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the Department has been negative on some Special Permit applications, by the same <br />token we’ve always advocated that this process be available. There have been actually <br />serious attempts in the State Legislature to do away with special permits. We’ve testified <br />against doing away with special permits because, frankly, only about 3 percent of the <br />island is Urban and virtually the rest, all the rest is either in Conservation district or <br />Agricultural district. So to have some flexibility on the local level of deciding what <br />happens in the Agricultural district, it’s very useful to have special permits, especially for <br />things like churches, charter schools, other kinds of community facilities that people want <br />to do. <br />What has happened now in the Ocean View area is that this very large subdivision was <br />approved many years go, there was never a designated town area for that in the County’s <br />overall planning. Businesses saw a commercial opportunity, the public saw the need for <br />it and the special permit route was used as a way of allowing those businesses. But it’s <br />not really the right process for establishing a town center. It really should go through the <br />process that we’re doing here of a boundary amendment to Urban and a zoning to <br />something like, in this case it would be a Village Commercial. And then you have the <br />range of uses and the flexibility within that, even though they may have an idea of a <br />particular, that they’re going to have certain kinds of uses now. They would have a <br />flexibility under Village Commercial, as you would in a town like Honokaa or Hawi, to <br />change that over time to accommodate market conditions. So that’s the basic reason <br />behind this. <br />And as the Department has already come out with a favorable recommendation, you <br />know, not that we’re against hearing other opinions and comments on that, but just to <br />explain why this is coming in by this different route rather than the special permits. <br />GRAHAM: Since the Planning Department is recommending we continue this <br />hearing that will be one of the first items we’re going to deal with on this today. But, in <br />any event, we’re going to take public testimony whether we continue it or not. So any of <br />you folks that are here that would like to give public testimony, please sign up now, and <br />we can have you on the agenda for that. <br />Any further questions for Jeff before we ask the applicant? Go ahead, Commissioner <br />Siracusa. <br />SIRACUSA: Thank you. Jeff, I can’t tell if that space between the two lots is a <br />roadway or it’s just that, you know, you put them up like that on the board. Is there <br />mutual interconnectivity between the two areas, the two developments? <br />DARROW: Yes. They’re adjacent to each other. I just, I guess I should have <br />put the map a little closer. But there’s no roadway lot in between the two lots. <br />SIRACUSA: So they butt right up against each other? <br />DARROW: Correct. <br /> EXHIBIT C <br />6 <br /> <br />