Agenda Item 1 - HELCO (PL-KVD-2023-000045)

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County of Hawaii Planning Department Via Electronic Processing and Information Center (EPIC) Subject: Landscape Plan Kona Baseyard, 74-5519 Kaiwi Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 TMK (3) 7-4-010:022 PL-PLA-2023-000221 Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., owner of the subject parcel, is seeking the necessary approvals to extend its lattice tower on the subject site. The lattice tower supports important communication equipment that enables Hawaiian Electric to efficiently operate the island -wide electrical grid. The Planning Department has requested that Hawaiian Electric provide a landscape plan to support its applications. The attached plan illustrates Hawaiian Electrics proposed landscape plan. The plan involves installing three new canopy trees, likely royal poinciana trees, in the parking lot area. The new trees would be planted in 9-foot-square areas and irrigated. Hawaiian Electric is seeking relief from Rule 17, Landscaping Requirements, in other areas of the subject site. The proposed landscape plan generally brings the parking lot area into compliance with applicable sections of Rule 17. Most other areas of the site, in particular Alapa Street frontage and the portion of Kaiwi Street adjacent to the switching station, cannot be brought into compliance with Rule 17. There are several reasons for this, including: • Overhead high voltage wires are present that require clearance. • There is no planting strip, only a thin (maximum 4' wide) strip, between the fence and slopes or required clear areas. • There is no soil cover in the area (the strip level with Alapa Street and the slope down to the site is mostly rock) and it is distant from a water source. • The areas cannot easily be accessed for vegetation management (restricted areas and steep slopes). • Security is improved by keeping clean sight lines into the site and from the site to the street. Hawaiian Electric considered making the fence along Alapa Street a solid fence. Although such a fence would not comply with Rule 17, it could provide some visual relief from the industrial site. It is Hawaiian Electrics experience that a solid fence would decrease security and the fence would become a target for vandalism and graffiti. For these reasons, Hawaiian Electric is seeking relief from full compliance with Rule 17. Attachment: Landscape Plan Hawaiian Electric Company, PO Box 2750, Honolulu, HI 96840-0001