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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 8 Electricity, telephone and cable services are currently available to the project area. Continued development in the project area may require HELCO to complete a planned Palani Road Substation to complement its existing substation located within the Kona Industrial Subdivision. The Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM) indicate that the property is located in Zone "X", areas determined to be outside of the 500-year flood plain. There are no significant drainageways anticipated. While there are no indications of surface water flow on-site, the applicant will abide by all applicable County guidelines for run-off generated by the development. The predominant soil within the project area is classified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, as Pahoehoe Lava Flows (rLW). Along the mauka edge of the project area, soils are classified as Punaluu extremely rocky peat (rPYD) soil and A'a lava (rLV). The project area is not classified as having any agricultural importance on the State Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) Map and soils within the subject property are classified as "E" (Very Poor) for agricultural productivity by the Land Study Bureau. Therefore, the requested change of zone will not have any significant negative impact on the agricultural resources of the County. In 1989, Philip Bruner completed a Survey of Avifauna and Feral Mammals on QLT's Keahuolu lands, as part of an Environmental Impact Statement to accompany a petition to reclassify approximately 1,135 acres of QLT lands from State Agricultural and Conservation Land Use Districts to the Urban District (extending from Palani Road to the Kealakehe/Keahuolu boundary). As the project site is adjacent to areas covered in the 1989 survey and characterized by similar habitat conditions, it is likely that the conclusions of the earlier study are still applicable to the subject project area. During the survey, no resident endemic species of land or water birds, migratory or indigenous birds or seabirds, or endangered species of feral mammals were observed. Feral mammals observed on the project site include mongoose, rats and mice. The majority of bird and mammal life impacted was found to be exotic species. In a botanical survey of the project area performed by Char and Associates in February, 1999, three general vegetation types were recognized in the area. Kiawe forest occurs on the northern portion of the project area around Luhia Street, fountain grass scrub is found on the majority of the project area makai of Luhia Street, and a weedy assemblage of plant species is associated with the roadsides and other disturbed areas. A total of 66 plant species were identified on the site. Of these, 57 are introduced, 1 is originally of early Polynesian introduction, and 8 are native. The native species are the ilima, koali awa, iliee, alahee, aalii, and uhaloa. Two species are endemic, that is, they