Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> Pete Hoffmann, Chairman <br /> and Members of the County Council <br /> Page 6 <br /> congestion), the bill would have some exceptions where regional mitigation <br /> would not be required. The main one is for rezoning where the developer <br /> commits to provide at least twice the level of affordable housing normally <br /> required under the county's affordable housing policy. The basic level is 20% of <br /> the total units being affordable at 120% of median; to get the exemption from <br /> regional mitigation, the developer would have to provide at least double that <br /> figure. The developer would still have to provide local mitigation, such as turn <br /> lanes into the project, but this is a normal safety/convenience requirement. <br /> The second major exception to regional mitigation allows commercial <br /> areas that serve a neighborhood area. For example, additional commercial zoning <br /> between Kea'au and Pahoa may provide places where people can buy groceries <br /> closer to their homes and avoid commuting to either town and reduce overall <br /> traffic problems. If the Council finds that they will reduce regional traffic <br /> problems, they can be exempted from regional mitigation. <br /> There is also an exemption for projects that conform to an adopted <br /> community development plan (CDP). The community development plans should <br /> include basic infrastructure requirements for new azeas to be developed. For <br /> example, it is our expectation that the Kona Community Development Plan would <br /> require that new zoning between the end of Kealaka'a Street and Hina Lani Street <br /> would need the extension of Kealaka'a Street all the way to Hina Lani Street, <br /> creating a through road (rather than allowing housing to be built along <br /> incremental extensions of Kealaka'a). Projects built in conformance with a CDP <br /> should be deemed to conform to regional mitigation requirements. <br /> The revised Bi11318 also contains basic requirements for water. It would <br /> require that either the water commitments be available, or that there be specific <br /> improvements that will make it available. It would not be enough for the <br /> developer to simply say that they would wait for water to be available. There is <br /> an exception to the water requirement for commercial and light industrial areas in <br /> rural areas identified for such uses in the General Plan, but where there is no <br /> public water service and no prospect of such service. The prime examples would <br /> be the areas identified as Alternate Urban Expansion in the Hawaiian Ocean <br /> View-Ranchos azea, and in the "Medium Density" azea in Volcano. In the <br /> HOVE-Ranchos azea, there has already been quite a bit of commercial <br /> development allowed by Special Permit where water is supplied through storage <br /> tanks or reservoirs. Further expansion of this azea should be allowed by zoning, <br /> but developing a water system is financially infeasible for the typical commercial <br /> development, and may not be physically possible. In Volcano, the same is true <br /> with respect to the water system, and commercial zoning has been allowed with <br /> fire flow and sanitation requirements being met by storage. <br /> 2. Bi11319: The Planning Director has a negative recommendation on Bi11319. <br /> This would apply at the subdivision stage. Because portions of the Queen <br /> <br />