COM 0451.004 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Rezone Application 11-141 / Bill 138 Dear Council Member, I appreciate the opportunity to further discuss our rezone application and the particular details that relate to it. Specifically I wanted to explain the topographic intricacies of our property, why we have chosen to rezone our lot of 4.747 acres to FA-1 a as opposed to FA-2a, and why we are asking for the waiver of Condition M known as the Fair Share Contribution. Our property is essentially divided into three sections as a result of various topographic circumstances. This is more easily illustrated by looking at the map provided (See Map 2). I have drawn and labeled the three sections of our property as Portions A, B, and C. Portion A parallels Akala Road and is the area in which our current home is located. This portion is nearly completely covered with lava, has no agricultural value, and presents difficulties for further construction because of both the lava itself, the narrowness of Portion A, a ditch that separates portions A and B, and a future road widening of Akala Road by an additional 15 feet. Portion A is covered by ferns which are able to survive in the limited soil located in the cracks and crevices of the lava. Portion B, located between portions A and C is nearly completely filled with deep soil. It would be our intention to build a new home on this portion. Currently Portion B is regularly mowed and is being used to support a small garden in which tomatoes, taro, eggplant, carrots, corn, pineapple, and many more fruits and vegetables are being grown. Portion B in decades past has long supported various types of agriculture and it would be our hope to continue the tradition by expanding our current farming activity once a home was built. Portion C is comprised largely of lava, and tall trees with intermittent sections of moderate to shallow soil depth. Portion C lies between Portion B to the north and Kaumana Caves State Park to the south. Because of the randomness of the lava, traditional machine operated farming would be nearly impossible but the opportunity to do small site specific farming of fruit trees and the like does exist. Under the current way in which the Fair Share Contribution is being accessed we could have chosen to rezone to FA-2a and avoid this condition all together. The reason that we have chosen to rezone to FA- la is to maintain the integrity and viability of Portion B. As illustrated in the map provided(Map 2), and explained above, portion B is the only viable part of our property that has any agricultural value. We would very much like to keep Portion B intact for ourselves and future generations. That is precisely why we have drawn our proposed subdivision lines in the manner we have. By zoning to FA-la we are able to separate Portion A, which is covered in lava and with little to no soil, from Portions B and C. In doing so we also remove what is currently a topographic divide: i.e. a ditch. The ditch separating Portions A from B is around 10 feet deep and runs some 300 feet along the border between these two portions. Getting from Portion A to Portion B is made extremely difficult and requires traveling over 400 feet down Akala Road to gain access. By subdividing the property in the manner proposed there would no longer be a need to travel from Portions A and B as they would be two separate properties. In addition, both would more efficiently maximize the use of the available land by keeping the lava flow as one portion and the agricultural viable area as another portion. To provide an example of what the proposed subdivision line would look like for a FA-2a zoning I have included a doted dark blue line on the map. As can be seen, the choice to zone to FA-2a would essentially divide Portion B in half To do so would also make the agricultural viability of Portion B