LAHAINA – Coronavirus-wise, the Maui County Planning Department’s Long Range Division cancelled the March 24 West Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) meeting until further notice.

It’s been a long haul for the 13-member volunteer panel, with 35 meetings of in-depth analysis of our West Side from Ukumehame to Honokohau already tackled.

According to Pam Eaton, planning program administrator for the department, that’s about 140 hours, and they’re on the homestretch.

CPAC members are Ravi Bugga, Yvette Joyce Celiz, Karen J. Comcowich, Jeri Dean, Donald Robert Gerbig, Aina Kohler, Angela Lucero, Hans Michel, Kai Nishiki, Dylan Payne, Joseph Pluta and Leilani Reyes Pulmano.

The end product of their diligence will be a planning guide for future development and revitalization of our community.

The wearemaui.org website reads, “it is a policy guide; informing decisions about the character of new development, land use, parks, and infrastructure over the next 20 years.”

Components of the plan are Section 1 Plan Framework; Section 2 Policy Framework; Section 3 Growth Framework; and Section 4 Implementation.

Eaton updated the Lahaina News: The CPAC currently has in their possession, she said, “The first section of the plan, that’s the plan framework. They have section 2, which is the policy framework, they have that. They have now the community plan land use map, their version.”

“Next week,” Eaton continued, “we will be sending them the Implementation Section, which was discussed at their March 10 meeting,” including the comments that they made with those revisions.

“And then the final section that we will be sending them will come on or just before April 1st will be the growth management framework. That is basically the narrative that explains what land use changes took place in West Maui.”

“Then in mid-April,” Eaton advised, “we plan to send them one complete document, which will have all their language – it’s their draft, we’re not changing a single word. We’ll send that out to them, so that they’ll have one nice plan they can take a look at.”

The county has no idea when the CPAC will meet again.

“In the meantime,” their press release reads, “we will continue to post updates to the Draft West Maui Community Plan on our CPAC Page.”

CPAC Member Ravi Bugga appreciates his opportunity to participate in the “useful productive process with a lot of public input and healthy debate among the CPAC members.

“We’ve all learned a lot about the issues facing West Maui, thanks partly to the background papers on different subjects prepared by the department, and, of course, from the community.

“I’m very satisfied with the draft plan and look forward to help bring it to conclusion.”