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Wailuku Redevelopment Plan

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1. What is the purpose of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area Plan (Plan)?

The Plan provides the vision, direction, and plan of action for the
revitalization of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area. The Plan also
establishes the policy framework and process within which the Maui
Redevelopment Agency (MRA) will implement specific projects intended
to foster economic revitalization.

This plan is not intended to be a regional plan for Central Maui, an urban design plan for Wailuku Town or an economic feasibility study for a
specific project. It is a strategic plan for the economic and physical
revitalization of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area.

2. How will the County benefit from the adoption and implementation of the Wailuku Redevelopment Plan?

1. New amenities (theater, restaurants, festivals, commercial and
residential opportunities).

2. More job opportunities (entrepreneurial start up, construction, retail, service, office).

3. Restoration of pride in Maui's civic center.

4. Increased tax base to provide greater public safety and services.

5. Rehabilitation and restoration of buildings and public spaces.

3. How will Wailuku's residents and business people benefit from the adoption and implementation of the Wailuku Redevelopment Plan?

1. Enhanced public safety with a new police substation, better street
lighting and more nighttime and weekend activity.

2. Increased parking capacity at the Wailuku Municipal Parking Lot,
behind the Iao Theater and at other strategic locations.

3. Streetscape beautification including street trees, shrubs, flowers, street furniture and lighting.

4. New community park and restroom facilities adjacent to the Iao
Theater.

5. Upgraded infrastructure including new sidewalks, drainage
facilities, and wastewater and water lines where needed.

6. Enhanced business climate including a reduction in regulatory
impediments and new market development initiatives.

4. What can the MRA provide to promote the revitalization of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area?

1. Clear, focused mission to act on and advocate for the economic
and physical revitalization of areas within the Wailuku Redevelopment Area.

2. Regulatory relief from building, zoning and parking requirements
that aren't suitable for older commercial areas.

3. One stop permit review to reduce the risk, uncertainty and time that it takes to make an investment or start a business in Wailuku.

4. Access to federal funds for communities that meet federal criteria
for slum and blight designation and have an approved Redevelopment Plan.

5. Innovative public finance tools such as tax increment and community district financing to upgrade infrastructure and supplement services provided by the County such as sidewalk maintenance and cleaning, trash removal, landscaping and security.

6. Forum for public participation with established notification procedures, meeting requirements and mechanisms to facilitate community input into the planning process.

7. Design review to maintain town character, view planes and historical assets.

5. How was the public involved in the development of the Plan?

Throughout 1999 and early 2000 the MRA conducted workshops, community meetings and public hearings to formulate the recommendations in this Plan. Specifically, the following types tools were utilized to encourage public participation during the planning process:

1. Community-based workshops.

2. Wailuku Growth by Design Visioning Workshop - February 1999 (70 participants)

3. Community meeting (60 participants)

4. Stakeholder notification and input

5. Flyers delivered to town merchants.

6. Direct mailouts to affected landowners.

7. Meetings with the Wailuku Landowner Task Force

8. Small Town Code stakeholder survey

9. Maui Redevelopment Agency - 12 public meetings

10. Wailuku Main Street Association participation, review and comment

11. Wailuku Main Street Association (WMSA) small town revitalization conference - October, 1999

12. Televised (Akaku) repeats of the WMSA conference.

13. WMSA special committee (design, parking, etc.) reviews

14. Maui Planning Commission review and approval

15. Public workshop and site inspection - November 22, 1999

16. Public workshop - January 10, 2000

17. Public hearing - January 25, 2000

18. Window exhibit along Market Street

19. Radio spots / interviews

20. Newspaper press releases and feature stories in the Maui News, Honolulu Star Bulletin, Pacific Business News.

6. What is the Council's role as it relates to their review of the Wailuku Redevelopment Area Plan (Plan)?

1. To find that the Redevelopment Area is a "blighted area" pursuant
to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Section 53-1(3).

2. To review and approve, amend and approve or disapprove the Plan by resolution as required by HRS 53-6(b).
Hawaii Revised Statutes

7. What is a blighted area?

The definition of a "blighted area" as established by HRS, Subsection 53-1(3)is as follows:

An area (including a slum area), whether it is improved or unimproved, in which conditions such as: the dilapidation, deterioration, age, or
obsolescence of the buildings or improvements thereon; inadequate
ventilation, light, sanitation, or open spaces, or other unsanitary or unsafe conditions; high density of population and over- crowding; defective or inadequate street layout; faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness; diversity of ownership; tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land; defective or unusual conditions of title; improper subdivision or obsolete platting; existence of conditions which endanger life or property by fire or other causes; or any combination of these factors or conditions predominate, thus making the area an economic or social liability, or conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, or crime, or otherwise detrimental to the public health, safety, morals, and welfare.

Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) 53-1(3)
Urban Renewal Law

8. What criteria were used to establish the proposed boundary ?

The following criteria were used to establish the proposed boundary:

1. Conditions within the area meet the slum and blight criteria as set forth in HRS Section 53-1(3);

2. The area is in a commercial use, designated for a commercial use or adjacent to a commercial use;

3. Existing conditions within the area (land use pattern, condition of
building stock and infrastructure systems, etc.) are such that the area could benefit from the tools that the MRA has to promote physical and economic revitalization; and

4. The area functions as an integrated unit, and is of such a scale that project implementation is practical and feasible.

9. What is the process for reviewing the Plan at Council ? (HRS 53-6(b))

1. Review and approve, amend and approve or disapprove the Plan by resolution at a public hearing.

2. Publish a notice of the public hearing on three separate days. The
first notice shall be published at least 10 days prior to the public
hearing.

3. Any amendment by the Council must be accepted by the Maui Redevelopment Agency prior to final approval by the Council.

4. Subsequent to Council approval of the Redevelopment Plan, notice
of the approval shall be published in at least three publications.

5. Proceedings with respect to the Redevelopment Project shall be stayed 30 days after the first publication of approval.