to note that the area to the south is actually a County park and that this is the area in addition to essentially the removal of the buildings in the context of getting approval from the State Board of Land and Natural Resources for the revetments we agreed to do a beach nourishment project. So the beach nourishment project will continue along and actually go to the south extend beyond our property and actually tie in with the Kalepolepo fish pond which is the fish pond that Kimokeo is involved in restoring. So there will be a lens of sand that should be pretty stable in this particular area.
The proposed shoreline improvements again, essentially in this particular instance what we’re proposing to do is to renovate this, this two-story, 20-unit structure. So actually reduce it dow n to a one-story building. Also, all of these hedges again, are gonna be removed and of course, these buildings that exist to the south will be removed. So all of this area essentially will be open as far as visual access to the ocean from South Kihei Road.
This is the character of the one-story beach club and so it’s very much like a pavilion more than a significant building on the ocean. This shows the two structures that will be removed. This shows the beach club and the renovated building. Also, it gives you a clearer feeling for the improvements that will be provided for along South Kihei Road. This is the shoreline improvement identifying the beach nourishment and also, we also have a commitment to do dune enhancement. In the context of the seasons in South Maui, sand blows a lot and essentially becomes a problem for the County in terms of South Kihei Road. So you know, essentially we’re going to be working with the community – committee from the KCA, Kihei Community Association to basically do dune enhancement and to assist in that. Plus we are also doing the beach nourishment project which does show it extending south and tying into the wall of Kalepolepo fish pond.
This is a basically pictures of the sand and the beach looking south from the Vancouver Memorial, Maui Lu Hotel room structures at left and center. Those structure will be gone together with the Vancouver Memorial the encroachment revetment will be gone. Looking north from the center, looking toward the rock revetment toward the Vancouver Memorial. You can see it here. All of that stone revetment will be removed. Essentially looking north from the southern rock revetment towards Building A. This building again, will be renovated and become a one-story beach club.
Looking north from the County beach park toward Building C, and you can see these are the two buildings that will be removed. This is the County beach park to the north – to the south, excuse me. This gives you an understanding of some of the roadway improvements. Again, I indicated to you that Piilani Highway is the major arterial. Kaonoulu is the mauka-makai collector road and you’re all aware that Kaonoulu will basically go mauka of Piilani Highway and actually become the Kihei to Kula highway at some time in the future. This drawing basically shows the improvements to South Kihei Road as I indicated, I discussed with you. Also it shows the improvements that we were required to, to do items of working with the Kaonoulu Estates residential subdivision to basically calm traffic moving mauka and makai on Kaonolulu. This will be the first roundabout in North Kihei. Also, at the intersection of Kaonoulu and South Kihei Road we will be providing a full service traffic signal with turning lanes. I’m sorry, Alulike and Kaonoulu we’re doing a roundabout, Kaonoulu a full service signal and then also the bus pulls out, there will be a bus pull out on the makai side of South Kihei Road as well as on the mauka side of South Kihei Road. And essentially providing facilities for, for the bus to pull out and for pedestrians in this area to actually wait and use the bus. South Kihei Road we’re doing road widening with curbs, gutters and sidewalks on both sides. A 12-foot wide planted median strip with raised crosswalk for safe pedestrian crossing.
We’re doing an improved left turn movement into the project and to Kaonoulu that’s in this location. We have safe pedestrian crossings. This is a section through this area which gives – this would be the makai side, this would be the beach club, you can see it’s – the area is gonna be open. All the visual barriers will be removed. This provides a view of the sidewalk. This would be the twolane traffic, the median strip, the mauka sidewalk and, and bicycle path and the great lawn of the Maui Lu.
As far as drainage is concerned, the existing runoff, the existing sheetflows to South Kihei Road. And again, the drainage plan was studied, preliminary drainage report and drainage by Wilson Okamoto is our civil engineer and Michael Fujita is here if there are any questions from the Commissioners. We have a requirement in our SMA permit for onsite retention of 100 percent of the – of new development runoff, plus we are required by the Commission to increase to 40 percent of the existing. This is Condition N o. 29 of or –in our decision and order of our SMA permit. Project history, the Maui Lu Resort was actually built in the early 1960's and is currently in poor condition. The Maui Lu redevelopment SMA permit chronology is as follows:
As Ann said, we submitted in 2003 our draft Environmental Assessment and Special Management Area permit application. In 2004, the Commission hearing for the draft EA. In 2000 and – September 28, 2004, the Commission granted our acceptance of our final EA with a Finding of No Significant Impact, and then on May 17, 2005, our Urban Design Review Board and approval by the Urban Design, unanimous by the way. July 12, 2005, the Planning Commission SMA permit hearing was held. And in March 14, 2006, the Commission granted intervenor status to the Maui Beach Vacation Club as a, an intervenor. Then in July 22, 2008, the Planning Commission approval with 31 conditions.