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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0676.000 1992-1994 •qty ppHq`'`v _r,fi. 111) : : vphz Stephen K.Yamashiro Mayor a,,grF O•F•HP.61 Count of PLANNING COMMISSION 25 Aupuni Street,Room 109 • Hilo,Hawaii 96720-4252 (808)961-8288 Fax(808)961-9615 October 25, 1993 Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council County of Hawaii 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Chairman Schutte and Members: Change of Zone Application (REZ 93-6) Applicants: Shizue Kaya, Akira Makinodan,. and Ellen Hamada Request: A-10a to A-3a Tax Map Key: 2-2-48:8 The Planning Commission, after a duly held public hearing on October 7, 1993 voted to recommend for your approval the proposed legislative bill to change the district classification for approximately 20 acres of land from an Agricultural 10-acre (A-10a) to an Agricultural 3-acre (A-3a) zone district. The property is located at the northwest corner of the Makalika/Awa Street intersection in the Panaewa Farm Lots, Waiakea, South Hilo, Hawaii. The applicants are requesting the change of zone to allow subdivision of the property into six lots of approximately 3 to 4 acres in size. Five of the lots would take access from Makalika Street and one lot from Awa Street. The Commission concurs with the following Planning Director's reasons for recommending favorable consideration of the change of zone: The Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) map component of the General Plan is a representation of the document's goals, policies, standards, and course of action. It is also a graphic depiction of the physical relationships among the various land uses. The LUPAG map establishes the basic land use pattern for areas within the County. The requested zone change conforms to the General Plan's Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map which designates the property for High Density Urban uses. Such a designation may allow uses such as commercial, multiple family residential and related services (general and office Gomm. No. File i‘c r _„r Ref. Dat,_OCT CT 199 Aft 4110 Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 2 commercial; multiple family residential up to 87 units per acre) , provided the goals, policies and standards of the General Plan are met. In order to consider an area for any type of zoning designation, these applicable goals, policies and standards of the General Plan must be adequately addressed. It is only through such a comprehensive policy analysis approach that evaluations and decisions can be made to better time or stage developments to achieve quality growth. The implications of these evaluations and decisions must also be considered as they may have an impact on other similar areas in the County. The proposed change of zone to a General Commercial-zoned district will conform to the following goals, policies and standards of the Land Use Element of the General Plan: * Designate and allocate land uses in appropriate proportions and mix and in keeping with the social, cultural, and physical environments of the County. * Zone urban- and rural-types of uses in areas with ease of access to community services and employment centers and with adequate public utilities and facilities. * Zoning request shall be reviewed with respect to General Plan designation, district goals, regional plans, State Land Use District, compatibility with adjacent zoned uses, availability of public services and utilities, access, and public need. * The county shall encourage the maintenance of communities meeting the needs of its residents in balance with the physical and social environment. Approval of this request would also compliment the following goals and policies of the Commercial Element: * "To provide for commercial developments that maximize convenience to users. * "Provide commercial developments that complement the overall pattern of transportation and land 410\ Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 3 usage within the island's regions, communities, and neighborhoods. * "Commercial facilities shall be developed in areas adequately served by necessary services, such as water, utilities, sewers, and transportation systems. * "Distribution of commercial areas shall be such as to best meet the demands of neighborhood, it community, and regional needs. " * The development of commercial facilities should be designed to fit into the locale with minimal intrusion while providing the desired services. Appropriate infrastructure and design concerns shall be incorporated into the review of such developments. A Course of Action for commercial development within the South Hilo District recommends that "Appropriately located commercial zoned lands shall be allocated as the need arises. " The project site is located within an area defined by the General Plan as the expansion of the Downtown Hilo Commercial Core. Expansion of commercial services within this core area would facilitate convenience to users due to its ease of access to other community services and employment centers and the availability of adequate public utilities and facilities. The request would be consistent • with the urban form depicted for Hilo in that it would add commercial uses serving the entire City of Hilo and its surrounding region in a central location and in close proximity to other similar commercial activities. The General Plan recognized the "increase in sales in almost every category of commercial activities, [which] executed the growth in the number of establishments . . . . " and the commercial core of Hilo as "The island's major commercial center . . . . " . Recent rezonings of surrounding properties to a Commercial-zoned district is testimony to the demand for commercial-zoned areas within the City of Hilo. While the majority of recent rezonings have occurred within the immediate vicinity along Kilauea Avenue, the General Plan LUPAG Map does recognize such similar expansion of the commercial core along Kinoole Street as well. This pattern is evidenced by the location of the Big Island Educational Credit Union directly opposite of the subject property along r it 1110 Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 4 Kinoole and Lono Streets, a site which received its Commercial-rezoning in 1982 . The Hilo Community Development Plan (CDP) , adopted by Resolution in 1975, is intended to provide short and middle range implementation strategies for the goals, policies and land use pattern presented in the General Plan. While the Hilo CDP and its Zone Guide Map, adopted over 15 years ago, suggests a Multiple Residential-4, 000 square feet per unit (RM-4) designation for the project site, it recognizes the need for future commercial development to reinforce existing commercial areas by encouraging it to fill in to be a unified City Center rather than further disassemble to other parts of Hilo. This City Center is defined as the area of High Density Urban Development as outlined by the General Plan, which extends southward from the Wailuku River to the general vicinity of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The expansion of the High Density Urban designation during the 1989 General Plan update to include areas in the immediate vicinity of the University of Hawaii and recent Commercial rezonings within the immediate area has solidified the project area as part of the primary commercial core for this portion of Hilo. Due to the improved nature of the project site and surrounding areas, it is not anticipated that endangered or threatened candidate species of flora or fauna are located within the project site, nor has the project site been identified as a significant botanical or biological habitat. Due to the improved nature of the project site, it is not anticipated that the proposed use will have any adverse impact on cultural or historical resources. However, it is recommended that the Planning Department be immediately notified and all work cease should any previously unidentified archaeological or historical sites be encountered. The project site is located within an area adequately served with essential services and facilities such as water, transportation systems, and other utilities. Water is available to the project site through an 8-inch water line along Kinoole Street and a 6-inch water line along Lono Street. As recommended by the Department of Water Supply, daily water usage calculations and the issuance of a formal water commitment will be required prior to the issuance of Final Plan Approval for the proposed retail/commercial development. Access to the property will be provided along • Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 5 Kinoole and Lono Streets, both County-maintained roadways having 60-foot right-of-ways. Kinoole Street has a pavement width of 32 feet with 10-foot wide sidewalks. Lono Street has a 20-foot wide pavement with no sidewalk improvements. As recommended by the Department of Public Works and consistent with other similar rezonings within the area, it is recommended that curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements be provided along the project site's Lono Street frontage. The Department of Public Works has recommended that only one additional ingress/egress driveway be provided along Lono Street with an entry-only driveway along Kinoole Street. Given that the location of these driveways as well as the type of commercial development have not been determined, we recommend that any specific restrictions regarding access not be included as a condition of approval to allow the applicant and the Department of Public Works some flexibility in determining approved access points. The Director feels that it is not necessary to legislate access restrictions when existing code requirements and design manuals will determine appropriate access configurations. This is even more evident since the applicants have not finalized the scope and nature of the proposed development. Wastewater will be disposed of within an existing sewer line along Kinoole Street. While surrounding lands within this portion of Hilo has seen a definitive progression towards commercial uses, residential uses still dominate lands within the immediate vicinity of the project site. The project site itself is bordered to the northeast and southeast by lands zoned Single Family Residential-10, 000 square feet (RS-10) . Therefore, it is recommended that landscaping elements be incorporated within the proposed development to mitigate any adverse noise of visual impacts which may be generated by the proposed retail/office use. This mitigative measure will ensure that the proposed development fits into the locale with minimal intrusion while providing the desired services. The property has no severe topographic or geologic problems which cannot be properly rectified or which would render the land unusable for the proposed use. As previously mentioned, the project site has been improved as a homesite. Finally, while the applicants have no intention to subdivide the project site into two 10, 000+ square foot lots at the present time, zoning, subdivision, building and v 41k Honorable Spencer K. Schutte, Chairman and Members of the County Council Page 6 engineering code regulations would ensure that any future subdivision of the project site shall meet the minimum requirements for a commercial-zoned district. To further ensure compliance with the minimum requirements for a commercial-zoned district, the recommended conditions of approval will appropriately reflect the development potential of the project site. Foryour favorable consideration, an amendment to Section 25-114, the City of Hilo Zone Map, of the County Zoning Code is transmitted. We are enclosing a copy of the application and a copy of the staff background for your information. Sincerely, Donald L. Manalili, ' Chairman Planning Commission RKN:j dk LKaya-02.PC Enclosures xc: Honorable Stephen K. Yamashiro, Mayor Planning Director Mr. Sidney Fuke Mrs. Shizue Kaya Department of Public Works Department of Water Supply Department of Land & Natural Resourse Department of Health Subdivision Section 6,// /4