COM 0198.000 2018-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Aaron S.Y. Chung, Council Chair and Members of the County Council County of Hawai`i Page 9 Planning Director's Recommendation for Amending Conditions L and P The Planning Director is supportive of granting time extensions to commence and complete construction of the development and Ponahawai Street extension, but is not supportive of deferring construction of sections of the Ponahawai Street extension by individual developers. The primary purpose of Project District zoning is to provide a comprehensive transportation network to serve the development and surrounding area. When the original Project District zoning was granted for the WPD in 2010, the basis for supporting the Project District zoning is that it would facilitate the completion of the Ponahawai Street extension; thus, improving the negative traffic implications if the project were granted without the condition to construct the roadway in its entirety. At this time the project has 200 water units committed to the development and after these units are utilized additional extensive water improvements will need to be made before the project can proceed. The wastewater capacity of the existing County sewer system is also constrained and will require additional improvements in the future to fully develop the WPD. The Director is concerned that after the initial phase of development is completed the project may stall for several years until water and wastewater capacity is increased, which could mean that the Ponahawai Street extension may not be built for several years or decades. The Director does not agree that requiring the applicant to construct the Ponahawai Street extension to County dedicable standards with curbs, gutters, and sidewalks is in excess of the impacts of the development of the 172-acre Wailani Project District development, and the applicant has not provided any evidence supporting their claim. The proposed roadway is- identified in the General Plan as a secondary arterial to provide much needed connectivity between the Kaumana community and downtown Hilo. As a compromise the Planning Director, with the support of the DPW, recommends the applicant construct the entire Ponahawai Street extension with paved shoulders and swales, similar to the Mohouli Street extension nearby,within 10 years from the effective date of the amended Project District ordinance. The addition of concrete curbs, gutters, and sidewalks can be constructed incrementally as adjacent bulk lots are developed by individual developers. According to the DPW,this compromise will provide the much needed connectivity in the area and ensure the safe design and cost effective construction of the extension. Lastly, since there is a shortage of housing in Hilo,the Director would like to see residential units developed in addition to commercial uses during the initial project phase with the available water units.