HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0372.151 2024-2026COUNTY CLERK
COUNTY OF HAWAI'I
RECEIVED
Time (I: u$ CA. Sy
Date: September 16, 2025, 2025 Date SEP 1 6 2025
TO: Hawaii County Council, Policy Review Committee on Planning, Land Use and
Economic Development
FROM: James M. Leonard
SUBJECT: Testimony on the Draft General Plan 2045, Chapter 4, Sustainable
Development and Resilient Communities
Committee Hearing of September 17, 2025 and Communications 372.30
Dear Council Members;
My name is James Leonard. I am a professional planner specializing inland use planning and
regulatory issues, with over 30 years of experience as a planning consultant on the Big Island.
am also one of the founding members of the Hilo Bayfront Trails organization which seeks to
create multiuser trails and promote bike and pedestrian connectivity throughout the Island. I
currently serve as the HBFT's vice-president.
I wanted to express my strong support for the current section of the Draft General Plan 2045
(Plan) under review by this committee, Chapter 4, Sustainable Development and Resilient
Communities and, in particular, those portions of Section 4.2 on Transportation Access and
Mobility that promote the integration of multimodal design, which is aimed at accommodating
mass transit, automobile, bicycle and pedestrian systems, as part of the planning of new or
refurbished roadway networks. This process could be strengthened in the Plan by including the
following items as part of the Action items under Objective 16 of this Section:
• Adoption of a Complete Street Ordinance for the County, and
• Update the Bikeway Plan for the County of Hawaii (April 1979)
I wanted to also express my support for the recommended policies and actions under Section
4.2.3, Active Living Corridors and Public Access which would foster greater access to open
space areas through the establishment of "active living corridors" and which expand the
opportunities for integrated multimodal trails throughout the County.
Lastly I would like to commend the County Planning Department and all those who had a hand
in the preparation of the current Draft General Plan 2045, which appears to fully respond to the
stated purpose of the General Plan, as detailed in the introductory section (Section 1.0), takes
into consideration and builds upon the extensive planning that has taken place since the
development of the previous update to the General Plan and has done so in a manner that has
been wholly transparent and with extensive community involvement. The result, based on this
Draft General Plan 2045, is a plan that will, undoubtedly, serve the County extremely well as a
guide to planning in the years ahead.
Comm. No S
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Ref. Date SFP 17 2025
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Thank you for the opportunity to present my testimony on this matter before this Committee.