Mama's Fish House Funds Fishing Buoy

One of our favorite things about representing North Maui real estate and living in this thriving community is that it's always full of surprises. The people who live here tend to achieve unexpected triumphs for the betterment of our quality of life. A great example is the decision by Mama's Fish House to fund a fishing aggregate device.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Mama's Fish House is widely considered the best restaurant on the island. Check reviews anywhere if you'd like confirmation that we're not exaggerating. Nestled into a beautiful piece of North Shore oceanfront property where guests can look out at the splashing waves while they dine, the ambiance is second only to the quality of their food. As the name indicates, Mama's Fish House specializes in glorious marine cuisine.

Mama's chefs, Perry Bateman and Mike Pascher have been spearheading the decision for Mama's to fund a fishing buoy in order to support the local fishermen that their business relies on. Why not support those who consistently deliver the freshest and finest local Maui seafood to Mama's? It's a win-win for everyone involved.

Recently, Mama's chefs and vice president hosted an informational breakfast meeting, which drew over 40 people, including fishermen, vendors and retailers who were curious to know more about their plans. After all, this is something that hasn't been done before, at least not here on Maui, so it's an exciting development.

Fishing is a tough job, and fishermen regularly work in hot or cold weather all day long and into the night, sometimes braving stormy seas, never knowing if they will come home with a good catch or not. Now they will have a fishing buoy to assist them in a permitted location 30 miles off the northeast shore of Maui. It's anchor is at a depth of 15,000 feet in an open ocean environment where species like tuna, mahimahi, ono and billfish live. Buoys attract small fish looking for shelter, and the larger species are attracted to the small fish as a food source.

While there are now 18 such buoys in Maui County, this one is special because it's the first to involve a partnership between private business, fishermen and the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WESTPAC). Also, this one will be farther out at sea than state-funded buoys, making it more effective.

We hope that this decision proves as beneficial as possible for Mama's Fish House and the fishermen of Maui. Mahalo for reading this week!

March Hawaii Construction Jobs Up

When you are evaluating the strength of the economy in a given state, or throughout the nation for that matter, there are certain industries that can help you gauge performance. Retail is important, the real estate market is important, and then there is construction, which says a lot about both residential and commercial development. If you are considering a move to Maui, or one of the other islands, you may be interested to know that construction jobs are on the rise in our state, and that doesn't happen unless developers have confidence in the market.

According to the Associated General Contractors of America, Hawaii had 31,600 construction jobs in March, which was 11 percent higher than the same month in 2012. That's a substantial change, no matter how you look at it.

Another interesting facet of related info is that this construction job count matched the prediction made by the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization (UHERO), that said that the construction job count in Hawaii would hit 31,600 this year. It may have happened sooner than they expected. They also predicted that the number of construction jobs in the state would continue to rise through 2015 with 34,700 jobs in 2014 and 38,600 in 2015. If they've been accurate so far with regard to a market where so many factors can change things, it's safe to say that their predictions are worth following.

The Associated General Contractors of America stated that Honolulu construction jobs were up by 9 percent, having added 2,000 jobs for a total of 23,600. The rest were distributed throughout the other islands. Specifics weren't provided for Maui, but overall performance throughout the state is looking good. This momentum, combined with other economic improvements should continue to bolster Maui real estate development.

If you need advice, or you are looking for North Shore homes or land, and you need assistance with your search, please feel free to contact us using the information provided at the bottom of the page. Mahalo for reading this week!

JimSandersRealty.com Blogs - By Jim Sanders

Hawaiian Electric Hits Sustainable Energy Record

Hawaiian Electric Co. and its subsidiaries recently announced that they have reached an amazing milestone. They hit a record 13.9 percent in Hawaii's energy needs from renewable generation as of 2012. They were at 12 percent in 2011.

Hawaii's isolation makes energy expensive if it isn't generated sustainably, so these developments were inevitable, and so are future improvements. As North Maui real estate specialists, we tend to see more and more residents getting off the grid with their own photovoltaic systems, but even those who don't are reaping the benefits of more affordable, sustainable energy thanks to commercial trends.

Hawaiian Electric's energy goal was to hit 15 percent renewable energy by 2015, which is easily within reach, at the rate things are going. They pointed to rooftop and utility-scale solar photovoltaic facilities on the islands as a major contributing factor, along with more wind energy on Oahu and Maui, as well as geothermal energy production on the Big Island. All of these are steps in the right direction for a more affordable and healthy lifestyle here on Maui, and throughout the state.

When considering a Maui real estate purchase and a move to the island, many have balked in the past at the expense of living, but this is just one of many developments that are making things easier as we continue to make strategic decisions to help ensure a happy and healthy lifestyle at time goes on. Who wouldn't want to live here, if the cost of living was comparable to the mainland?

Mahalo for reading this week!

Bill to Allow Commercial Farmers to Bypass Building Permits

Senate Bill 586 is in the works, and its purpose is to allow commercial farmers to bypass the permitting process and building codes for structures like storage sheds, greenhouses and other "low risk" agricultural structures in non-urban districts. This is big news for North Shore Maui land owners who raise livestock and grow produce.

If you are interested in working your own plot of Haiku land for agricultural purposes, you may not find yourself as daunted as others have been in the past. The permitting process is slow and expensive, but if this bill passes, that will change. The bill will really help small and medium-sized farms whose owners and operators can't afford the cost of permits, and can't wait for them to be approved.

Exemptions like these exist in over 30 other states in the country, so the legislation is in no way unprecedented. The down side is the potential risks to public health and safety, but that is why the bill applies to "low risk" structures that are unlikely to cause damage.

As it stands, the permitting process takes too long and costs too much for farmers, but bypassing permits may increase danger to public safety, so the only other alternative would be the government speeding up the permit approval process substantially, and making it cheaper. If that's not realistic, then a compromise needs to be made. If the government can't handle the volume of permit applications, they must find another way to deal with the situation, hopefully in a way that does a lot of good, and little to no harm.

Another factor to consider is that there are a lot of small farms on Maui. Earning a living working the land is a serious undertaking no matter where you live, and small farms enrich the community significantly. This legislation wasn't written for the benefit of commercial giants who can afford the expense and the time required by the permitting process. It's the small farmers who will benefit the most by whatever streamlining can be accomplished by the legislation. Hopefully, the right agreement will be made.

Thanks for reading this week! Check in each Friday for our latest blog on what's happening on Maui! Mahalo!