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County of Hawaii <br />PLANNING COMMISSION <br />Aupuni Cenmr • 101 Pauahi Strec[, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawai `i 967?0 <br />Phonc (808) 961-8?88 • Fax (808) 961-8742 <br />October 21, 2008 <br />Pete Hoffmann, Chairman <br />and Members of the County Council <br />County of Hawaii <br />333 Kilauea Avenue, 2nd Floor <br />Hilo, HI 96720 <br />Dear Chairman Hoffmann and Council Members: <br />Change of Zone Application (REZ 08-000082) <br />Applicant: Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin <br />Request. RS-10 to RM-1.5 <br />Tax Map Key: 2-4-1:116 <br />The Planning Commission, after a duly held public hearing on October 3, 2008, voted to <br />recommend for your approval the proposed legislative bill for a change of zone from the Single <br />Family Residential - 10,000 square feet (RS-l0) to Multiple Family Residential - 1,500 square <br />feet (RM-1.5) district for 4 acres of land located along the south side of Kawili Street, adjacent to <br />and east of the Waiakea High School complex, Waiakea, South Hilo, Hawaii. <br />At the hearing, the applicant requested an amendment to Condition P (fair share fees) and <br />Condition R (affordable housing) stating that these conditions would not apply to any units on <br />the subject property that are planned to accommodate students attending the University of Hawaii <br />at Hilo or other institutions of higher learning within the City of Hilo. The Planning Director did <br />not support sending a favorable recommendation to the County Council for the applicant's <br />proposed amendment given that only the County Council, as the legislative body for the County, <br />has the authority to determine whether to waive the requirements of the County Code, <br />Chapter 1 1, for housing, and it should be the County Council to decide whether a specific project <br />had so much merit that the fair share payments normally required should be waived. The <br />Planning Director did suggest that the applicant could explore with the Office of Housing and <br />Community Development (OHCD) whether its student housing project could be considered to <br />fulfill Chapter 11 based on Hawaii County Code, Sec. 1 1-5(a)(8), which says that one way to <br />satisfy the requirements is to get the administrator's concurrence that a project satisfies a "critical <br />regional housing need." The Planning Commission agrees with the Director's decision. We do, <br />Hawui'i Counq~ is un Equnl Opportunin~ Provider and Emplo~•er <br />