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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0372.194 2024-2026Ashley L. Kierkiewicz Office: (808) 961-8265 Council Member Fax: (808) 961-8912 District 4 Puna ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov t HAWAI`I COUNTY COUNCIL Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 N DATE: March 9, 2026 TO: Holeka Inaba, Council Chairperson And Members of the Hawaii County Council FROM: Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Council Member Chair, Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use & Economic Development RE: About the Draft General Plan 2026 This memorandum provides a brief orientation to the Draft Hawaii County General Plan 2026, including what it is, how it was developed, and how it is intended to be used. The General Plan is the County's long-range policy document guiding land use, development, and public investment across Hawaii Island. It is required pursuant to Chapter 226 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and Section 3-15 of the Hawaii County Charter. The Draft General Plan 2026 builds upon the framework established in the County's prior General Plans adopted in 1971, 1989, and 2005. While the overall structure remains familiar, this update places greater emphasis on implementation, accountability, and alignment with present- day community priorities. The elements are organized to reflect how communities operate. The plan begins with implementation and economic conditions, grounds development in stewardship of the island's natural and cultural resources, addresses the public services and infrastructure that support communities, and then considers housing, transportation, and land use as the outcomes of those systems working together. The Draft 2026 General Plan also clarifies the County's three-tier planning hierarchy. At the top is the General Plan, which establishes the islandwide vision and policy direction. Beneath it are Community Development Plans and functional plans that provide more detailed, place -based Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Comm.V.. 1�Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Ref. To:Ref. DatRo.1 0 2026 guidance. Implementation ultimately occurs through zoning, subdivision regulations, capital improvement programs, budgets, and other ordinances adopted by the Council. The policy direction reflected in the Draft 2026 General Plan draws heavily from the decade - long community engagement process that informed the General Plan 2045 Draft. Throughout this update, that work was carefully reviewed and refined to focus on policy areas within the County's authority. Aspirational language outside the County's jurisdiction and commitments that the County cannot legally enforce were set aside. What remains is a policy framework grounded in the community's input over the past decade and translated into clear, actionable direction with the County's authority. Enforceable policies and implementable actions tied to real County functions strengthen — not diminish — the credibility of the community's vision. A key feature of the 2026 Plan is that Implementation appears as the first and foundational element. This element addresses administration and coordination, capital improvements and financing, community engagement, and monitoring and reporting. The intent is to make clear that the Plan is carried out through department work programs, capital improvement investments, budget decisions, ordinances, and coordination across County agencies. The Plan only matters if it is used. The General Plan should be read as a policy framework rather than a technical manual. The purpose statement, goal, policies, and actions should be read together and understood in context. No single provision should drive a decision in isolation; decisions should be evaluated against the Plan's overall direction. For the public, the Plan serves as a window into how land use decisions are made and how public investments are prioritized. For County departments, it sets the policy foundation for work programs and budget requests. At this stage, the Draft 2026 General Plan does not yet include Land Use Maps. The version before you describes a gradient -based approach to planning and development. The General Plan 2045 Draft proposed highly detailed GIS mapping with numerous (14) land use designations applied at a near parcel -by -parcel level. The current direction is to work with the Planning Department to develop maps more consistent with earlier General Plans, using broader land use categories such as Urban, Rural, Agriculture, and Open. This approach maintains flexibility in identifying long-term growth patterns rather than locking in land uses at an overly granular level. This matters because the General Plan is meant to be a broad -brush guide for the island as a whole. When mapping becomes too prescriptive at the macro level, it can unintentionally constrain future decision -making in ways that do not serve the County well over the twenty-year time horizon of a General Plan. As a reminder, the General Plan Land Use Maps illustrate potential long-term development patterns and guide planning decisions. They do not determine zoning and are not zoning maps. Finally, the Draft 2026 General Plan is structured to remain squarely within the County's legal authority. This is not a limitation; it is what gives the Plan its durability and practical value. A plan that attempts to regulate beyond the County's authority invites legal challenge, misses its own benchmarks, and ultimately undermines public confidence in the planning process. In the Draft 2026 General Plan, each element begins with a goal describing the long-term outcome the County is working toward. This is followed by policies that establish the principles guiding planning and public investment, and actions that identify implementation steps and responsible parties. This structure allows decisions to be evaluated against adopted policy, provides clarity regarding departmental responsibility, and strengthens the Plan's legal durability as a governing document. At its core, the General Plan provides policy direction the County relies on when making long- term decisions about growth, infrastructure, housing, and resource protection. Used consistently, the Plan provides a common framework for the Council, County departments, and the public as we navigate change, support communities, and care for the island we are entrusted to serve. CC: Planning Department Corporation Counsel AK/iq