2015-07-16 Leeward Exh E (GPA 14-002)

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landowners who may be interested on the west side of the island to also provide commentary on this proposed amendment request. So with that, I will begin with the presentation. Why Amend the Land Use Pattern Allocation Map for Kea‘au Town? On July 18, 2014, last year, the Council adopted Resolution Number 464-14, Draft 2 requesting that the Planning Director initiate an interim amendment to the Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map in the vicinity of the Kea‘au Regional Town Center as defined by the Puna Community Development Plan, based on findings that the County of Hawai‘i General Plan LUPAG Map designations for the Kea‘au Regional Town Center area are inconsistent with the objectives, actions and land use recommendations of the Puna CDP; second, there are inconsistencies between the existing zoning designations and the LUPAG Map designations in the vicinity of Ulupono and Milo Streets – and I will show you those particular streets when I get to the maps; and in order to meet, third item is, in order to meet the objectives of the Puna CDP to facilitate future land use entitlements and enhance the role of the Kea‘au Regional Town Center, including the Puna CDP’s statement that zoning for residential development and associated neighborhood-oriented services may occur within the LUPAG alternate urban expansion areas, the General Plan should be more closely aligned to the Puna CDP; fourth, inconsistencies between the LUPAG Map and the Puna CDP recommendations, growth within the Kea‘au Regional Town Center has been primarily confined to the core in which specific settlement patterns have not yet been fixed and which is currently designated Medium Density Urban by the LUPAG Map, with limited opportunities in the Low Density Urban area for higher density residential units and retail and office commercial uses to support the regional town center; fifth item, or fifth reason I should say, for those reasons, the County Council, through this resolution, expressed its support of “these amendments because it supports the Kea‘au Regional Town Center principles and designations adopted in the Puna CDP and determines the development of the Kea‘au Regional Town Center will serve the interest of the public by stimulating growth through sustainable principles that will provide for improved public infrastructure systems and facilities, direct and indirect employment, and a continued sense of place outlined herein, in the Puna CDP, and in the General Plan.” Public informational meetings regarding the proposed Map amendment as directed by the Council Resolution were held by the Planning Department on February 11, 2015 in Kea‘au and February 12, 2015 in Kona. During the Kea‘au meeting, some concerns, among others, focused on the overly broad nature of the proposed Urban Expansion designation that could allow industrial uses within the village town center and in close proximity to existing residential uses and schools, creating an issue of compatibility between these two distinct uses. Based on comments received during the workshops and public agency review period, the Planning Director recommends that the proposed LUPAG Map amendment identify a Medium Density Urban designation that would be more appropriate as it would expand upon the existing Medium Density Urban designation that encompasses the existing commercial area in Kea‘au Town while limiting the potential for potentially incompatible industrial uses within the town center. Just to give you a bit of background, this is an excerpt from the Puna Community Development Plan and it shows the preliminary boundaries of the Regional Town Center. In this particular area – just to orient you, this is Highway 11 in this direction to your right heading to Hilo and in this direction to your left heading to Volcano, and this alignment here coming off of Highway 11 is the Kea‘au-Pāhoa Road, or Bypass as they call it now, and it heads off to the map heading toward 2 EXHIBIT E