2024-09-25 PL-INT-2024-008750 GP 2045 Draft Comments - C. Flaherty

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Technical Methodology for General Plan Land Use (2020-2024) County of Hawai'i General Plan Prepared by: Amy DeBay Focused Planning Solutions LLC August 8, 2024 Introduction Beginning in 2015,the County of Hawai'i Planning Department has been working to update to the General Plan document adopted in 2005.This update has included reviewing and revising the General Plan Land Use map which guides the intended future use of land within the County.This document is intended to provide details on the methodology used to determine appropriate future uses for existing urban, rural, agricultural, and open space areas of the County. General Plan Land Use The General Plan is a policy document with a future horizon of 20 years. To help guide growth and development,the General Plan includes a map of intended future use of land throughout Hawai'i County. In the adopted 2005 General Plan,this map is referred to as the Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG). As the County works to adopt the updated plan,the map of proposed future use is being referred to as the General Plan Land Use (GPLU) map to better tie to the General Plan document. GPLU is not the same as the zoning code, also refered to as Chapter 25 of the Hawai'i County Code.The intent of the GPLU is to guide decisions about potential uses of land in a comprehensive way to meet the needs of a growing population in the coming decades. Decisions about zoning and development should be informed by the GPLU and be consistent with the intended uses designated in the GPLU. 2019 Proposed Land Use Map and Revisions Development of the GPLU for the update began with work in 2015. At that time,the County did extensive analysis to identify existing development, examined the future capacity for development in the County, explored a number of projected growth scenarios, and compared potential outcomes of different growth patterns.This analysis was shared with the public in a series of workshops in 2016 and 2017 to explore community choices of how growth occurs and how County services support different growth scenarios. The outcomes of that work shaped the policy guidance for establishing a future land use plan designed to encourage growth in urban centers where services are existing or planned. In 2019, a version of the land use map'was shared with the public for review and comment.This document provides details on the methodology used to review public comments and revise the 2019 map resulting in the current proposed GPLU map as part of the General Plan 2045 under public review from September 18, 2023 through April 1, 2024. 1 Future Land Use System Technical Report, Ian Varley,City Explained, Inc., March 10,2020. Focused Planning Solutions LLC Page 1 of 18