West Maui's Growth is Out of Control
By Tamara Paltin, Hawaii Reporter, 6/7/2007
West Maui has major problems with traffic, overcrowded schools, overloaded sewer plant, loss of open space, no trauma center, insufficient affordable housing and pitiful disaster planning.

West Maui is like a separate island, connected to the rest of Maui by a two-lane road. The county says it will cost $400 million to widen that road and it's at least 20 years away.

So how can it be that so many developments are planned here? Honolua Ridge, Kapalua Mauka, Pulelehua, North Beach, Lealii, Kaanapali 2020, Wainee, Opukea, Launiupoko, Olowalu, Ukumehame, the list goes on. It will double to triple the population of West Maui, can anyone see the cumulative impact? West Maui can't absorb so many new people so fast and without proper planning.

I ask the County Council to protect West Maui. For now only approve 100 percent sustainable, low income housing for West Maui. After the wider pali road, bigger high school, hospital and improvements are actually built, then gradual growth can happen. There is no reason to rush development now, please give West Maui a 20 year moratorium on all unnecessary development, give our keiki a chance to become educated and return to solve the problems we are creating for them right now by not planning for smart growth.

Tamara Paltin is a resident of Kahana, HI