2024-10-29 . 11-01 Steve Shropshire Testimony GP 2045

Home

4. How the project support’s the 2045 Draft General Plan Development and Resilient Communities DRAFT 25 Table 4: Land Use Challenges Infrastructure • Low infrastructure capacity and high costs to develop new systems. • State land use designations and related requirements within or adjacent to Urban Growth Areas limit the ability to increase densities. Existing single-family dwellings and lot sizes fail to achieve the desired density. • Landowners and developers may incur the costs of constructing and operating private systems or upgrades due to the insufficiency and lack of wastewater systems in many areas. The shortage of licensed operators also increases operating costs and makes it more difficult to establish new private systems. • County roadway standards aren’t modernized and remain a major cost to development. • Pervasive strip mall infrastructure and minimal transit-oriented developments paired with disconnected routes create congestion issues for commercial areas. Regulations • Building code requirements affect construction costs and the ability to create multi-use buildings. • Multiple layers of land use control and review require coordination between government agencies at the state and county levels. • There are varying layers of code that are conflicting or inconsistent. Code requirements are also limited in integrating climate mitigation goals around reduced building materials and non-car-centric design. • The current regulatory process dictates that the State Land Use Commission must preside over boundary amendments that exceed 15 acres, which limits the efficiency of ensuring consistency in the land use pattern. • Zoning must be updated in certain areas to reflect shifting trends and land use preferences. • There is no Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program to preserve open space and achieve density to remain consistent with the desired land use pattern. • The State's historic review process has been cumbersome. Funding and Financing • There is a need for gap financing that exceeds what a single lender or incentive program can fill. • Additional capacity in development financing and specific community development financing is needed to increase the production of projects in the County. • There is high demand for a limited pool of incentives and financing subsidies for affordable housing. • Affordable housing projects in the County face higher financing gaps than projects elsewhere in the State. Market Conditions • There are inconsistencies between development costs and prices the market can support. • Greenfield development in areas such as Puna is significantly cheaper than infill development in existing urban areas. • Lower household incomes result in lower purchasing power, which makes underserved subdivisions the primary market for many homebuyers. • Challenging site characteristics such as soil conditions and topography increase development costs. • Market cycles and permitting requirements often do not coincide resulting in uncertainty and increases in processing times and costs. These challenges are exacerbated by performance conditions based on time versus appropriate mitigation conditions. Land Use Compatibility • Legacy zoning, such as industrial lands from the sugar plantation era, is not always consistent with the community's vision. • Productive agricultural land use designations often do not coincide with productive agricultural activities. • There is a common perception that all development is contrary to protecting natural and cultural resources. Public Engagement • NIMBYism can present barriers to collaborative processes. • General misunderstanding and misinformation about land use policies can delay and disrupt strategic land use patterns.