The first of the project’s major technical phases has focused on expanding our understanding of current and planned conditions in the study area. We have built upon recently completed and ongoing work—including the West Maui Community Plan—to review and document what’s happening on the corridor today.
This includes understanding who lives and works along the corridor, how people travel, and what systems exist today. It also includes reviewing land use, zoning, and development plans and conditions and assessing utility and water infrastructure. Upon this foundation we’ve layered an assessment of the market, including affordable housing opportunities, to inform the "Create" phase that will shape the future of the corridor.
Check back soon to see what we’ve learned and to share your thoughts about our key findings. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview of each of our major tasks.
Existing Conditions
We will develop a comprehensive understanding of the needs and opportunities along Honoapiʻilani Highway and the broader study area across modes, demographics, and land uses. The findings will set the stage for the remainder of the project and will be part of the Community Profile.
Demographic and Travel Analysis
Understanding demographics and existing travel patterns is a fundamental step in planning for the West Maui Community Corridor. We will develop maps depicting population, employment, and other socioeconomic variables. We’ll map commute mode by place of work to understand travel modes for people who work in Lāhainā and Kā‘anapali, regardless of where they live. We will also map collision hotspots along the corridor to inform future visioning efforts, particularly when making decisions about transportation projects, policies, and programs.
Land Use Assessment
Land use patterns have an important impact on how people travel. As such, developing a successful transit-oriented community requires a supportive environment. We will develop a series of maps describing existing and future land uses and identifying key destinations, activity centers, and areas of anticipated growth.
Mobility System Assessment
Understanding the mobility options along and across Honoapi‘ilani Highway and the broader study area is essential to identify the strengths of and opportunities for the Community Corridor. We will dig into the corridor’s mobility context, including focusing on the neighborhood streets that connect to the corridor. We will paint a comprehensive picture of mobility along the corridor, looking at all modes of transportation including driving, walking and rolling, biking, and taking the bus.
Water and Utility Systems
Our team’s civil engineers will use available data to analyze the capacity of water, wastewater, stormwater, and transportation systems within the corridor. We will evaluate the systems for capacity to meet future needs and identify current deficiencies. We will review the potential impacts to the study area related to storm events, flooding tsunami risk, and sea level rise.
Affordable Housing Assessment
Central to the outcomes of the West Maui Community Corridor TOD Action Plan is developing a strategy to increase affordable and workforce housing in Lāhainā and Kāʻanapali. By analyzing current supply and planned development, we will gain an understanding of the gaps in the market and identify specific solutions to address those shortcomings. Our strategies will focus on the most promising approaches and funding models to increase affordable and workforce housing supply and will be summarized in a Housing Inventory and Analysis Memo.
Market Analysis
The County of Maui has recognized that there is more to economic revitalization and supporting transit ridership than encouraging development. We will review market studies and conduct interviews, complete a market analysis, identify market trends and potential, and recommend strategies and programs for economic development. This information will be shared in a Community Corridor Real Estate Market Assessment Report.
Community Profile
We will document key issues and challenges to be addressed within the West Maui Community Corridor TOD Action Plan based on information gathered through the tasks described above. We will produce a Community Profile documenting our analysis and findings. This will communicate the physical and socioeconomic existing conditions in the study area, as well as opportunities to be explored throughout the remainder of the project. This profile will be shared with the public in late February 2023.