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BeltCollins <br /> January 2, 2003 <br /> 03A-004 <br /> r <br /> Mr. Christopher Yuen <br /> Director <br /> Department of Planning <br /> County of Hawaii <br /> Aupuni Center <br /> 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Dear Mr. Yuen: <br /> Thank you for the copy of your letter to Council Committee Chairperson <br /> Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd regarding the designation of certain lands of my six <br /> clients in North Kona as "Important Agricultural Lands" in the draft LUPAG map for <br /> North Kona for the update of the County General Plan. Your letter states that the <br /> lands in question were designated "Important" because the USDA classified them <br /> as "fair for two or more crops, on an irrigated basis." Hpnnl„In <br /> An~l-al~a <br /> The lands in question are not irrigated and there are no plans by anyone to <br /> bring irrigation to them. To do so would make no economic sense whatsoever. HnnpKnng <br /> Pl iilJy51J <br /> These lands have a total acreage of 821.353 acres and only less than 100 '"""Pp'"a' <br /> acres mauka of the 1 000-foot elevation could be considered as suitable for an sa°`°° <br /> Y $ingapn~o <br /> agriculture activity more intense than pasture and grazing. In general, the acreage r„a„o„h <br /> makai of the 1,000-foot elevation down to the shoreline has low to very low <br /> rainfall, is seasonally dry, is steep to very steep with no soil or stony soils, unsuited <br /> for machine tilling, and has frequent outcroppings of rocks and pahoehoe lava. <br /> Agricultural Lands Important to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) does not classify <br /> the lands as Prime or Unique but rather as other or not classified because they are <br /> so poor. Except for a very small area of C, the UH Land Study Bureau classifies <br /> these lands as D or E and there are no crops whatsoever being grown at the present <br /> time. <br /> We have asked the Council to re-designate these lands to "Extensive <br /> Agricultural Lands," as they do not meet the definition in the draft text for <br /> "Important Agricultural Lands," which is having "better potential for sustained high <br /> agricultural yields because of soil type, climate, topography, or other factors." <br /> Instead, these lands fit the definition for "Extensive Agricultural Lands," which <br /> "have limited potential for agriculture due to physical constraints such as soil <br /> Comm. No. <br /> File No. <br /> <br /> Belt Collins Hawaii Ltd. <br /> <br /> 2153 North King Street, Suile 200 . Honolulu, Hawaii 96819 USA Ref. To: <br /> <br /> T/808 521 5361 . F/808 538 7819. honolulu@belicollins.com . www.beltcollins.com Ref, t~8te JAN 13 2003 <br /> <br /> Belt Gollns Hewa is en Enual Oppotlumty Employer <br /> <br />