Car Fire in the Meadows

Last Friday afternoon a car caught fire at the top of the meadows. According to firefighters no one was injured. If you know the cause of the fire, please comment below.

Vacation Rentals

The debate over vacation rentals on Maui is raging. On the one hand you have homeowners who object for a variety or reasons and on the other hand you have homeowners who rely on the rental income to pay their mortgage.

Would you rather have a short term renter or a long term renter living on the property next door to you? Why? Please comment below.

For those of you who own vacation rental properties off island, I think you’ll enjoy this program from The Vacation Rental Radio Show by Bob Sommers.

Hearing on Maui Meadows Rural Zoning - July 2007

Dear Neighbor,
The rural nature of Maui Meadows is being threatened. If the current ruling by the Maui County Planning Department is allowed to stand, Maui Meadows will have rural zoning with urban setbacks and no height limitations. No view is safe.

Two years ago, the Planning Department, without notice to anyone, changed their interpretation of the setbacks and height restrictions. Instead of being rural standards of 15 foot side/rear setbacks and height being measured from the natural or finished grade, whichever is lower, the Department allowed urban standards of 6 foot minimum side/rear setbacks and height measured from the finished grade. This means that a property may be filled to any height and then a 30 foot high structure put on top of that fill. It is important to note that when Maui Meadows was in early stages of development, setbacks were 6-10 feet and fill was allowed. However, because homes were smaller, most setbacks were much larger by design.

On Thursday, July 12, over 100 Maui Meadows neighbors gathered to hear about this situation. (We are very grateful for all of you who took time out from your busy lives to attend our meeting and learn more about this issue.) Mayor Charmaine Tavares, Councilmember Michelle Anderson, and Planning Director Jeff Hunt were speakers. We appreciate their coming to our meeting.

Councilmember Anderson, who has worked closely with us on this issue, announced that she has written a Bill that would preserve Maui Meadows rural standards of 15 feet side/rear setbacks and would determine height based on the finished or natural grade, whichever is lower. That Ordinance would protect those who utilized the old standards legally. A copy of the legislation is attached. When the audience was polled, this Bill received overwhelming support.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares indicated she supports our efforts keeping Maui Meadows rural setbacks and height restrictions and she committed to supporting legislation as well as pursuing administrative remedies in order to achieve this.
If you want to preserve Maui Meadows and its rural character you must act NOW. The Maui Meadows bill will be introduced at the Thursday, July 26 Council meeting at 9:00 am. If you can attend and testify, please do so.

If you are unable to speak in support in person, please send a letter to
G. Riki Hokama, Chair,
Members of the Council
County of Maui
200 South High St.
Wailuku, HI 96793.

Please send copies of your letter to the Mayor’s Office and the Planning Department Director, Jeff Hunt at the above address.
OR

Please email Chair Hokama at riki.hokama@co.maui.hi.us and send copies to Mayorsoffice@mauicounty.gov and Planning@mauicounty.gov. Your letter should indicate that you are supporting Councilmember Anderson’s bill proposal that would keep Maui Meadows rural and place it in RU0.5 zoning. Please take the time and trouble to protect your neighborhood and home values. It would be much appreciated if you would send MMNA an email telling us you’ve communicated with the county. Also feel free to forward this email to neighbors and friends in Maui Meadows.

If you have questions, please contact Maui Meadows Neighborhood Association via email at mmna@hawaiiantel.net. Please don’t delay—your voice needs to be heard! Keep Maui Meadows rural!
Mahalo-
Board of Directors, Maui Meadows Neighborhood Association

PDF of the Resolution

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Does Your Mailbox Talk?

What Is It Saying?

For years, mailboxes have sat quietly in front of our homes in various shades of drab. Today, they've been liberated by thousands of creative homeowners who understand what these utilitarian guardians of the mail have wanted to do for years. Mailboxes have gone from drab to fab!

Just A Little Friendly Competition
To help inspire everyone to update their entrances, we're sponsoring the first ever 'Meadows Mailbox Renaissance'. Tropical Maui Homes is donating a $100 Home Depot gift certificate to the winning entry. Homeowners awarded first and second place will receive a $50 Home Depot gift certificate.

Entries Will Be Judged On:

• Originality of design
• Integration of design with your home's style
• Beauty and/or whimsy

Rules For Entry

1. Your design must meet Postal regulations. Visit section 3.0 of the following link for mailbox specifications. http://pe.usps.gov/cpim/ftp/manuals/dmm300/508.pdf
2. Send us your name, street address and telephone number.
3. Finish your masterpiece by May 30th. Judges will begin visiting entries on Thursday, May 31st. Photos of all entries will be shown, with winners announced on the Maui Meadows Blog on June 4th.
4. Home Depot, Wailea Landscape Dreams, the USPS or Tropical Maui Homes employees are not eligible for prizes. (You may of course still enter and show how incredibly talented you really are.)

Our Panel Of Judges

Our three event judges are: Fred Tokiosha (our very own mailman), Marcus Stein (Manager of Home Depot) and Katy Markman (Owner of Wailea Landscape Dreams).

Good luck to everyone!

Click here to enter your mailbox.