BIL 318 Draft 03 2006-2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN Draft -March 2008 • Because Puna's subdivisions are so large and have few arterial streets, evacuation of residents on short notice in the event a lava flow, earthquake, tsunami or hurricane is a significant problem with serious consequences to public safety. The potential problem worsens as subdivision lots continue to develop and no infrastructure improvements are made. • As more lots are developed, an increasing number of residents expect improved infrastructure. The cumulative impact of widespread use of cesspools on the quality of the aquifer and coastal waters is undetermined. Retrofitting infrastructure improvements is expensive, and not all residents are willing to either bear the cost or accept the transition from a "rural" setting to one that is more suburban. • Because subdivision lots were sold in their undeveloped state rather than with dwellings, development has occurred in an uneven, "leap-frog" pattern, which makes it even more difficult to develop infrastructure and provide services to the population. Residents often must make long trips to employment, schools, shopping and other destinations to meet daily needs. • While most of these subdivisions are on agricultural-zoned lands, the actual use of developed lots is predominantly residential. As in-fill residential development continues, it will be more difficult for existing small-lot agricultural uses to remain viable due to complaints from neighbors about nuisance effects of agricultural operations and potential increases in crop theft or vandalism. • Lot development adversely impacts the native forest in an obvious way when an entire lot is cleared of vegetative cover to make way for buildings and yards. But clear-cutting and pin-to-pin grading and grubbing of lots has subtler impacts, as well, such as: - Openings in the forest promote the spread invasive, non-native species. Non- native plants affect the forests by changing the soil chemistry and increasing shade, making it hard for native plants to compete and survive. - Fragmenting the forest creates "edge" habitat that further accelerates the decline of native organisms. - Fragmentation also changes the microclimate of adjacent forest (i.e., increased temperature and sunlight and decreased moisture in the understory), altering growing regimes for plants and the suitability of nesting sites. - Grading creates boggy areas devoid of vegetation, providing breeding habitat for mosquitoes, a vector for avian malaria, which further threatens the native bird population. - Re-contouring of lots through grading and filling alters local drainage patterns and affect adjacent properties or rights-of-way. - Lot grading can lead to the collapse of an underlying lava tube, which in turn may expose a unique cave ecosystem or• an ancient burial site or artifact. 1-5