WAILUKU — The Maui County Council's Public Works and Facilities Committee on Wednesday returned serve on a request by Kehalani Mauka LLC for a waiver on requirements for parking lots and restrooms for two proposed parks, The Maui News reported today.

Instead, committee members called on representatives of Stanford Carr Development to meet again with Planning Department staff and work out a compromise.

Committee Co-chairman Michael Victorino said that the more than 13-acre "mauka park" along the Kehalani loop road must include restrooms and parking. The Kehalani park site abuts the 4-acre Wailuku Elementary School play field on Malako Street. It would effectively expand the school playground's two existing ball fields with two baseball fields, a soccer/football field as well as tennis and basketball courts.

"We are willing to work with them, but we are not going to accept what's been presented to us today," Victorino said.

The restroom at the school playground is not enough, he said. Currently, the mauka park land has been graded but no other landscaping or infrastructure, such as irrigation, has been installed.

The entire 2,000-unit residential project district is about half complete. Kehalani comprises a 545-acre project district extending from Waiale Road to Wailuku Heights originally planned by C. Brewer & Co. Ltd. The company is liquidating and has sold most of its land on Maui.

Victorino said that the Kehalani developers have made enough profit off its housing sales to supply proper parking lots and rest-rooms for parks, which include four small "pocket parks."

Victorino and Council Chairman Riki Hokama also expressed concern about designating a drainage area along Waiale Road as a permanent "makai park." The low, grassed field is used to collect storm runoff and is fenced, which makes it popular with dog owners.

"At this point, I view this as a drainage basin," Hokama said.

For part of the year, the 7.5-acre site is underwater, he noted.

On an unrelated matter, the committee Wednesday approved a plan six years in the making to improve the beach access at 101 N. Kihei Road.

The easement request by general partner Don Nelson, the National Basketball Association coach, will create a 10-foot-wide public walkway and 10-foot by 20-foot wide daytime drop-off zone for people with disabilities. The parking area is gated and will be closed at night.

In exchange, back in 2002, the County Council rezoned two lots to allow a residential subdivision on the roughly 1-acre parcel.

More Maui News at www.mauinews.com.