State 2050 plan worth paying attention to

If you’re wondering why Maui citizens should be interested in the State 2050 Sustainability Plan and not just glaze over with "here we go with yet another plan" – just think of those nine students at the 2050 Summit, not one of whom thought they’d be living in Hawaii when they were 35.

The 2050 plan notes the inter-relatedness of issues and that sustainability is based on a balance between economics, the environment and social community with each being dependent on the others.

The 2050 plan is refreshingly concise. The plan has only five general, overlapping policy chapters as opposed to the usual land-use plan with often a dozen distinct chapters.

In crafting community planning documents, there can be tension between making sure that nothing is left out versus having a cumbersome document that is unwieldy and difficult to administer. The 2050 plan identifies a few key, bellwether indicators that zero in on important issues.

The 2050 plan examines issues from a statewide perspective. The 2050 plan is not a regulatory document, and it does not mandate any action by Maui County. There is no consistency requirement between the county General Plan and the 2050 plan. The 2050 plan does offer leadership, guidance and hopefully incentives from the state level and would establish a Sustainability Council that would monitor the bellwether indicators.

The 2050 Sustainability Plan is scheduled for public comment over the next few weeks. There is a public meeting at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center where the plan will be discussed. The plan is also available for review on the 2050 Web site at www.hawaii2050.org where comments may also be submitted.

The 2050 plan was based on a community engagement program that included public meetings and Web and telephone surveys. Maui County’s citizen input into the plan was proportionally very high when compared to the other counties. Although the plan is technically a state plan, in some ways it is also a Maui plan. It could affect the people of Maui County for many years into the future.

Jeff Hunt

Maui County Planning Director