2008-12-05 THWN RAINFOREST - Laserfiche WebLink

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WATANABE: Okay, thank you. Would you like to make your opening statements then? I’m sure that we have Shipman here, too, so I’m sure they have some concerns. FUKE: Sure. Not withstanding the access issue then I’d like to kind of just share with the Commissioners just the overall land use issue, particularly as it relates to what the project is about, how the applicant got involved, you know, just to share with the Commission some of the background associated with this application. As the staff had indicated, the property is off of Milo Street; but the zoning map is somewhat deceptive because although you’re within the agricultural district there are a number of urban-related type of uses. There’s a school close by, there’s a flower packing plant, there’s a retail sales for agricultural products, and, of course, there’s a power plant in that area. The applicant bought the property in August of 2007, with the initial intent of doing a fruit and water processing bottling plant. As the staff had indicated, the site is the former Puna Sugar Mill property; and it houses like at this point in time eight existing warehouse buildings which the applicant wanted to renovate. So it was, the recent historical use of the property has really been more industrial in nature. But prior to establishing the bottle plant, because the property is still within the State Land Use Ag District, the applicant through its representative sought an opinion from the Planning Director as far as like what would be the process. So what I had passed out to the Commissioners with the staff’s assistance are several exhibits. These are exhibits pretty much like already contained in the staff’s background report as part of the application, but I just wanted to make sure that they’ll not necessarily get buried. I attempted to highlight certain key items. One is, of course, that Exhibit A to Robert Eli who was a consultant to the applicant prior to his purchasing. The highlight portions, you know, basically states that the General Plan designation is Industrial. The Planning Director really determined that whether it’s for a bottling plant or otherwise that the appropriate processing measure is really to go through the zone change and not necessarily the special permit process. And on the second page I kind of highlighted, you know, the area where the Director in his letter kind of pointed out that there were a number of parcels in the recent vicinity that were rezoned into the Industrial District. Pursuant to, you know, his plans to construct a, you know, do a water and fruit processing bottling facility, he did apply for a water well and he did secure a permit in July of this year. The well is under construction and I believe there are some testing being done right now. Along the way he did retain or at least consulted with a realtor who was just trying to confirm what type of other interests there may be in that area, whether for businesses, whether it would be a farmers market or pure industrial, so on and so forth. And although there’s a sign-up, I just kind of want to make clear that at every turn of the way the realtor did contact the Planning Department just to make sure that the proposed use would be consistent with either the existing zoning or, if not, to defer any consummation of any letters of intent or whatever have you. His name is Greg Gadd; and if there are questions from the Commissioners or the staff relating to the representation I just shared with you, you know, he’s here to kind of amplify on that. What the applicant did subsequently is that, you know, he had stumbled across this enterprise zone concept; and under the concept of the enterprise zone, which is my Exhibit B, basically it’s a partnership between the State and the County to essentially help facilitate development particularly in depressed areas. And the State and the County collectively determined certain areas that would be eligible for an enterprise zone, and Puna is one of those areas, and EXHIBIT C 3