By Staff Reports
(Maui) – Maui’s zoning map is now available in a digital format following Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa signing bills to adopt digital zoning for the island of Maui. This new map replaces the old, decrepit, tape-repaired paper zoning maps, some dating back to the early 60’s, that the County has used for decades.
Technological limitations previously constrained the preciseness of map scale and accuracy; many older maps were hand drawn on Mylar polyester
film. Now, with enhanced mapping tools, including Geographical Information System (GIS) and aerial imagery, which provide more specific
and factual representation of land and parcels, the shift to a digital map provides more accurate information and allows easier updates, unlike the prior multi-step process of revising paper maps with messy handwritten changes, post it notes, written logs, etc.
Since 2005, staff of the Maui County Planning Department worked on this project, affectionately known as “DSSRT”, an acronym for the Dead
Sea Scroll Replacement Team, to replace the County’s official paper zoning maps with digital or electronic versions. Along with the goal of replacing the County’s prized but very old, tattered and outdated “Dead Sea Scrolls” paper zoning maps with accurate, up-to-date GIS data layers, other goals included researching and verifying zoning for thousands of parcels; correcting inadvertent mapping errors, inconsistencies and alignment issues; updating parcel zoning with zoning districts that have standards; and creating a single zoning map for the island. All corrections made to the adopted digital map required consistency with each parcel’s Community Plan designation.
The Department previously held four public informational meetings on Maui and obtained recommendations of approval from the planning
commissions before transmitting the bills to the Council, where they were supported by the Planning Committee. The bills were then unanimously supported and adopted by the Maui County Council who also expressed overwhelming support.
A significant benefit of digital zoning is the ability for the public to view zoning online. In the short term, a pdf version of the digital
map can be found on the Department’s website at https://www.mauicounty.gov/2159/Digital-Zoning-Map-Update-Project. The Department is in the process of creating a user-friendly, public interactive digital GIS map that should be available online soon.
The Department will also propose digital zoning maps for the islands of Lanai and Molokai once thorough review, confirmations and corrections have been made. Similar to Maui, public meetings on each of the respective islands will be held on along with public hearings at each of the planning commissions as well as the County Council.
For more information, contact the department at 270-7735 or at planning@mauicounty.gov.