Maui County’s Planning Department is holding three public meetings in October to gather community input on redrawing the Special Management Area (SMA) boundary, which hasn’t been updated since the 1970s. The updated boundary aims to better reflect current environmental and climate conditions while balancing permitting burdens.
- The SMA boundary, which governs development and permitting near the coast, has not been reassessed for Maui since the 1970s.
- The project aims to create a science- and culture-based boundary that accounts for climate change while reducing unnecessary permitting burdens.
- Three remaining public meetings are scheduled in Hāna (Oct. 7), Pā’ia (Oct. 14), and Kīhei (Oct. 21).
- This assessment covers only the island of Maui and will not result in immediate rule changes — only boundary recommendations.
- Property owners near the coast could be affected if the redrawn boundary changes what falls under SMA permit review.
Source: Maui County
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