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Heather Kimball, Council Chair and Members of the County Council County of Hawai'i September 30, 2024 Page 4 The U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) soil survey identifies soils on the property as Panaewa very cobbly hydrous loam (2 to 10 percent slope). These soils consist of well -drained, cobbly hydrous loam that formed in volcanic ash over pahoehoe (Panaewa) or A'a (Ola'a) bedrock. These soils are not considered as prime farmlands and were generally used for sugarcane, although the Panaewa series were also used for pasture and woodlands. Permeability is rapid, runoff is slow and the erosion hazard is slight. Additionally, while the Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) map designates most of the property as "Prime Agricultural Land," the Land Study Bureau's Detailed Land Classification System largely identifies soils of the property as "D" or "Poor" soils for agricultural productivity. The rezone area is within the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) planning area, located just outside and southwest of the Kea'au Regional Town Center boundary. The PCDP's growth management strategy focuses on directing growth towards Regional, Town, and Village centers, with goals and policies aimed at reducing the number of buildable lots outside of town/village centers, preserving agricultural land, and preventing the creation of sub -standard subdivisions that lack sufficient public infrastructure. Although the proposed zone change and the creation of a 23-lot subdivision will increase the number of buildable lots, this new density will be located just outside the Kea'au Regional Town Center. The development will comply with the Zoning and Subdivision codes and conditions of this ordinance, ensuring adequate public infrastructure. Additionally, the development will align with the lower -density, agricultural character of the surrounding 1-acre lot subdivisions and will allow small- scale, subsistence agriculture by right, maintaining the area's agricultural potential. Based on the preceding, the request is consistent with the PCDP. All essential utilities and services are available to the property. Proposed access to the project site is from the Old Kea'au-P5hoa Road via Mamaka and Ohiohi Streets within the adjoining Ola Hou Estates subdivision. These existing County -owned and maintained roadways are constructed with a 20-foot-wide travel lane and 15-foot- wide, paved shoulders within a 50-foot-wide right-of-way. The applicant proposes to construct interior subdivision roadways to a similar, County dedicable standard and dedicated to the County. The preceding will be added as a condition of approval. Through the application process, both the State Office of Planning and Sustainable Development (OPSD) and residents of the adjacent Ola Hou Subdivision commented on the need for an alternative access to the project rather than the single ingress/egress to the subdivision as mentioned above.