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Heather Kimball, Council Chair <br />and Members of the County Council <br />County of Hawaii <br />September 09, 2024 <br />Page 4 <br />The proposed Rural boundary amendment request would be consistent with, <br />among others, the Land Use (Single Family Residential) policies of the General Plan: <br />• Rural -style residential -agricultural developments, such as new small-scale <br />rural communities or extensions of existing rural communities, shall be <br />encouraged in appropriate locations. <br />• Review and amend land use ordinances and codes to include <br />considerations for rural -style residential subdivisions in appropriate <br />locations. Standards and criteria for the establishment of these areas shall <br />be developed. <br />The proposed Rural boundary amendment request also conforms to the <br />General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map which designates <br />the boundary amendment area as Rural. <br />The proposed reclassification action also conforms to the goals, policies, and <br />standards of, among others, the Land Use -Single Family Residential Element of the <br />General. Plan, and the General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map <br />which designates the subject property as Rural. According to the General Plan, the Rural <br />designation includes existing subdivisions in the State Land Use Agricultural district that <br />have a significant residential component. Typical lot sizes vary from 9,000-square feet to <br />two (2) acres. These subdivisions may contain small farms, wooded areas, and open <br />fields as well as residences. Allowable uses with these areas, with appropriate zoning, <br />may include commercial facilities that serve the residential and agricultural uses in the <br />area, and community and public facilities. <br />Existing lands in the surrounding area include a mix of rural -residential and <br />limited agricultural activities. This boundary request would allow rural development for <br />residential -agricultural uses that will complement the existing and future residential - <br />agricultural land use patterns of the immediate vicinity. The property is presently located <br />within the State Land Use Agricultural and County's Agricultural (A-40a) zoned districts <br />and is being used for residential and agricultural purposes. Although the parcel is defined <br />as "Prime Agricultural Land" by the Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of <br />Hawaii (ALISH) System, with a Land Study Bureau classification of "C" ("moderate <br />productivity") soils, the small size of the parcel does not lend itself to large-scale <br />agricultural activities. Rather, residential agricultural use would support more sustainable, <br />small-scale agricultural activities while also providing low -density housing availability. <br />Based on the above findings, the granting of the Rural boundary amendment would <br />complement and implement the General Plan. <br />