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3. ;. i <br />Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Council Chair <br />and Members of the County Council <br />September 09, 2025 <br />Page 2 <br />consideration of the request. <br />The applicant is requesting to amend two conditions of the subject Change of Zone <br />ordinance to facilitate their ability to utilize funds from the County's Affordable Housing <br />Production (AHP) program to develop the `Koai`e' affordable housing subdivision. In their <br />application for rezoning, the applicant committed to dedicating 100% of the 43 planned lots for <br />affordable housing. As had been the Planning Department's practice at the time, the applicant's <br />commitment was memorialized in the affordable housing condition (Condition M). Additionally, <br />to help defray the cost of developing these affordable lots, the Planning Director added language <br />to the fair share condition (Condition N) to provide relief from the requirement to pay fair share <br />on the proposed affordable lots. <br />At the time of the rezoning neither the applicant nor the Planning Department were aware <br />that this condition language conflicts with the AHP's funding rules, specifically around the <br />prohibition of AHP funding use for affordable housing units/lots that are required by law. <br />Because Condition M treats the 43 affordable lots as a zoning requirement, AHP funding cannot <br />be applied to them under Section 3-5(6)(b) of the program rules. <br />To resolve this conflict, the Planning Department collaborated with OHCD to develop <br />new standard affordable housing condition language for change of zone ordinances that aligns <br />with AHP rules and encourages the development of additional affordable housing lots/units by <br />offering incentives, such as relief from Fair Share requirements, in return for voluntarily <br />provided affordable units well beyond the 20% required by the County Housing Code. <br />The applicants' proposed amendments to Conditions M and N are generally consistent <br />with the department's updated standard condition language and continue to support the original <br />intent of promoting the development of a substantial number of affordable residential lots. <br />The Planning Director recommends one modification: removal of the applicants' <br />proposed introductory clause to Condition N, which states, "Should the Applicant develop <br />residential lots on the subject property, the %J... ". This conditional phrasing is more <br />appropriate in the context of commercial zoning, where residential development is permitted but <br />not required. However, because the subject property is zoned Single -Family Residential (RS-10), <br />the creation of residential lots is an expected outcome. As such, the inclusion of this qualifying <br />language is unnecessary. <br />Additionally, there have been no changes to the subject property, proposed development, <br />or associated land use entitlements since the zoning ordinance was approved by County Council <br />in early 2025. Therefore, the justification provided for that rezoning remains valid. These include <br />consistency with the General Plan, the South Kohala Community Development Plan, and the <br />Zoning Code; the availability of necessary infrastructure; and compliance with Coastal Zone <br />Management (CZM) requirements, including the protection of historic, cultural, and natural <br />resources. <br />