COM 0065.000 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 3 would be via subdivision roadways from the adjacent proposed Keauhou View Estates Subdivision. Conditions of approval require a new access, other than by way of Alii Drive be provided prior to final subdivision approval of any lot. This roadway will be open to public traffic. Electrical service is available to the property from Hawaii Electric Light Co. Inc., and telephone service is available from GTE Hawaiian Tel. The property has no severe geological or topographical problems which cannot be properly rectified or which would render the land unusable. The U.S. Corps of Engineers Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) designates the property as Zone X, areas determined to be outside the 500-year flood plain. Any improvements to the property must comply with Chapter 27 of the County Code relating to Flood Hazard Control. Thus, the reclassification does meet with the standard which states that the lands included within the Urban District shall be those with satisfactory topography and drainage and reasonably free from the danger of floods, tsunami and unstable soil conditions and other adverse environmental effects." While the subject property is within the State Land Use Agricultural and County's Unplanned zoned districts, it is not currently being used for active agricultural purposes. The State of Hawaii ALISH Map classifies the mauka portion of the property as "other important agricultural land" and the makai portions are unclassified. Archaeological evidence suggests that this area may have been used marginally for limited agricultural production (primarily sweet potato, dry land taro and possibly yam). Agricultural production in this zone of the Kona Field System did not contribute substantially to subsistence demand. The Land Use Study Bureau's Overall Master Productivity Rating for the soils in the mauka area is "D" or Poor and in the makai area is "E" or Very Poor. The area has been used during recent years for cattle grazing. Therefore, the reclassification of this 14.013 acre area from the Agricultural to the Urban designation will not be detrimental to the reduction of this area from the agricultural land inventory in the County of Hawaii. From a land use perspective, it is amore feasible alternative to infill urban development within this particular area of North Kona. In doing so, it would tend to alleviate the conversion of more productive agricultural lands in more appropriate locations within the North Kona area for Urban Low Density type uses. Furthermore, an Urban classification would complement the existing and future residential land use patterns of the surrounding properties in view of the adjacent residential subdivisions.