2008-05-22 TPUNACDP - Laserfiche WebLink

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SIRACUSA: I would like to point out the scenario that was given of a 1,000-acre parcel zoned Ag-1, most of Puna, especially the middle and lower Puna, is a total cul-de-sac, and a lot of the subdivisions within that part of Puna are cul-de-sacs within cul-de-sacs. And yet not too long ago, you know, and still now actually, we have lava coming down in Royal Gardens. It’s really crucial for people to be able to evacuate. The roads aren’t getting any wider. We still have one road in and out, and State DOT has no plans to do major widening. In some places we have two or three roads leading into that 1 road, which makes a real evacuation nightmare. So trying to reduce the number of available, buildable lots is really – besides everything else – is a major issue for public safety. And I just wanted to put that out there before I ask my question. WATANABE: You have a question also. Okay, continue. SIRACUSA: Okay? All right. WATANABE: I did overuse my time anyway, yeah. SIRACUSA: We at the Planning Commission have had a lot of applications from people in Puna – Special Permit applications – people who wanted to do rather the stuff that would go really in a light-industry zone, auto repair shops and things like that; and tentatively rd they have been getting Special Permits of a limited 5-year period on 33 in Paradise Park. They back up against the highway and you’ve seen those warehouse structures – and you’ve seen them because a lot of them haven’t really complied with the Rule 17. But be that as it may, we have been hoping -, we have been giving only these limited permits with limited time periods because we kept waiting for the Puna Community Development Plan to come out and designate some areas where this limited industrial development could take place, so that we could say to those people, no, we are not going to grant you this bar here because there is an area where you can do it, that’s already been approved for that. So my question is -, it didn’t seem to me in reading this that this Plan really helps the Commission determine where to put light-industrial zoning in Puna. Could you -, am I reading the maps wrong, or -? Could you explain that, please? BROWN: I’ll try. I admit that the Plan probably isn’t as clear as it could be on that issue. I’ve had discussions with John Whalen, the planning consultant, on this very subject. And he explained to me that the intent was that the industrial, light-industrial zoning should be located in Pahoa and Keaau within the regional town centers for those two village areas. And I explained that, according to the language in the Plan, it’s very restrictive in that it doesn’t allow for any zoning for commercial or industrial uses outside of the designated village or town centers, and that that wouldn’t provide any kind of wiggle room to allow for a community plan rd such as HPP’s master plan where they do have that industrial, light-industrial area on 33 designated; and so he’s working on some language to allow for that. WATANABE: Thank you. Can we -? Ms. Siracusa. SIRACUSA: Just one -. WATANABE: Real quick one, then. EXHIBIT C 9