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Added Administrative Assistant position, filled vacant Planner VI position, created new Planner VI position and other planner and staff positions, brought Department to near-full staffing. Moved office from County Building to Aupuni Center, renovated space to accommodate larger staff. Challenges for the Future. There are many challenges for the future, including implementation of the CDP’s. Some of the actions described above, like public access and the water quality monitoring project, are still ongoing. One big challenge is the changing economy. We have come through a period when the public has been focused on the negative effects of rapid growth—traffic and high housing costs, especially. We now are obviously in the down cycle of the economy when job opportunities and basic economic needs will be much more pressing concerns. While dealing with these, though, we need to be careful not to make long-term land use mistakes because of short-term economic problems. This will not fix those problems by spurring construction. There are many zoned areas that have not been built where construction can occur without new zoning, such as in the older subdivisions, the coastal resorts in North Kona and South Kohala, and in Waikoloa Village. Construction is falling off because of financing and marketing issues. Until the economic picture changes, new zoning will do little to increase construction, which usually takes several years after rezoning to begin anyway. The basic land use plans of the County are sound guides to where new development should and should not be allowed, and these plans should be followed in both the up and down phases of the real estate cycle. The sensitive and important areas should still be protected. The island’s future will always need vigilant land use planning. 6