2017-04-10 Leeward Exh B (Amend Zoning Code re Meeting Facilities and Community Buildings)

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LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT April 10, 2017 A regularly advertised hearing on the PLANNING DIRECTOR INITIATED AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 25 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE, RELATING TO MEETING FACILITIES AND COMMUNITY BUILDINGS was called to order at 10:07 a.m. in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Community Center, Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, with Chairman Keith F. Unger presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Keith F. Unger, Nancy Carr Smith, Scott Church, Collin Kaholo, Perry Kealoha, Barbara Nobriga and Sonny Shimaoka ALSO PRESENT: Malia Ho (Counsel for the Commission), Michael Yee (Planning Director), Daryn Arai (Deputy Planning Director), Jeff Darrow (Planning Program Manager), Maija Jackson (Planner), Shancy Watanabe (Planner), Sarah Hata-Finley (Windward Planning Commission Secretary) and Noriko Sauer (Leeward Planning Commission Secretary) And four people from the public in attendance. INITIATOR: PLANNING DIRECTOR An ordinance amending Chapter 25 (Zoning), Hawai‘i County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended), Articles 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 relating to meeting facilities and community buildings. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to incorporate the definitions of meeting facilities and community buildings into a single, comprehensive definition by maintaining and expanding upon the definition of meeting facilities. Additionally, the amendments will identify what zoning districts will require a Special Permit or a Use Permit to allow for a meeting facility. UNGER: Second item on the agenda, Initiator Planning Director, an ordinance amending Chapter 25, Zoning, Hawai‘i County Code 1983, 2016 Edition, as amended, Articles 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7 relating to meeting facilities and community buildings. The purpose of the proposed amendments is to incorporate the definitions of meeting facilities and community buildings into a single, comprehensive definition by maintaining and expanding upon the definition of meeting facilities. Additionally, the amendments will identify what zoning districts will require a Special Permit or a Use Permit to allow a meeting facility. Mr. Darrow? DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I can direct your attention to our next presentation. As mentioned, this is an amendment to the Zoning Code and to several Articles. We also want to state that the main reason why this came up is because over the years we’ve had conflicts between these, the definition of community building and meeting facility. So if you can keep that in mind as to the reason why we are changing this. Also, just to note that as we go through these Code changes, you’ll notice that we are going to start incorporating more Code changes and Rule changes into our activities in the Planning Department to bring them before you; we are trying to in a sense clean house. Our goal eventually is to do a comprehensive change of the entire Code, but in the meantime we are trying to do some simple fixes. And you’ll see that sometimes these Code changes are not as easy as you would think they are; the more people we get involved in the 1 EXHIBIT B