2003-12-04 TCLIFTO120403 - Laserfiche WebLink

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zoning is clearly not the right zoning for this project. It was perhaps the right zoning when it was part of, for this area, that it was perhaps the right zoning when it was part of the NELHA project. This property was originally State-owned and was supposed to become part of NELHA. NELHA was given a Heavy Industrial zoning not to create power plants, or rock crushers, or cement batching plants and the like, or other kinds of what you call classic Heavy Industrial uses. But it was a way in which you could do the aquaculture, OTEC or ocean-thermal power plant. It was the aquaculture tanks, fish farms. You could have labs, ocean-related labs. It was a wide-opened category for that. Now that the land exchange has occurred and itÓs privately-owned, the Applicant is not interested in being, continuing as part of that OTEC area. There is a considerable area within NELHA and OTEC for their own expansion. And this is not a coastal property. This is a highway-oriented property. I think we received some letters about the coastal area here. We have not, this is separately-owned. The coastal area is still in the Conservation District. The approach of, my approach to the coastal area is contained in our proposed General Plan amendment that would create an open area along the coastline setback from the coast. The County General Plan currently has the coast as a resort area. But we would want to have the area along the coast kept in open space as much as possible. However, the remainder of the lot we do show as an urban expansion area in the proposed General Plan. I do have some reservations about the project, that is a very large-scaled project that is speculative, not just the hotel aspect of it but the commercial aspect in this location is quite speculative. But turning to the hotel units particularly, I would urge the Commission to keep some control over the scope and level of the development here by keeping a 200-room cap rather than the 400. That this is, what we are recommending is a very large project and a very large up-zoning from what they really can do under their present zoning designation. We hear very heartfelt concerns and testimony from people in Kona over the scope of growth, and the traffic, and the impacts of more and more people in Kona. Sometimes I think these are misplaced in times when people oppose residential development that make people, allow people to live closer to where they work. That, in this case, however, this project thereÓs no question will be a traffic generator beyond what is allowed by the present zoning, and that the hotel development would throw more fuel on the fire. So, for these reasons, we are urging that the Commission adopt t our support is contingent upon that. GALDONES:Commissioner Springer? SPRINGER:Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wonder if the Director would care to address the issue of, raised by Jim Sogi regarding that the high-rise blocks the seaward viewplanes, and that the proposal creates a density thatÓs higher than the surrounding parcels. 10