COM 0329.000 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 3 improvements for the area relating to traffic, traffic safety, water, fire protection, parks and civil defense. The property is situated within close proximity to the employment center of Kailua-Kona. The subject reclassification is for land located just three miles from the urban/retail/employment center of Kailua-Kona, and thereby conforms with the Land Use Commission Rules which encourages urban developments in close proximity to existing developments in close proximity to existing services and facilities. All utilities and services are available to the property which are essential to accommodate urban development. Access to the property is from Ke'oke'o Street which connects to Ka'iminani Drive within the Kona Palisades Estates and/or Holu Street which connects to Ahikawa Street within the Kona Coast View Subdivision. Ke'oke'o Street has a 50 -foot wide right-of-way with 20 -foot wide pavement. Ka'iminani Drive, which serves as the primary mauka-makai connector road between Hawaii Belt Road and Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, has a 60 -foot wide right-of-way with 24 -foot wide pavement. Electrical service is available to the property from Hawaii Electric Light Co. Inc., and telephone service is available from GTE Hawaiian Tel. The property has no severe geological or topographical problems which cannot be properly rectified or which would render the land unusable. The U.S. Corps of Engineers Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) designates the property as Zone X, area of minimal tsunami inundation. There are presently two dwellings on the property. The dwellings should comply with Chapter 27 of the County Code relating to Flood Hazard Control. Thus, the reclassification does meet with the standard which states that the lands included within the urban district"... shall be those with satisfactory topography and drainage and reasonably free from the danger of floods, tsunami and unstable soil conditions and other adverse environmental effects." While the subject property is within the State Land Use Agricultural and County's Agricultural (A -la) zoned districts, it is not currently being used for active agricultural purposes. The State of Hawaii ALISH Map does not classify the subject property in any category. The Land Use Study Bureau's Overall Master Productivity Rating for the soils in the area is "E" or Very Poor. Therefore, the reclassification of this 1.00 acre area from the Agricultural to the Urban designation will not be detrimental to the reduction of this area from the agricultural land inventory in the County of Hawaii. From a land use perspective, it is a more feasible alternative to infill urban development within this particular area of North Kona. In doing so, it would tend to alleviate the conversion of more productive agricultural lands in more appropriate locations within the North Kona area for Urban Low Density type uses. Furthermore, an Urban classification would complement the existing and future residential land use patterns of the surrounding properties in view of the adjacent Kona Palisades and Kona Coast View subdivisions. Based on the above, the approval of the State Land Use Boundary Amendment to the Urban District complements the State Land Use District Regulations and is supportive of the State of Hawaii Plan.