PD RECOMMENDATION REPORT (PL-SPP-2022-000018)

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that certain non-agricultural uses may be appropriate on lands suitable for agriculture. As part of the amendment request, the applicant states that the retreat center will continue operating with a balance of co-existing agricultural and non-agricultural uses including trainings offered on sustainability and gardening and food grown on site being provided to guests. Furthermore, as noted previously, the applicant will maintain 3 acres of the permit area for agricultural uses. The Planning Director is supportive of this balanced approach to maintain the cultivation and productivity of agricultural lands while increasing the number of available guest rooms. (F) The use will not substantially alter or change the essential character of the land and the present use. The subject property has been used as a retreat center for 13 years, with the Special Permit originally being granted in 2001. Current agricultural uses on the land will not be diminished by the additional guest rooms given that the applicant has proposed to maintain existing orchards and crops and continue to integrate agricultural activities into the operations of the center, such as by serving food grown on the property to retreat participants. Additionally, the new guest rooms, designed as single-story, 400-square-foot hales, will be sited adjacent to existing gardens and orchards, including mango,banana, lemons, oranges, grapefruit, lilikoi, ti, and vegetable plots. Given the preceding, the proposed use will not substantially alter or change the essential character of the land or its present use. (G) The request will not be contrary to the General Plan,North Kohala Community Development Plan (CDP) and other documents such as Design Plans. The County of Hawai`i's General Plan is the policy document for the long-range comprehensive development of the island of Hawaii. One of the purposes of the General Plan is to guide the pattern of future development in this County based on long-term goals. The General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map designates the subject property as Important Agricultural Land and Open, however the proposed work is within the area designated Important Agricultural Land. As previously stated, the 5-acre permit area presently includes 3 acres of agricultural land planted with fruit trees, Hawaiian medicinal plants, and organic -6-