PD Recommendation Report (PL-REZ-2023-000053)

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A condition of approval will require any development on the property will be required to connect to the County sewer in accordance with Section 21-5 of Hawaii County Code. Solid waste will be handled by a commercial hauler and disposed of at authorized landfill sites or transfer stations, all essential utilities are available to the property and police, fire and medical facilities are located nearby in Hilo. A condition of approval will be included to require the applicants to meet all applicable County, State and Federal laws, rules, regulations, and requirements. There are no severe geological or topographical problems for the property that cannot be properly rectified, or which would render the land unusable. The subject property is in an area designated as Zone "X", an area determined to be outside the 500-year flood plain, on the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A condition of approval will be added to require that all development generated runoff will be disposed of on-site and not directed toward any adjacent properties and all earthwork activity, including grading, grubbing, and stockpiling, and the project will conform to Chapter 10, Erosion and Sedimentation Control, of the Hawaii County Code. Thus, the proposed change of zone meets this criterion. The request is not contrary to Chapter 205A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to Coastal Zone Management Area. The subject property is located approximately 6,000 feet from the nearest shoreline, is not situated within the Special Management Area and will not be impacted by coastal hazards and beach erosion. There is no designated public access to the mountains or the shoreline that runs through the property. The proposed use will not adversely impact any recreational resources, including access to and along the shoreline, scenic and open space nor visual resources, coastal ecosystems, and marine and coastal resources. Therefore, the proposed use is not contrary to the objectives of Chapter 205A, Hawaii Revised Statutes. The request will not have a significant adverse impact to traditional and customary Hawaiian Rights. In view of the Hawaii State Supreme Court's "PASH" and"Ka Pa`akai O Ka Aina" decisions, the issue relative to Native Hawaiian gathering and fishing rights must be addressed in terms of the cultural, historical, and natural resources and the associated traditional and customary practices of the site. -5-