PD Recommendation Report Ching (PL-REZ-2023-044)

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The request also conforms to the following General Plan goals, specific to the District of Hamakua: ■ Assist the further development of agriculture and continue to cooperate with the agricultural sector and other appropriate agencies to provide the necessary services to assist agriculture. ■ Encourage large landowners to make agricultural lands available for agriculture. 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 A-5a zoning conforms to the LUPAG Map that designates the subject property as Extensive Agricultural (ea), which includes lands not classified as Important Agricultural Land and lands that are not capable of producing sustained, high agricultural yields without the intensive application of modern farming methods and technologies due to certain physical constraints such as soil composition, slope, machine tillability and climate. Other less intensive agricultural uses such as grazing and pasture may be included in the Extensive Agriculture category. Based on the preceding, the proposed A-5a zoning would effectuate a decrease in density that would be consistent with the LUPAG designation and the land use goals for the island and district. In addition, the subject property is located within the Hamakua Community Development Plan (HCDP) planning area. The HCDP does not include land use guide maps or policies specific to the area of the subject property. However, by downzoning the property and decreasing the density allowed by zoning,larger,more viable agricultural lots will be created. Thus,the request conforms with the following general HCDP policies and objectives for land use settlement patterns: ■ To reduce rural sprawl and infrastructure costs, focus future residential development in existing villages and towns and seek to preserve large productive agricultural lands for agriculture by accommodating rural-residential development close to urban centers. ■ Protect and restore viable agricultural lands and resources. All essential utilities and services are available to the site. Access to 5 of the 6 lots will be from Old Mamalahoa Highway, a county-owned and maintained roadway with -3-