2013-01-10 Windward Transcript Paradise

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WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT JANUARY 10, 2013 PARADISE HELICOPTERS (SPP 12-143) A regularly advertised hearing on the application of was called to order at 9:10 a.m. in the County of Hawai‘i, Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i, with Chairman Pro Tem Dean Au presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Dean Au, Ronald Gonzales, Wallace Ishibashi, Raylene Moses and Stephen Ono STAFF PRESENT: Ivan Torigoe (Deputy Corporation Counsel), B. J. Leithead Todd (Planning Director), Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Phyllis Fujimoto (Staff Planner), Maija Cottle (Staff Planner), Jeff Darrow (Staff Planner), and Sharon Nomura (Secretary) And approximately 24 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: PARADISE HELICOPTERS (SPP 12-143) Application for a Special Permit to allow the construction and establishment of a helicopter landing area on a 10,000 square-foot portion of a 1.003-acre parcel situated within the State Land Use Agricultural District. The property is located at the southwestern corner of Plumeria Street and Hoku Avenue in Royal Gardens Subdivision, Puna, Hawai‘i, TMK: 1-1-114:022. AU: Agenda Item No. 2, Paradise Helicopters coming in for a Special Permit 12-143. Mr. Darrow, staff presentation, please. DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I can direct your attention to our presentation. Our first applicant this morning is Paradise Helicopters. They’re requesting a special permit. The location of this application is within the Puna district of Hawai‘i. More specifically we’re looking in the area near the Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. And this particular area in lighter green is Royal Gardens Subdivision. You’ll see on the right side of the map we have the Pahoa-Kalapana Road coming down to Kaimu; and this is the area where usually you would access this particular area. But, unfortunately, with the lava flows that have occurred, access to this area is not able to get anywhere in this particular area to the Royal Gardens Subdivision. So what happens is helicopters fly in this area. The area of the subject property is identified with a black outline; and we’ll zoom in more closely. Again, we have the National Park on the left side. The Royal Gardens Subdivision which is zoned Agricultural 1-acre in the light green and the subject property identified in green. The State Land Use Boundary Map identifies this particular property within the State Land Use Agricultural District, and the property to the left being in Conservation District. This is the General Plan LUPAG Map, which shows that the subdivision is within the Extensive Agricultural designation, and the National Park is indicated in the Conservation District. 1 EXHIBIT A