Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0370.003 2002-2004 ~1V Oi y Harry Kim L ChristgphBr~T. Yuen MaYnr O<rector '~::•;;;,rr~' '03 DEC 2 PIS 12 3Q Roy R. Takemoto CC,~, LteTytf!~emr ~D1tLt~~T ~tt~l7tttt COUM u= HAlN,411 PLANNING DEPARTMENT 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawaii 96720-3043 (808)961-8288 Pax(808)961-8742 December 2, 2003 Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Chairman Arakaki and Members of the County Council: SUBJECT: BILL 159 (Draft 2) PUNA SUGAR MILL, LLC, APPLICANT The Council will be considering this proposed rezoning at its December 3 meeting. I will not be able to attend that meeting. I am writing to restate concerns about two amendments that were made to this bill at first reading that changed it from the bill that passed the Planning Commission and Planning Committee of the Council: deleting the condition that the remainder of the property not be reclassified to urban for at least five years, and deleting the condition that no home improvement centers be allowed. 1. 15 acres: State law limits the county's reclassification ofland to the Urban district to 15 acres. Larger reclassifications must go to the Land Use Commission. We have to respect the law as it stands whether we agree with it philosophically or not. (My own opinion is that state law should be amended to make it easier for the counties to reclassify property to Urban that has been designated urban in the county general plan.) Although it is legal for an applicant to request that only 15 acres of a larger parcel be reclassified, and this avoid the LUC, we should maintain our credibility in trying to comply with the spirit of the law and avoid sequential reclassifications. The proposed condition that the remaining 8 acres of agricultural land not be reclassified for five years is a very modest attempt to show respect for the spirit of the state land use law. catt,t,,: Na: 10.3 Ref. Torf°fOMN ' Ref. Date Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council County Council Page 2 December 2, 2003 2. Home improvement centers: Our Zoning Code, like many throughout the country, contains a basic distinction between "industrial" zones and "commercial" zones. Genera] retail activities aze not allowed in industrial zones. For the most part, classic "light industrial" uses such as warehouses, baseyazds, and repair shops do not generate as much traffic as a general commercial area. There is one exception: "home improvement centers" aze allowed in the ML (light industrial) zone. A "home improvement center" is defined as "a single establishment primarily involved in providing a large variety of goods and services directly associated with building and home improvements." This clearly allows such "big box" establishments as Lowe's or Home Depot, which can generate tremendous vehicular traffic. It is an entirely different type of use. The Council recently heard a great deal of testimony on the "Gateway" project in Kea'au, mostly focused on potential traffic effects. After long deliberation, considerable public scrutiny, and careful review of the traffic analysis that was done for the project, the Council, with the support of the administration, voted to approve that project. This current ML zoning has attracted almost no public interest, probably because it seems to only lead to light industrial-type uses. The level of interest and concern would be much greater if it were understood that this rezoning could potentially allow abig-box home improvement center. Without the suggested condition, this is a possibility, and it would significantly compromise the function of the Bypass Highway. To quote the comments of the District Engineer regarding the adjacent MCX zoning for the McCully parcel: "Development of adjacent properties leads to spreading of the Kea'au town urban core and its traffic. The result of the long-term impact will be that the Kea'au Bypass Road will become a roadway cutting through the middle of the town. New intersections will need to be constructed. Traffic will become stop-and-go, instead offree-flowing." (Letter of Stanley Tamura to Virginia Goldstein, Mazch 18, 1998). We do not want this rezoning to lead to this kind of result. At the last Council meeting on this bill, a desire was expressed for more commercial and industrial zoning in Puna. The Planning Department supports this, and basically supported this rezoning and the Gateway project, and has proposed additional industrial and commercial areas in the General Plan revisions, for Paradise Park and Orchidland. These new aeeas should be carefully planned, however, and potential problems dealt with. The site in question is well-suited to light industrial use, but it should not be developed with a project that could be a high traffic generator, creating another obstacle Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman and Members of the County Council County Council Page 3 December 2, 2003 to the flow of traffic on the Bypass Highway. There are other large azeas currently zoned for commercial and industrial use in the Kea'au area, including the Gateway site (32 acres of MCX zoning, currently vacant), the McCully site (14 acres of MCX zoning, currently vacant) and large vacant azeas of MG zoning in the Shipman Business Park. To allow "home improvement centers" as a matter of right in ML zones is probably not a good idea. At this point, however, to amend the Zoning Code to eliminate it as an allowed use might make some existing businesses nonconforming which can be a significant problem. On behalf of the county administration, Isuggest that the Council restore the two conditions contained in the original version of the bill. Sincerely, ~ CHRISTOPHER J. EN Planning Director CJY:pak Wpwin60/Chris/Puna Sugar mill.doc cc: Mayor Harry Kim Mr. Sidney Fuke