COM 0391.000 2012-2014 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The Honorable J Yoshimoto, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 3 General Plan and related planning documents. The implications of these evaluations and decisions must also be considered as they may have an impact on similar areas in the County. The change of zone request from a Agricultural—5 acre (A-5a) to a Family Agricultural—2 acre (FA-2a) zoning district conforms to applicable goals, policies and standards of the General Plan. The FA zoning district is intended for lands within the State Land Use Agricultural District, where public services and infrastructure are appropriate to support the very low density residential needs of a rural community and where a substantial number of parcels are less than five acres in size, and where a mix of uses will not conflict with or be detrimental to existing agricultural uses in the surrounding area. The Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide(LUPAG) Map component of the General Plan is a representation of the document's goals and policies to guide the coordinated growth and development of the County. It reflects a graphic depiction of the physical relationship among the various land uses. The LUPAG Map establishes the basic urban and non-urban form for areas within the County. The proposed request conforms to the LUPAG Map, which designates approximately half of the property as Low Density Urban and the other half as Important Agricultural Land. The portion of land to be rezoned to the FA-2a zoning district is located within the portion that is designated as Low Density Urban. Low Density Urban allows residential uses, with ancillary community and public uses, and neighborhood and convenience-type commercial uses; overall residential density may be up to six units per acre. The Land Study Bureau's Detailed Land Classification System identifies mainly as "C"or"Fair" for agricultural productivity, with a small part on the west (makai)portion of the property as "Existing Urban Development" along Hooper Road. The property is unclassified by the ALISH System. A major concern in allowing a rezoning of agricultural land that creates smaller lot sizes is that this will reduce the potential use of the land for commercial agriculture by fragmenting the land into areas too small to be farmed on a commercial scale. While a few crops can be intensively cultivated on very small acreage, usually these crops have a very limited market. Reducing the size of the lots can reduce the range of potential agricultural uses and the range of market opportunities for those crops. In this particular situation, the applicant is requesting the change in zoning in order to subdivide into two lots to legally separate the family interests in the property for family. Both of the newly created lots will still have the potential to be used for farming or agricultural purposes, such as pasture.