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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman <br />and Members of the County Council <br />Page 7 <br />flood area must comply with the requirements of the Flood Control Code (Chapter 27, <br />Hawaii County Code). Furthermore, the Department of Public Works has recommended <br />that a drainage study be prepared and the recommended drainage system shall be <br />constructed meeting with their approval. These recommendations will be made <br />conditions of this favorable recommendation. This recommendation also includes a <br />restriction prohibiting all new improvements within areas subject to 100 -year frequency <br />floods (Zones A and AE), with the exception of roads, landscaping, non-residential <br />parking and other non-structural improvements. The best way to mitigate hazards to life <br />and property caused by floods is to avoid building within designed flood plains. The <br />County's Flood Control Code generally does not prohibit someone from building within a <br />flood plain, it simply attempts to mitigate the adverse effects of flooding by building <br />higher than the anticipated height of flood waters. Where new construction or a change <br />in use is being proposed, our recommendation would be to altogether avoid construction <br />within flood plains. <br />According to the Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii <br />(ALISH) Map, the project site is classified as existing urban development. The Land <br />Study Bureau's overall master productivity rating for agricultural use of soils found <br />within the area of the subject property is Class "B5 V or a "Good" productivity rating but <br />is poorly suited for machine tillability due to its excessive stoniness. The agricultural <br />productivity of soil within the project site is good, although the location of this project <br />site will generally preclude its use for intensive forms of agriculture. Konawaena High <br />School and the Episcopal Church is located in the immediate vicinity of the project site. <br />In addition, the project site is located at the comer of a heavily utilized intersection. <br />While it is a policy of this County to ensure the protection of our important agricultural <br />resources, we are also mindful that the location of our good agricultural lands may not be <br />very conducive to agricultural uses given their proximity to other uses. In this case, the <br />use of approximately 5.959 -acres of good agricultural land for non-agricultural uses, in a <br />location that is not very conducive to intensive agricultural activities, will not have a <br />significant adverse impact on the agricultural resources of the County. <br />The project site has been utilized for ranching and agricultural activities over the <br />past 150 years. The project site has been extensively grubbed and graded, improved with <br />a ranch house and other ranching facilities. Given the improved nature of the project site, <br />the presence of endangered floral and fauna species is unlikely. For similar reasons, no <br />known archaeological sites or features are known to exist within the project site. Land <br />alteration or grubbing activity will require permits from the Department of Public Works, <br />which will also include reviews by the Historic Preservation Division. <br />To mitigate any potential noise and visual impacts to adjoining and nearby <br />properties compliance with the landscaping rules of the Planning Department (Rule No. <br />