Communication No. 2018-07- 2017 Annunal NKCDP Report from Chair Winter Final

Home

Introducing affordable housing in Kohala will require considerable effort and creative funding. In 2017 the Affordable Housing (AH) subcommittee of the CDP Action Committee changed course to become a less formal "Group." As the Affordable Housing Group (AHG) we now have a more efficient relationship with the Action Committee, as well the ability to become sponsored by the North Kohala Community Resource Center and accept donations and provide tax breaks to willing land owners through the NKCRC 501(C)3 non-profit status. In 2017, the AH group worked more closely with the County Office of Housing and Development. In the most promising concrete possibility for the immediate future, we began conversations with a landowner who is proposing to sub -divide a 33 -acre parcel in Hawi which would include some affordable housing lots. We also continued conversations with a landowner near Ainakea. Another new goal is to develop the first "Pocket Neighborhood" on the island as a prototype for affordable housing. We believe the pocket neighborhood concept of design is a form that is particularly compatible with Kohala's rural character and emphasis on community life. Planners use the term'pocket neighborhood' to describe a new development that places homes around a central communal pedestrian -only open space while routing the vehicular traffic and parking to the perimeter of the 'neighborhood.' House lots are smaller, but all share immediate access to the shared common space. We have done conceptual sketches for several vacant parcels showing how this would increase the number of units and viability of the project. We are also keeping track of the "Tiny House" movement, hoping to coordinate with them. Perhaps tiny houses, either mobile or stationary, and related zoning accommodations, could get small affordable housing units on agricultural land for people wishing to farm but unable to afford the high cost of starting out. The NKCDP mentions the need for Rural Infrastructure Standards. Such standards, would help maintain Kohala's rural character and aid in keeping costs down for affordable housing projects. The Affordable Housing Group meeting times are irregular. If you would like to participate, please call Jack Hoyt at 889- 0349. Power, Viewplanes and Erosion Control (PVEC) Group The PVEC Group works to implement the "Strategies" of the Plan that address the condition of our area power system as well as issues concerning the quality of views from our roads and erosion, particularly along the coast. The strategies for our Group include: Strategy 1.9: Establish a View Plane Protection Program to identify and protect areas of significant beauty along the Kohala Mountain Road and Akoni-Pule Highway corridor. Strategy 4.7: Improve Reliability of Electrical Service in North Kohala. HELCO (Hawai`i Electric Light Company) currently maintains one radial electrical transmission line going into Kohala (34.5kV), which runs along the Kohala Mountain Road. This line has been subject to frequent down time causing the entire district to lose electrical service and risk damage to electrical devices upon restoration of steady power. North Kohala is the only district lacking redundancy on the entire Island. Every other Hawaii County district has an electrical system which operates on a "looped" or "redundant" system. Although there is no specific Strategy in the NKCDP addressing Erosion Control, Kohala residents are concerned about this issue, particularly as it affects coastal trail access, so we have added it to our mandate. Accomplishments in 2017: The PVEC group supported the County's multi-year effort concluding in 2017 to transition to LED streetlights, increasing the dark night sky with safer true -color, non -glare street lighting, and 50% energy savings. The transition advances NKCDP goals of view plane protection and rural infrastructure "low profile minimal street lighting." Worked with other NKCDP groups on a continuing discussion with residents near Pololu Lookout to improve the situation there. The group also met several times this year with HELCO. Work continued on mapping potential Kohala's HELCO transmission loop routes, viewplanes identified in various view studies, and lands