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Updates from the Kaanapali Land Management Corp. VP

By Staff | Jul 31, 2014

Rebugio

KAANAPALI – Recently, Kaanapali Land Management Corp. (KLM) Vice President Jeff Rebugio shared an update on their various projects and his thoughts about moving forward.

Where are you on your plans for Ka`anapali 2020? We are continuing to work with community stakeholders and county and state offices on our master planning for Ka`anapali 2020. We feel it’s important to work within the county’s planning process and for the project to be consistent with both the General Plan and the Community Plan. The county has initiated the update of the Community Plan, and we anticipate being involved in this process over the next couple of years.

Can you update us on KLM’s other projects? Infrastructure is the theme of most of the ongoing projects. We need to become partners with the county and state in planning and developing a strategy to ensure that the infrastructure for West Maui is adequate and keeps pace with the directed growth.

We recognize the Lahaina Bypass Highway and Lahaina Flood Control Channel are two needed projects for West Maui. Both projects will impact existing land use surrounding its rights-of-way.

We are also working on the infrastructure design plans for Puukolii Village Mauka. Plan and permitting review and consultation with the various agencies and utilities are ongoing.

We continue to work with the developer on infrastructure improvements for the West Maui Hospital development, which is part of the Ka`anapali 2020 master plan. The developer is committed to streamlining the schedule whenever and wherever possible in order to have a fully serviceable hospital in two years.

On the agriculture side, we are committed to the business of coffee farming through our partnership with MauiGrown Coffee. We need to constantly recognize national and international market opportunities. And as recent conditions allow, we are reinvesting into the farm with new plantings of coffee seedlings in hopes of increasing harvest yields. Currently, plantings cover approximately 500 acres in West Maui, half of which is located in the Ka`anapali Coffee Farms community.

Successful agriculture starts with recognizing that the land and water resources are the most valuable assets. As such, we integrate best management practices in our operations. Reservoir maintenance, waterways and pipelines, and berm maintenance are just a few examples.

We will likely have a role to play in the county’s efforts to expand the reuse of treated wastewater (R1 water). Along with increasing treatment quality and capacity at its Lahaina Wastewater Reclamation Facility, the county will need to expand its distribution system to facilitate the use of the R1 water. Pipeline routing, location of storage facilities and delivery points are a few considerations.

What do you feel are the great opportunities for KLM moving forward? For years, we’ve worked alongside the community in identifying growth needs for West Maui. In this effort, we’re also focusing on needs that will make a positive difference for the West Maui community.

The opportunity here is to be able to balance the community’s needs now with our needs in the future.

Agriculture is rich in West Maui’s history and community. Most of the company’s land is currently in the agriculture district. We cannot discount any opportunity that may come about related to agriculture. We may look into bio-energy development. Or we may look at alternative energy investments to subsidize an agriculture venture. The hospital development could springboard a whole new health/wellness industry to West Maui. We need to keep pace and embrace advancements in technology. We want to support developments and industries that provide good job and career opportunities.

For more information on KLM, visit www.KaanapaliLand.com.