Action Plan Released
We've completed the draft Community Corridor Action Plan and are excited to share it with you! With recommendations for affordable housing, better transportation options, improved parks and open spaces, and supports for local business, the Action Plan has something for everyone.
“This project is about re-imagining one of the busiest roadway corridors on Maui, with new housing, transportation options, landscaping and walkways. A community corridor is a place where it’s easy for people to take the bus, walk or bike. It’s a place with many housing options, and it has easy access to schools, shopping, medical facilities and jobs. In short, it’s a place where people want to be to enjoy life, work and recreation.”
Mayor Michael Victorino
Why Now?
Maui is growing, and we are facing challenges like never before. We’re in the midst of a global pandemic and an affordable housing crisis. But we are resilient. We can provide opportunities for economic development and new jobs and homes, supported with new travel options for people to keep Maui livable and accessible. The Ka‘ahumanu Ave Community Corridor provides an opportunity for us to do this and so much more. Join us!
Connected, walkable communities, organized around transit
Mixed land uses, with workforce and affordable housing
Great places that are safe and comfortable
Learn
August 2020 to February 2021
Vision
March to September 2021
Advance
October 2021 to March 2022
What is this project and why is it needed?
Maui is growing. By 2040, nearly 33,000 more people will call our island home. While growth can present new opportunities, it’s not without challenges. We are facing an affordable housing crisis, and our transportation system doesn’t provide options for everyone. To keep Maui a place where we can raise a family and age comfortably, we need a mix of housing types and ways to travel.
More recently, our economy has been hit hard by COVID-19. In June, the unemployment rate was over 22%, and there were 21,000 fewer jobs on the island than last year. We need to support local businesses and provide opportunities for economic development, thinking creatively about how we connect people to jobs, services, and schools. That means creating high-quality public bus service and safe places to walk, bike, and roll.
The Ka‘ahumanu Ave Community Corridor Plan is the opportunity to do these things and more! We can learn from the past to envision a new future for the 2.5 miles of Ka‘ahumanu Avenue that connect Kahului and Wailuku. The busiest road on the island—and one that connects homes, schools, medical facilities, government buildings, and great businesses—is ready for a new look. And that must be shaped by you.
What is a community corridor?
It’s a place that makes it easy to take the bus and to walk, bike, and roll. It’s also a place that has many different types of affordable housing options. A community corridor provides connections to schools, services, and jobs—and great community spaces that are welcoming and fun. But what the Ka‘ahumanu Avenue Community Corridor looks like is really up to you!
Where is the project's study area?
The Ka‘ahumanu Ave Community Corridor spans from the civic core of Wailuku to the commercial core of Kahului. It includes Main Street and Ka‘ahumanu Avenue from High Street in Wailuku to the intersection with Hana Highway in Kahului. Beyond the corridor itself, we’re looking at a half-mile on either side, capturing the neighborhoods, businesses, parks, and community facilities—schools, hospitals, and churches—that make connections to this important spine.
Who is doing this work?
The Ka‘ahumanu Ave Community Corridor is led by Maui County’s Department of Planning in partnership with Housing and Human Concerns, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and Transportation, as well as the Maui Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation. It takes a big team with many different points of view and ideas to create this kind of vision—and we can’t do it without you.
How does this project relate to other work underway in Central Maui?
The Ka‘ahumanu Ave Community Corridor will collaborate with other current planning efforts happening at the State or County level. These include, but are not limited to, Maui Vision Zero, Kahului Civic Center, Central Maui Transportation Study, Maui Bus Fare Study, reWailuku, and the Wailuku Courthouse Expansion.
How did this project come to be?
This project is made possible by a grant from the State Legislature, with a local match by the County of Maui. The Hawai‘i Interagency Council for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD Council) was instrumental in helping us start this work.
The State of Hawaii Strategic Plan for Transit-Oriented Development was created by the TOD Council to set a vision for using State facilities to spark public and private investments in compact, walkable communities. The State’s work on the Wailuku Courthouse Expansion and the County’s efforts to create a new Central Maui Transit Hub helped to create a environment that is ripe for exploring TOD on Maui.
