HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0898.081 2020-2022 P/Counci
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Aloha County Council: 1073 APR 18 AM 10: LI6
I support the County Council's override of the Mayor's veto of Bill 194 (Draft 3).
Imagine if the Royal Vista project (Kona Three, LLC, PL-REZ 2022-000033)
that's north of Lako didn't return to the Leeward Planning Commission for an
"extension of the entire project" and modification of the originally approved
project was an administrative decision by the current Planning Director- the
same Planning Director who (when a private consultant) once represented this
project, if only briefly. Over 400 new housing units - nearly 1,000 new car trips -
would be pushed onto Lako and Queen Ka'ahumanu with no public comments.
And with little or no improvements to Queen Ka'ahumanu by the developer.
That's just wrong.
The purpose of Bill 194 (Draft 3) is to create transparency for projects requesting
time extensions, and allows for communication of these time extensions with
residents that are adjacent to parcels where development is proposed. The
Mayor is wrong and,sorely misguided to think that Bill 194 (Draft 3) is an
obstacle. It's another check and balance on the development process that is
overly generous in the time the County allows to complete projects, favors the
financial return on investment (ROI) of developers over the interests and values
of its residents, and one that has resulted in planning projects that are 20 or more
years old that pretend to be valid.
The Mayor asserts that Bill 194 (Draft 3) would cause "expense, uncertainty, and
difficulty to the rezoning process". That's hard to believe from a Planning
Department that only seems to recommend approval of projects, and appears to
put the interests of the development community before the local community.
Professional planning staff- starting with the Planning Director- should act as if
they are the ,gatekeepers of local values for the local residents and property
owners in addition to assisting local and out-of-state developers.
The Mayor also disparages and insults the Council regarding their educational
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attainment and their ability to understand and address local development
regulations. Since you went there, Mayor Roth, I feel obligated to remind the
public that your own Planning Director has neither a Bachelor's or Master's
degree in City, Regional or Urban Planning. The Planning Director could qualify
for a designation from the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) without
a Bachelor's degree after passing a national test for this additional qualification.
Hawaii Island deserves a qualified Planning Director with relevant work
experience and higher education, who can participate on large, controversial
projects without a conflict of interest or "firewall", and who creates an ethical
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culture of accountability, fairness, and responsibility within the Planning
Department.
When you're ready to hold your own Department heads accountable, Mayor
Roth, I'll be looking for a very detailed document from the Planning Department
about all the outstanding projects that have been approved, granted (multiple)
time extensions, or not yet built. Our citizens group has produced such a
document, and has provided this to our Councilperson. If residents can create a
document that provides information that your paid staff cannot (or have been
directed not to), then something is fundamentally wrong with that department and
staff. This is why Bill 194 (Draft 3) is needed.
Your Department heads and staff need to look at the codes, protocols, and
practices they implement in order to streamline all aspects of the development
process, especially the process to secure a building permit. That would signal to
the voters that you care about them, you are responsible to the 'aina and kanaka,
and less so to the local and,out-of-state money. Allowing phantom projects to
continue to be viewed as valid is not streamlining or fair to the community. Until
these critical aspects of the Planning Department are addressed, Bill 194 (Draft
3) is essential.
Mahalo.
Elizabeth Dunn