Presenter warns South Maui plan lacks unit counts, fiscal analysis and water study; flags up to 8,000 potential units

A resource introduced as "mister mayor" told the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs & Planning Committee that the draft South Maui Community Plan does not include clear unit counts or a required financial element and urged the committee to demand more analysis before adoption.

"Nowhere in the plan do I see the number of housing units that will be established in the plan," the presenter said, arguing that unit totals critically affect infrastructure needs. He walked committee members through maps and estimates, saying the plan currently carries roughly 4,500 already-approved units and would add about 3,500 more in proposed growth areas — producing an often-cited total of about 8,000 potential units.

The presenter flagged several concrete impacts: water demand estimates cited in environmental documents (one project alone lists roughly 880,000 gallons per day for hotel and commercial use), a likely addition of about 6,800 vehicle trips assuming 1.5 cars per new unit, and the absence of a sustainable-yield analysis for the Ka‘ahole/Ka‘a‘oli aquifer. "There is no analysis done in the plan of the gallons per day versus the sustainable yield in the Ka'aoli Aquifer," he said, urging planning staff and the Department of Water Supply to supply that evidence.

Committee members and staff asked technical questions about which projects were counted, which costs had been estimated and where the money might come from. Corporation counsel told members they have discretion on ordinance language but noted county code (2.80B.070) requires an implementation schedule and a fiscally sound financial program; the planning director and presentation resource both recommended a thorough fiscal-impact analysis and clearer revenue strategies before adoption.

Why it matters: committee members will weigh whether the plan as drafted meets the code requirement that a community plan include a capital/financial element and numerically prioritized implementing actions. Several council members said they want stronger fiscal and water analyses added to the plan before it moves further toward final readings.