Kauaʻi County building in Līhu’e, HI. Photo courtesy of Lee Steinmetz.
The County of Kaua‘i is working to revitalize the Līhu‘e Town Core and position Rice Street as the main street of Kaua‘i. The County’s success, however, largely depends on managing parking in the area. To that end, County officials met in Līhu‘e with representatives from Smart Growth America on May 6 and 7, 2014 as part of a free, grant-funded technical assistance program.
“We are grateful to Smart Growth America for partnering with our team so that we can involve the entire community in this effort,” said Mayor Bernard Carvalho, Jr. “Creating better parking solutions for the Līhu‘e’s Town Core is important to the revitalization of this area. We’ll use lessons learned and apply them to other parts of our island. It’s a great win-win for all concerned.”
On the first day of the workshop, County department heads and their representatives met with instructors to learn how to conduct parking audits and develop parking management strategies. Local officials and members of the public attended a community stakeholder meeting to discuss parking in the Līhu’e Town Core on the second day.
In January, the County of Kaua‘i was one of 18 communities selected by Smart Growth America to participate in the free technical assistance program. Stretching from New Hampshire to Idaho, these communities represent major cities, suburban centers, and rural towns alike.
The technical workshop program is made possible through a five-year Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities, which seeks to develop local planning solutions that help communities grow in ways that benefit families and businesses, while protecting the environment and preserving a sense of place. Two other nonprofit organizations—Global Green USA and Project for Public Spaces—also received competitively awarded grants to help communities get the kinds of development they want.
Workshop Materials:
- Parking Audit Tool Description (PDF)
- Presentation (PDF)
- Kaua’i County: Next Steps Memo (PDF)
- Kaua’i County: Progress Report – 1 month (PDF)
- Kaua’i County: Progress Report – 6 month (PDF)
- Kaua’i County: Progress Report – 12 month (PDF)
Workshop Outcomes: