Agriculture (Focused Discussion) Supplementary Handout

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County Actions Policy 27: Educate landowners interested in subdividing agricultural lands on the option to subdivide as a farm subdivision pursuant to Hawai'i County Code section 23-112. Policy 28: Amend the Zoning Code Section 25-2-71 to require Plan Approval for commercial open area recreational uses in the "Important Agriculture Land" and "Extensive Agriculture" designations. Policy 29: Recommend lands to be designated State Important Agricultural Lands to the State Land Use Commission. (GP 14.2.2(a) & 14.2.3(i)) Policy 30: Revise Planning Commission Rule 6, and/or to the Special Permit Application form (for Special Permits in the Agricultural District) to include clarity on the potential impacts to be evaluated in the application process and to clearly articulate the types of mitigating conditions that may be required. (HRS 205-6(c) and Planning Commission Rules 6-3(a)(5)(G), 6-7, & 6-8). For examples of conditions, look for applicable conditions used in the Concurrency Requirements from HCC 25-2- 46 and Agricultural Tourism, HCC 25-2-75 and 25-4-15. Policy 31: Amend the County Code and associated Planning Department Rules to establish reporting and inspection requirements, as well as enforcement for additional farm dwellings to ensure that dwellings are used for farm -related purposes. Policy 32: Update the County of Hawai'i's property tax reduction programs to ensure that public tax incentives for agricultural land uses result in public benefits and promote agricultural land use and production. 4.6 Protect and Enhance Ecosystems and Watersheds This section of the CDP encourages increasing County capacity and participation in watershed planning and the collaborative development/implementation of resource management plans, and the enforcement necessary to protect ecosystems. County Actions Policy 43: Increase capacity to provide education and outreach and enforce conditions on grading and grubbing permits to require screen planting, erosion control planting, or other treatments to maintain the good appearance of graded areas, reduce the detrimental impact on adjacent properties, and protect watersheds. (HCC 10-12 (c)) Policy 44: To further watershed management goals, collaborate with the Department of Health, the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the Soil and Water Conservation District to reduce runoff, maximize soil and water conservation, and protect and effectively manage watersheds and natural areas. (HRS 342D, HAR 11-54-3, GP 4.3(g), 5.2(e) & (f), 5.3(e), (n), & (o), and 8.2(e) & (j)) The County could participate in watershed planning in the following ways: 1. Build staff capacity and provide training to support development and implementation of stream management plans; 2. Initiate a conservation planning process for priority watersheds with Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) from NRCS; 3. Enter into a partnership agreement with the Mauna Kea Watershed Alliance via MOU Process; Draft Hamakua CDP hamakua@hawaiicounty.gov www.hamakuacdp.info