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employment opportunities by permitting a broad range of uses, without exposing nonindustrial uses <br />to unsafe and unhealthy environments. The MCX zoning district is intended to promote and <br />maintain a viable mix of light industrial and commercial uses. In addition, according to the County <br />of Hawai‘i General Plan, Chapter 14, under Land Use, “Mixed use light industrial and commercial <br />zones may include, but are not limited to, wholesale, retail, office uses and personal and business <br />services.” The Planning Director believes that there is support to allow double-family and multiple- <br />family residential uses within the MCX zoning district. The MCX zoning district has excluded <br />those uses generally considered unsafe and hazardous, and relegated these uses to the Limited <br />Industrial, or ML, and General Industrial, MG, zoning districts. However, the viability of a mixed <br />use commercial and light industrial zone, typified by uses allowed in the MCX zoning district, can <br />be supported by an integrated residential component. The MCX zoning district currently <br />accommodates art galleries and museums, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, churches, farmers markets, <br />banks, personal services, stores, vocational and business schools and theaters, among other similar <br />uses. What is missing is a higher density residential component like apartment and condominium <br />complexes that would help to sustain a viable mixed-use community. <br /> <br />Based on the reasons presented, the Planning Director is recommending that the Leeward Planning <br />Commission send a favorable recommendation for this Planning Director-initiated bill to the <br />Hawai‘i County Council. With that, that concludes our presentation. If there are any questions? <br /> <br />BEAUDET: A quick question – I don’t know if it’s a quick answer, though. How, I forget already <br />but, how does this differ from the one that was not approved? <br /> <br />DARROW: The original bills that were initiated by the County Council included all uses that were <br />permitted within the Village Commercial zoning to be allowed within the Light Industrial, as well <br />as the MCX zoning. So in looking at all those particular uses, it was quite an extensive allowance <br />that, not only allowing many uses that would conflict with other uses, being that the ML zoning has <br />got quite a bit of hazardous types of uses within it. But it was just, it’s almost like you were <br />combining two zoning districts; it was very comprehensive. And it appeared that the way it was <br />going to work was just these uses were permitted in this; it was like a combination of two zoning <br />districts. The Planning Director felt that maybe that was too broad and maybe looking at the real <br />reason for the intent was to provide the residential component within this. So there was, he initiated <br />this bill to just, instead of allowing multiple uses, to just specify specifically those uses that would <br />benefit in this zoning district. Yeah, it was just too comprehensive, I think, of a change. <br /> <br />BEAUDET: Commissioners, any comment or questions of staff? <br /> <br />KAHOLO: None from me. <br /> <br />BEAUDET: Okay. There are no members of the public who wishes to testify. Commissioners, I <br />would like a motion to close the public hearing portion of this meeting? <br /> <br />HICKCOX: So move. <br /> <br />UNGER: Second. <br /> <br />BEAUDET: Thank you. It has been moved by Commissioner Hickcox and seconded by <br />Commissioner …. <br />2 <br />EXHIBIT A <br /> <br />