COM 0045.025 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Honorable Leningrad Elarionoff, Chair and Members of the Committee on Planning COUNTY COUNCIL Page 6 December 15, 2003 Agricultural and Extensive Agricultural is that the preservation of the agricultural potential of the lands should be given first priority in rezoning and other land use decisions involving Important Ag lands. The designation of"Important Agricultural Lands" has drawn some concern, particularly from large landowners. There have been a number ofparcel-specific objections, by the Liliuokalani Trust with regard to property above Kailua-Kona, by some landowners in the Honalo makai area, and in Waikoloa, near the Mamalahoa Highway, among others. These "Important Ag" lands were identified primarily on the basis of agricultural potential, mainly as determined by soil types. The criteria are stated on p. 345- 346 of the "green" General Plan draft. Some of the aeeas that the private owners contend should not be considered, as "Important Agricultural Lands" are included because of the criterion "at least fair for two or more crops, on an irrigated basis." While the criteria we used aze all valid, there is no one right way to develop maps of areas of relatively high agricultural potential. There are a number of ways to modify the maps, but still relying upon objective criteria. We can, for example, review the use of the "irrigated" criterion, for areas that are in fact not imgated and where imgation is not likely to be available. If the Council wants to make changes in these designations, it is important that we have an early discussion of this question because it affects so much land. The elimination of the "Orchards" category also means that there must be a designation for those "Orchards" areas that are not being put in "Rural". There is a statewide Agricultural Working Group, convened at the request of the Legislature that has been reviewing agricultural policy statewide. (The Planning Director has attended several of these sessions.) One result is a renewed effort to fulfill the mandate contained in the 1978 amendments to the State Constitution to identify "important agricultural lands" (IAL's). It remains to be seen whether this effort will result in a process to identify the IAL's. (Bills to do this have been considered and rejected in every legislative session for more than twenty years.) This will take (1) action by the state legislature to establish the criteria for IAL's, (2) actual mapping island-by-island, and (3) ratification of the IAL's by some state body, probably the Land Use Commission. We will not know until the end of the 2004 legislative session whether this process will even begin. Once