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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman <br />and Members of the County Council <br />Page 5 <br />While the subject property is currently within the State Land Use Agricultural and <br />County's Agricultural (A -5a) zoned districts, it is not currently being used for active <br />agricultural purposes. The State of Hawaii ALISH Map does not classify the property as <br />agricultural lands of importance to the State. The Land Use Study Bureau's Overall <br />Master Productivity Rating for soils within the property are "E" or "Very Poor." <br />Therefore, the reclassification of this 5.083 -acre portion of land from the <br />Agricultural to the Urban designation will not be detrimental to the agricultural land <br />inventory in the County of Hawaii. From a land use perspective, it is a more feasible <br />alternative to infill urban development within this particular area of North Kona that has <br />already been designated as the High Density urban core of Kailua-Kona by the General <br />Plan. In doing so, it would tend to alleviate the conversion of more productive <br />agricultural lands in more appropriate locations within the North Kona area for urban <br />type uses. Furthermore, an Urban classification would complement the existing and <br />future commercial land use patterns of the surrounding properties in view of existing and <br />proposed commercial developments within the immediate vicinity of the subject property. <br />Finally, it should also be noted that the reclassification action would conform to <br />the following goals, objectives and/or policies articulated in the Hawaii State Plan: <br />a. Achieve a strong, viable economy, characterized by stability, diversity and <br />growth that enables the fulfillment of the needs and expectations of <br />Hawaii's present and future generations. <br />b. Encourage urban developments in close proximity to existing services and <br />facilities. <br />Based on the above, the approval of the State Land Use Boundary Amendment to the <br />Urban District complements the State Land Use District Regulations and is supportive of the <br />State of Hawaii Plan. <br />Change of Zone <br />In order to consider an area for any type of zoning designation, the applicable <br />goals, policies and standards of the General Plan must be adequately addressed. It is only <br />through such a comprehensive policy analysis approach that evaluations and decisions <br />can be made to better time and stage developments to achieve growth determined by the <br />General Plan and related planning documents. The implications of these evaluations and <br />decisions must be also considered as they may have an impact on similar areas in the <br />County. <br />