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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman <br /> and Members of the County Council <br /> <br /> Page 10 <br /> Surrounding lands are zoned Agricultural (A-la, A-2a, A-3a & A-20a) and <br /> located within the State's Agricultural District. There are dwellings immediately <br /> surrounding the property with active agricultural activity. The requested RA designation <br /> provides for activities or uses characterized by low density residential lots in rural areas <br /> where "city-like" concentrations of people, structures, streets, and urban level of services <br /> are absent, and where small farms are intermixed with low density residential lots. The <br /> RA district is intended to be only within areas designated as State Land Use Rural or <br /> Urban. In this particular area, along Ainalako Road and further south, the area is zoned <br /> Agricultural with lots ranging in size from about 3 - 50 acres. It is relatively rural in <br /> nature and a rural designation would be an appropriate transitional designation. Although <br /> there are some residential zoned pockets within the Urban district along Ainaola Road <br /> heading toward Kupulau Road; this movement of urbanization is moving westward, <br /> whereas Ainalako Road moves in a southerly direction. Therefore, a favorable <br /> recommendation of this change of zone request as RA-.Sa would be consistent with the <br /> existing land use pattern established within this portion of Hilo. <br /> All utilities and services are available to the site. The primary access to the <br /> property is from Ainaola Drive onto Ainalako Road, which has an approximately 16-foot <br /> wide pavement within a 50-foot right-of--way. A future road widening is proposed for <br /> Ainalako Road, which would result in a 60-foot right-of--way. This would require an <br /> additional 5 feet to be reserved along the frontage of the subject property for future road <br /> widening. There is an existing 8-inch water meter serving two existing dwellings on the <br /> property. The Hilo Police Station is 4 miles from the site, and the Fire Station is located <br /> on Kawailani Street, approximately 1.5 miles from the property. All other essential <br /> utilities and services are available to the site. <br /> The project has no severe geological or topographical problem which cannot be <br /> property rectified or which would render the land unusable. The topography of the site is <br /> level. The property is designated as Flood Zone "X" (outside of the 100-year flood area) <br /> on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) by the Federal Emergency Management <br /> Agency (FEMA). <br /> Finally, because the subject property and surrounding areas have been previously <br /> grazed by cattle and extensively cleared for agricultural uses, it is not anticipated that <br /> endangered or threatened candidate species of flora or fauna are located within the subject <br /> property, nor has the area been identified as a significant botanical or biological habitat. <br /> Further, as no valued cultural, historical or native resources nor any traditional and <br /> customary native Hawaiian rights were practiced in the area, it is also not anticipated that <br /> the proposed request will have any adverse impact on cultural or historical resources in <br /> the area. <br /> <br />