KULA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 41 - Kula, HI 96790
http://kulamaui.com
The vision of the Kula Community Association is to preserve open space, support agriculture, maintain a rural residential atmosphere, 
and to work together as a community.
The specific purpose of this association is to improve the quality of life for the residents of Kula, to promote civic welfare 
and generally to benefit the community of Kula.

May 3, 2002

Mr. Glenn Tadaki
Munekiyo & Hiraga, Inc.
305 High Street, Suite 104
Wailuku, HI 96793

Dear Mr. Tadaki:

Subject: Maui Agricultural Processing and Marketing Center (TMK 2-3-03:23) 

Thank you for inviting our comments on the new Maui Agricultural Processing and Marketing Center being proposed at TMK 2-3-03-23 on Omaopio Road in Kula, Maui. We understand that the new project is an expansion and improvement of a similar facility currently being run on this site. The existing facility is the Maui Produce Processing Cooperative (MPCC) and Vacuum Cooling Cooperative (VCC). We also understand that the current and new use of the site are both designated "Agricultural", thus requiring no changes to the current zoning of this four Acre Parcel.

The Kula Community Association (KCA) board of directors firmly supports agriculture related business activities in Kula that will diversify Maui's economy, support our farmers, and maintain Kula's agricultural lands, rural character, and scenic views. This is also congruent with the goals stated in the Pukalani-Makawao-Kula Community Plan and, therefore, we welcome the proposed facility in our neighborhood.

We do not know much about the project, other than what was included in the one page Project Summary included with your letter, so we do not have detailed comments. However, we have listed below our preliminary concerns that should be addressed in the Environmental Assessment (EA) and other phases of the actual project.
� The Omaopio Road region is a residential as well as an agricultural area and the concerns and comments of the residents shall be satisfactorily addressed in the EA. 
� The EA shall include full impact of traffic related issues such as employee car trips, number of trucks traveling to bring in and remove agricultural products, hours of operation, dust and noise generation, etc. The impact of such activities shall be studied for the eventual build-out and use of the facility when it will serve the farmers of the entire island.
� The project will consist of several large buildings on the four acre lot. These buildings shall be planned, arranged, and constructed on the site in such a way as to not have an adverse impact on the aesthetics and scenic vistas of the area. The building shapes, exterior materials, landscaping and color schemes shall be chosen to ensure that the agricultural nature of the neighborhood is retained.
� We further recommend that the public hearings and meetings to address residents' concerns shall be held in Kula and preferably in the evenings to make it convenient for Upcountry residents to attend. We at KCA may be able to assist you in scheduling and selecting venues for these meetings.

We hope our comments help you in preparing the EA. Should you want to discuss them further or arrange a meeting, please call either our KCA Planning Committee chair Hari Ajmani (878-3702) or me (878-1342).

Yours truly,




Elliott Krash, President
Kula Community Association