2014-10-16 Leeward Exh B (Amend Subdivision Code Bill No. 266)

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LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 16, 2014 COUNTY COUNCIL INITIATED AMENDMENT TO A regularly advertised hearing on the CHAPTER 23 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE, RELATING TO SUBMISSION OF PRELIMINARY PLAT AND FINAL PLAT was called to order at 09:40 a.m. in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Community Center, Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, with Chair Brandi Beaudet presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Brandi Beaudet, Thomas Hickcox, Collin Kaholo and Keith Unger ABSENT AND EXCUSED: Barbara Nobriga and Thomas Whittemore ALSO PRESENT: Duane Kanuha (Planning Director), Amy Self (Deputy Corporation Counsel), Jeff Darrow (Planner), Maija Jackson (Planner) and Noriko Sauer (Commission Secretary) And three people from the public in attendance. INITIATOR: COUNTY COUNCIL (Bill No. 266) County Council Bill No. 266 amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Section 23-58 and Article 5, Section 23-68 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended), relating to submission of the preliminary plat and final plat for an application for subdivision. The purpose of these revisions is to require the preparation of both the preliminary and final plat maps by a surveyor. BEAUDET: Moving right along, second agenda item, initiated by the County Council, Bill No. 266, County Council Bill 266 amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Section 23-58 and Article 5, Section 23-68 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983. Staff? JACKSON: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t have a presentation for this bill because it’s fairly straight forward. The County Council initiated Bill 266 to require a licensed surveyor to prepare, sign and stamp the preliminary plat. Currently, a licensed surveyor is only required to prepare, sign and stamp the final plat. And just to give you a little background, a plat is a map that the applicant submits to Planning in order to subdivide or consolidate their property. The plat shows things like the lot layout, the lot sizes, location of roads, location of water courses. And then the Planning Department sends the preliminary plat to our reviewing agencies like Department of Water Supply, Department of Public Works, State Historic Preservation Division. They all provide comments related to their authority within the Code and laws, and then the applicant is required to revise the preliminary plat with those changes and then submit it as the final plat map, which is then approved by Planning. The purpose of this bill, if you recall, earlier in April of this year you saw a bill that was initiated by the County Council, and the bill was to require Planning Department staff to do a site inspection for every subdivision application. Their concern at the time was the accuracy of the plat maps that were being submitted to Planning; they felt like certain information wasn’t shown accurately. So 1 EXHIBIT B