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Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Council Chair <br />and Members of the County Council <br />September 03, 2025 <br />Page 2 <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 final phases of the `Kumakua Self Help Housing' <br />project. In their application for their last amendment, the applicant committed to dedicating 32 of <br />the 33 planned lots for affordable housing. As had been the Planning Department's practice at <br />the time, the applicant's commitment was memorialized in the affordable housing condition <br />(Condition K). Additionally, to help defray the cost of developing these affordable lots, the <br />Planning Director added language to the fair share condition (Condition I) to provide relief from <br />the requirement to pay fair share on the affordable lots. <br />At the time of the original amendment, neither the applicant nor the Planning Department <br />were aware that this condition language conflicts with the AHP's funding rules, specifically <br />around the prohibition of AHP funding use for affordable housing units/lots that are required by <br />law. Because Condition K treats the 32 affordable units as a zoning requirement, AHP funding <br />cannot 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 housing code. <br />The applicants' proposed amendments to Conditions I and K 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 I, which states, "Should the Applicant develop <br />residential lots on the subject property, the [The]... ". 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-7.5 <br />and RS-10), the creation of residential lots is an expected outcome. As such, the inclusion of this <br />qualifying language is unnecessary. <br />Additionally, there have been no changes to the subject property, proposed development, <br />or associated land use entitlements since the most recent amendment in 2024, which granted a <br />time extension for subdividing the final phases of the `Kumakua Self -Help Housing' project. <br />Therefore, the justification provided for that amendment remains valid. These include <br />consistency with the General Plan, the North Kohala Community Development Plan, and the <br />Zoning Code; the availability of necessary infrastructure; and continued compliance with Coastal <br />Zone Management (CZM) requirements, including the protection of historic, cultural, and natural <br />resources. <br />