COM 0099.000 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

Metadata

Thumbnails

Annotations

BACKGROUND OVERLAY ZONES Overlay Zones are a common land-use tool designed to accomplish a variety of goals. To put it in a nutshell, an "overlay" zone is a special zone that is "ovedaid" on the existing land use regulations to supplement these regulations. In other words, it provides a mechanism to establish specific, unified, land use standards or conditions that are applied in addition to the conditions already in place as defined by the underlying zoning designations. Overlay Zones are adopted for land surrounding airports in order to establish specific conditions related to airport safety, security, and access. For example, conditions regarding heights of towers or night-IigMs may be imposed in a region surrounding the airport. Overlay zones are also often applied to flood zones to increase public safety as well as to establish linear green belt parks over flood prone areas. They are also used to create special enterprise zones to create incentives for business within a specific area. But the use of overlay zones encompassing land along transportation corridors is probably the most common application across the country. Typically, as one travels along a highway, the zoning designations of the adjoining properties can range from conservation to agricultural to urban to commercial within a distance of a few miles. Therefore, an "overlay" zone provides a flexible tool to establish specific standards or conditions, in addition to those defined by the underlying zoning designations, in order to create, preserve, and/or enhance common features along the transportation corridor. The corridor overlay zone extends for a specific length and width, on a case by case basis. Within this corridor overlay zone, conditions or standarcJs can be established to address things that can be seen by those traveling along the transportation route, such as landscaping, utility poles, signage, view planes, building standards, recreation, access, and natural, historic, and cultural resource preservation. Depending on the goal, the corridor overlay zone can be applied to newly constructed roads or those currently in use. SCENIC CORRIDORS and BYWAYS The Federal Highway Administration operates the National Scenic Byways Program in over 45 states. The Program offers communities funding opportunities and training to identify, preserve, and develop scenic, cultural, historic, archaeological, natural, and/or recreational resources along designated transportation corridors. The program encourages local citizens, business, conservation organizations, and government agencies to work together to protect these intrinsic qualities that may exist along transportation corridors. A few years back, the State of Hawaii, Department of Transportation was provided seed money from the Federal Program for the purpose of developing the Hawaii Scenic Byways Program. After much delay, that process to set up the State Program has begun. In order to place ourselves in the position to be eligible for funding from the Program, once it is in place, the conditions included in this proposed amendment to Chapter 25, such as the requirement for a Corridor Management Plan, have been patterned after the Scenic Byways Program. A PLANNING TOOL With or without a Scenic Byways Program, the establishment of a new section for Scenic Corridor Overlay Zones within Chapter 25 provides the Planning Department with a useful tool to more effectively respond to regional planning needs of the County of Hawaii. The Scenic Corridor Overlay Zone mechanism will provide an additional opportunity to fulfill a variety of goals adopted within the County General Plan ranging from the identification and preservation sites of historical and cultural importance and areas of unique natural beauty as well as to increase recreational opportunities for the residents and visitors within the County of Hawaii. EXHIBIT `C '