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The Honorable J Yoshimoto, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 2 The change of zone request from A-3a to FA-la will conform to, among others, the Land Use element and Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map of the General Plan. In order to consider an area for any type of zoning designation, the applicable goals, policies and standards of the General Plan must be adequately addressed. It is only through such a comprehensive policy analysis approach that evaluations and decisions can be made to better time and stage developments to .achieve growth determined by the General Plan and related planning documents. The implications of these evaluations and decisions must be also considered as they may have an impact on similar areas in the County. The Land Use- Agriculture element of the plan seeks to protect and maintain important agricultural lands from urban encroachment. However, the subject property is not classified as important agricultural land and has not been in agricultural use since it was cultivated for sugar. In fact the LUP AG Map, which establishes the basic urban and non-urban form for areas within the County designates the subject property as Low Density Urban which allows for residential uses with an overall density of up to six units per acre, ancillary community and public uses, and neighborhood and convenience-type commercial uses. The purpose of the Family Agricultural district, according to the Zoning Code, is to provide for a blend of small-scale agricultural operations associated with residential activities which may be characterized by farm estates, small acreage farms, or subsistence lots in areas where public services and infrastructure are appropriate to support the very low density residential needs of the community and where a substantial number of surrounding parcels are less than five acres in size. Surrounding properties in the general area of the subject property are in residential and agricultural use. With the exception of lots to the south ranging in size from four to ten acres, most of the agricultural lots in the area are less than 2 acres in size. Based on the above, a change of zone to the FA district classification is appropriate in this area and the request is consistent with the General Plan as it will not diminish the potential for future agricultural uses on the property and will remain consistent with the LUP AG designation for this area. All essential utilities and services are available to the site. Access to the property is from Ainaola Drive, a paved two-lane County road within a 50-foot wide right-of-way. The City ofHilo Zone Map designates Ainaola Drive as an SO-foot wide right-of-way; therefore, a condition of approval will require the applicant provide a 15- foot wide future road widening strip to the County prior to final subdivision approval. According to the Department of Water Supply, water can be made available to the property via an existing S-inch waterline within Ainaola Drive. The applicant will install service lateral water meter(s) as required by the Department of Water Supply to provide water to any future lots created by subdivision. As there is no municipal sewer system in