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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0372.199 2024-2026Heather L. Kimball Council District 1 - Hdmdkua, North Hilo, portions of Waimea Phone: (808) 961-8828 Fax: (808) 961-8912 Email: HeatherXimball(alhmvaiicounrv.rov HAWAFI COUNTY COUNCIL 25 Aupuni Street Ste. 1402 Hilo, Hmvai7 96720 n O� �G DATE: April 2, 2026 1 o c n c; TO: Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Council Chair i a T and Members of the Hawaii County Council o � x FROM: i Heather L. Kimball, Council Member V� x District I SUBJECT: Proposed Amendments to Bill 66, Draft 2; AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I GENERAL PLAN 2045 AND REPEALING ORDINANCE NO.05-025, AS AMENDED. Transmitted herewith are amendments to Bill No. 66, Draft 2. The amendments are shown below in Ramseyer format with respect to the contents of Appendix A; material to be inserted is underlined, and material to be deleted is bracketed and stricken. Any material not expressly set forth herein is unaffected by these amendments. 1. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.1, is amended by amending the following language: "In Hawaii County's pursuit of a prosperous and resilient future, public utilities stand as pillars of essential infrastructure[,-] and shall serve as the primary determinant of the location, intensity, and timing of development across the County." 2. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.1, is amended by amending the following language: "Unintegrated utilities can burden developments with lower levels of service and may limit or even prevent development. The integration and availability of public utilities in priority growth areas are imperative[:], and utility planning shall be used to direct growth toward designated Urban Growth Areas and awav from areas lackins infrastructure or subject to hazard exposure." Comm. I Ref. To: Ref. Date - 026 3. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Table 33, is amended by adding the following language: "Data Centers • High electricity demand may strain capacity and increase costs for residents. • High water demand for cooling may impact limited water resources. • Low employment yield relative to land and infrastructure consumption. • Potential to displace more productive or community -serving land uses. • Lack of regulatory framework may lead to inconsistent siting decisions." 4. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.2, Objective 25, Policy 25.1, is amended to read as follows: "Public utility facilities shall be designed at a scale that meets the needs of future development[.] and to support the County's land use framework, and shall not induce development inconsistent with the General Plan." 5. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.2, Objective 25, Policy 25.2, is amended to read as follows: "Provide utilities and service facilities that minimize total cost to the public and effectively serve the needs of the community[.-] and prioritize investment in designated Urban Growth Areas." 6. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.2, Objective 25, Policy 25.5, is amended to read as follows: "Encourage the clustering of developments to reduce the cost of providing utilities[-] and 7. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.2, Objective 25 is amended by adding policies to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows: "25.8 Development intensity shall not exceed available infrastructure capacity unless such capacity is fully funded and programmed in the Capital Improvements Program. 25.9 High -intensity infrastructure uses, including data centers, shall be evaluated based on infrastructure demand, resource consumption, and consistency with County land use priorities." 2 8. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.3, Objective 26, is amended by adding policies to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows: "26.13 Large-scale industrial or infrastructure -intensive uses, including data centers, shall demonstrate sustainable water supply and shall not adverselypact aquifer capacity or water availability for residential and agricultural uses. 26.14 Potable water shall not be used for industrial -scale cooling where alternative methods are feasible." 9. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.3, Objective 26, is amended by renumbering policies 26.13 through 26.16, inclusive, as policies 26.15 through 26.18, respectively. 10. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.4, Objective 27, is amended by adding a policy to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows: "27.16 Data centers and similar high -intensity uses shall demonstrate wastewater capacity and shall not rely on individual wastewater systems for urban -scale ooperations." 11. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.5, Objective 28, is amended by adding a policy to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows: "28.13 Large-scale developments, including data centers, shall incorporate on -site stormwater retention and green infrastructure practices to mitigate runoff and reduce system burden." 12. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, Section 4.3.6, Objective 29, is amended by adding policies to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows: "29.8 High energy -demand uses, including data centers, shall be located where sufficient electrical capacity exists or is planned and shall not compromise grid reliability for residential or community -serving uses. 29.9 Data centers shall prioritize co -location with renewable energy generation or energy infrastructure hubs where feasible. 29.10 The County shall evaluate the cumulative energy demand of large infrastructure users and their impact on island -wide energy costs and resilience." 13. Chapter 4, Element 4.3, is amended by adding a section to read as follows: "4.3.8 Data Centers Data centers are utility -scale infrastructure that can support communications, economic activity,government services. While currently absent in the County, their rapid expansion nationally provides a rationale to preemptively adopt data center policies considering their substantial requirement for electricity, water, land area, and other related infrastructure. Data centers are distinct from traditional commercial or industrial uses because they require high infrastructure demand for electricity and cooling but provide few employment opportunities. Data centers may also create noise and visual impacts and affect overall utility capacity. This section establishes policies to guide where data centers should be located, where they should be avoided, and what conditions must be met for approval. These policies ensure that data center development aligns with County land use and infrastructure priorities, protects natural and cultural resources, and minimizes impacts on communities and utilities. Policies 30A.1 The Countv shall establish a zoning definition for data centers and shall reauire use permits for large-scale data centers. 30A.2 Data centers shall be located in industrial or infrastructure -intensive areas and shall not exceed existing or planned electrical, water, wastewater, and telecommunications capacity. 30A.4 Data centers shall be prohibited in residential, conservation, and high -hazard areas. 30A.5 Data centers shall not displace productive agricultural or culturally significant lands. 30A.6 Data centers shall maintain setbacks and buffering from residential areas and shall comply with noise standards. Actions 30A.a Amend the zoning code to define data centers as a distinct use and adopt conditional use permit requirements and findings. 30A.b Establish a Data Center Overlay District in industrial zones and amend the zoning code to define prohibited districts and hazard -based exclusions. 30A.c Coordinate with utility providers to establish utility impact review standards, map priority siting areas, and require infrastructure capacity analysis as part of project approval. 4 30A.d Establish minimum setback and screening requirements and adopt operational noise limits and monitoring requirements." Due to the limited scope of these amendments, a copy of the new draft of this bill that would result if these proposed amendments were adopted is not attached. Thank you. BLK:dbk ILRB 25-191�ID1