Laserfiche WebLink
site visit. The applicant states that all of the structures will be renovated under <br /> appropriate permits and brought into compliance. Any permit deficiencies will be <br /> corrected in the renovation and conversion process. <br /> The applicant's reason for the request is to accommodate changing demographics <br /> in the area, and to provide residents of the facility opportunities to be engaged and <br /> supportive of other residents in a family-like atmosphere. The elder care facility would <br /> provide residents with meals and transportation to activities and appointments, along with <br /> social programs for seniors. <br /> The grounds for approving a Special Permit is based on Rule 6-7 in the Planning <br /> Commission Rules. It states that the Planning Commission shall not approve a Special <br /> Permit unless it is found that the proposed use (a) is an unusual and reasonable use of <br /> land situated within the Agricultural or Rural District, whichever the case may be; and (b) <br /> the proposed use would promote the effectiveness and objectives of Chapter 205, Hawaii <br /> Revised Statutes, as amended. <br /> The proposed use is an unusual and reasonable use of land situated within <br /> the State Land Use Agricultural District and would promote the effectiveness and <br /> objectives of the State Land Use Law and Regulations and Chapter 205, HRS, as <br /> amended. The State Land Use Law and Regulations are intended to preserve, protect <br /> and encourage the development of lands for those uses to which they are best suited in <br /> the interest of the public welfare of the people of the State of Hawai`i. In the case of the <br /> Agricultural District, the intent is to preserve or keep lands of high agricultural potential <br /> in agricultural use. <br /> The proposed use is unusual in that an elder care facility is not normally <br /> considered agricultural in nature. It is reasonable for an elder care facility to be <br /> considered within the Agricultural district because communities within agricultural <br /> districts require certain services that support the agricultural community in which they are <br /> located, including senior citizen care and housing. <br /> In recognizing that lands within the Agricultural district might not be best suited <br /> for agricultural activities and yet classified as such, and in recognition that certain types <br /> of uses might not be strictly agricultural in nature, yet reasonable in such districts, the <br /> -2- <br />