07-03-2012 Growth Management Subcommittee Notes

Home

Notes from Growth Management Subcommittee Meeting July 2, 2012 Attendees: Jim Pedersen, Hermann Fernandez, John Winter, Jesse Wells, Jeff Allen, Teri Takata, Jeff Melrose, Tanya Tyler, Rose Mae Watterson, Mike Remsen, Andre Nogues, Vicky Trillium, Tom Mitchell This was the most well attended Growth Management subcommittee meeting, mainly, because a controversial special permit request was on the agenda. The Kohala Wishing Well, LLC (KWW) applied for a special permit to allow a non- profit country school pre-K through eighth grade of up to 50 students on the former Big Island Poultry farm TMK 5-5-008-40 3.357 acres. The Growth Management subcommittee was unable to review the Planning Dept. files and relied on Jeff Melrose, Planner for KWW, to supply the special permit application and site plan for the proposed project. Jeff also answered any questions from the subcommittee and attendees. Delphina Dorrance purchased the property in 2010 with the desire to create a country school using the existing structures for classrooms and administrative buildings. She originally envisioned a school for students to study agriculture, Hawaiian culture, along with a more standard curriculum. KWW has approvals from the Dept of Heath for a wastewater treatment plant and secured a Well Construction Permit from DLNR to drill a well for fire suppression purposes. Many of the structures have been repaired and rehabilitated to accommodate the school. Ten home-schooled students currently attend classes on an adjacent parcel and will transfer to the new site on completion of the KWW project. The main objections to the special permit request are the significant increase in traffic on a substandard County road and the increase in noise. The attendees expressed over and over the problems with the increase in traffic and the existing dangers of Hoea road. The lower portion of Hoea road is only one lane and cars must pull over to the shoulder to let another car pass, also there are three blind corners on the lower portion of the road. The attendees stated that many non- neighborhood cars speed on the road near the proposed school, and said that if the school occupancy maximizes at 50 students, plus teachers and administrators, that this will increase traffic by at least 200 trips per day (morning drop off 50 trips in-50 trips out and afternoon pickup 50 trips in-50 trips out). Jeff Melrose said that the Dept. of Public Works has not yet filed an agency report on the special permit request. He said that that the approval of this special permit will come down to traffic and road mitigation, and the conditions that are required by the Planning Dept. Some suggested that perhaps the students could be transported to and from the school in a bus or a fleet of minivans to reduce the number of vehicles on the road. Others said that they purchased property in this area knowing that it was an agriculture subdivision and they would be enjoying a quiet country lifestyle, not a noisy school.