August 1, 2001: Headlines: COS - Tunisia: Urban Development: Maui Free Press: A scuffle broke out at the end of the July 24 Planning Commission meeting between a developer , Tunisia RPCV Lance Holter, and a realtor who was before the Commission objecting to a proposed Pa'ia housing development.
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August 1, 2001: Headlines: COS - Tunisia: Urban Development: Maui Free Press: A scuffle broke out at the end of the July 24 Planning Commission meeting between a developer , Tunisia RPCV Lance Holter, and a realtor who was before the Commission objecting to a proposed Pa'ia housing development.
A scuffle broke out at the end of the July 24 Planning Commission meeting between a developer , Tunisia RPCV Lance Holter, and a realtor who was before the Commission objecting to a proposed Pa'ia housing development.
A scuffle broke out at the end of the July 24 Planning Commission meeting between a developer , Tunisia RPCV Lance Holter, and a realtor who was before the Commission objecting to a proposed Pa'ia housing development.
Pa'ia feeling growing pains
Tempers flare, lawsuits filed
Intervenor grabbed by developer - 'It's not only embarrassing, it's scary, too'
By Don Gronning
A scuffle broke out at the end of the July 24 Planning Commission meeting between a developer and a realtor who was before the Commission objecting to a proposed Pa'ia housing development.
"If people come to testify and they get throttled, that's why they don't show up," says Lance Holter, 51. Holter is the realtor who says he was grabbed by the throat by developer Kent Smith, whose son, Ian Smith, is subdivision manager for the proposed North Shore Village project.
"At the end of the meeting Kent Smith said to me 'Sleep well, you (expletive)'," says Holter, a former Peace Corps volunteer. "I asked him what he said and he repeated it. I took it to be a threat," says Holter, who says he voiced his concern.
Planning Commission Chair Jeremy Kozuki called a recess.
"As I walked out the door, I was shouting I have the right to be here when out of the blue (Smith) grabbed my throat," says Holter. "It's not only embarrassing, it's scary, too. And it's bad for the process," says Holter.
Smith, who didn't return calls for this report, was reported to have said Holter started the fight by head butting his son in the chest.
Holter says that is absurd, as he is considerably taller than either of the Smiths and would have had to bend over to ram his head into the younger Smith.
Police were called to the County building and took information. Holter went to the County Prosecutor to make sure they were aware of the incident. Police had no information to release as of press time.
Michelle Chouteau of Chouteau Consulting represents KRS Development, Inc., the Smith's company. She says KRS is now reconsidering the project. She says KRS wanted to bring the price of the homes down by increasing the density.
KRS wanted the County to change zoning to allow 24 instead of 18 homes to be built on three acres across from the Pa'ia Fire Station on Hana Highway.
The zoning change would allow what is called a R-0 Zero Lot Line Overlay District Process. Instead of 18 homes on 6,000 square foot lots, this would permit 24 homes on 4,000 square foot lots. Every two homes would share a garage wall and would be priced between $250,000 and $270,000.
Many testified in favor of the project during the day-long Planning Commission meeting. The homes would fill a niche for less expensive housing, many said. Whether they are actually affordable housing is a matter of debate.
Holter, who was one of the founding members of the Maui Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, says he is well aware of housing needs on the island. He says homes costing over a quarter million dollars should not be considered affordable housing.
But cost wasn't his main objection. He says the infrastructure, including a narrow, substandard road, wasn't adequate. He says he showed the Commission a video taken July 20 that showed cars backed up two miles during rush hour.
Holter says he was called repeatedly by people seeking to talk him out of intervening for about 10 days before he testified. He says the night after the scuffle police were called to what he thought was two shots fired over his home.
"They came and said someone told them it was a car backfiring," he says.
The outcome of the Planning Commission meeting was to defer making a decision until Holter returned with signatures from his neighbors showing they objected to the development.
He says his neighbors do object, but they couldn't come to the meeting because they were working. But whether they object or not shouldn't matter, as he has a right to intervene, even if nobody joined him. "Whether the people in the community support me or not has nothing to do with whether I am accepted as an intervenor or not," says Holter.
Holter says most of the homes have been presold. He calculates the gross price of the homes to be in the neighborhood of $7 million, with about $400,000 in real estate commissions at stake. With that much money involved, it's not surprising emotions run high.
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Story Source: Maui Free Press
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Tunisia; Urban Development
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