Revised PD Background and Recommendation Amendments to Planning Commission Rule 8 and 9

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ACT 16 (1) Protect, preserve, and where desirable, restore or improve the qual- ity of coastal scenic and open space resources; (2) Protect valuable coastal ecosystems from disruption and minimize adverse impacts on all coastal ecosystems; (3) Reduce hazards to life and property from tsunami, storm waves, stream flooding, erosion, and subsidence; and (4) Improve the development review process, communication, and public participation in the management of coastal resources and hazards. The legislature also finds that a 2012 collaborative study by the United States Geological Survey and the University of Hawaii indicates that seventy per cent of beaches in Hawaii are undergoing a trend of chronic sand loss and shore- line retreat. Further, more than thirteen miles of beach in the State have been completely lost to erosion fronting seawalls and revetments. The Hawaii sea level rise vulnerability and adaptation report, accepted in 2017 by the Hawaii climate change mitigation and adaptation commission, finds that with just 1.1 feet of sea level rise, many more miles of beach could be lost to erosion if widespread shoreline armoring is allowed. This could mean a loss of five miles of beach on Kauai, seven miles of beach on Oahu, and eight miles of beach on Maui. Based on its findings, the report recommends enabling beaches to persist with sea level rise and suggests integrating sea level rise considerations into Hawaii's laws re- garding coastal zone management. The legislature further finds that the convergence of dense development along shorelines, increasing landward migration of shoreline due to sea level rise and other human and natural impacts, and extensive beach loss fronting shoreline armoring necessitates revision of existing policies and regulations. Re- vision of these existing policies and regulations would both protect beaches and other coastal environments from further degradation and reduce the exposure of shorefront communities to increasing erosion and flooding hazards caused by sea level rise. The legislature also finds that a recent study by the University of Hawaii coastal geology group identified several primary causes for the State's failure to meet coastal zone management policy objectives. Specifically, the study found that current policies, ordinances, and practices allow for: (1) The hardening of shorelines through a hardship variance that is granted based upon demonstrated hardship brought on by coastal erosion. When granted, these hardship variances set into motion a cycle of shoreline armoring that causes "flanking", or amplified ero- sion, on properties adjacent to armored shorelines. This continuous cycle of hardening and flanking can extend along an entire beach and, in a section of northeast Oahu, approximately forty-five per cent of observed shoreline hardening was implemented in response to adjacent hardening. This cycle,caused by a combination of beach erosion and coastal policy, has resulted in the narrowing and even elimination of beaches to the extent that they can no longer be used for public recreation or cultural practice; and (2) Renovation and expansion of single-family homes in erosion and flood-prone coastal areas, thereby extending building lifetimes in- definitely and allowing for virtually complete coverage of coastal parcels by these structures. The average building surface area in- creased by twenty per cent following the establishment of the State's coastal zone management program and, combined with sea level rise, this development increases the likelihood of mass structural failure and deposit of debris on public beaches. 256