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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0330.002 1996-1998 39•I48 Olomana Road, Kamuela HI 96'143 t-. '9'l JU~d 3 F~f9 7 ~2 Date: 1997 C0~' ; ~ r---- C~Ui dl t U, f { ;~'y,^A{umber of pages in udmg cover sheet: ,~mo,~ ,~,..,,,~„a,,,...... ~~tr To~~ - ,g From: 0 / G/~f..a ~aJi Let2&?R_~_____. Phone: Fax Ahonc: CC: Phone: 808 880-1033 Fax phone: 808 880-1033 ~I ~ _ PLEASE ALL BEFORE FAXING REb1ARKS: ? Urge:a For your review ? Reply ASAP ? Alease comment I' r% . 330.02 - resented PC lRet, ta.r, JUN 3 (997- Comments on Gentry Application for Rezoning by Kelly Pomeroy, '.9-148 Olomana Rd., Kamuela HI 96743 Before any decision is made about this project, there are some points which should be considered Wglg~ The discussion of water needs in Section 4.3.2 of the application is misleading. The 600 gpd standard is woefully inadequate for an upscale subdivision in the subject area, which is the driest part of the whole state. Even the affordable housing at nearby Kawaihae Village uses more than that. The common-area landscaping alone is likely to use a third of the 36,000 gpd the application claims the project will use--especially if a shrubbery screen is planted along the highway, as they suggest. Page l0 of Appendix I gives a slightly more realistic flgute of 750 gpd per lot, but unless strict controls are imposed on allowable types and amount of landscaping, this is not very realistic either. The two homes at Kohala by the Sea average twice that much, and the homes across the street at Kohala Ranch average more than four times that much. This means the project could well exceed the 76,000 gpd allocated to it. If 76,000 is the total commitment, what guarantee is there that this amount won't be exceeded? This is important, because sustainable yield figures for the aquifer under Kohala Ranch, and projections of usage from existing commitments, do not leave much leeway. Even if the aquifer proves adequate, the recovery system may not, and new wells may have to be drilled. Will the Gentry project contribute its fair share of grants in aid of construction if this should become necessary? Will they inform parentis] buyers that the water supply is limited? The Kohala Ranch developer has been trying to obscure the water issue from the beginning, but I can prove, using their own data, that the situation is much more precarious than they portray. The only solution they have far a possible water shortage is to raise the price of water enough to force cutbacks. This makes the addition of new users a threat to existing property owners within the service area, because it makes it more likely that such a shortage and inflation of costs will actually occur. I urge that one of the conditions you impose be development of a water management plan which will ensure that usage does not exceed the 76,000 gpd commitment. I would also like clarification of the easement for a reservoir at an elevation of 250-300', referred to on page 10 of Appendix I. This would put it in Kohala Ranch or Kohala Estates subdivision. If that easement is still an option, the owners of lots surrounding the land that would be used for the tank would undoubtedly like to know what could happen next door to them. Please ask the applicant to supply a map showing the location. V' 'm acts Just becauso the plan has not yet been fleshed out doesn't mean we can't settle now upon some required mitigation measures. The application acknowledges the need to "blend with the existing terrain" and t0 minimise interference with view planes. T believe the most effective way to do that is for the County to impose special building requirements as conditions of approval, My observation has been that CC&Rs that are up to the developer or community association to formulate and enforce do not work. I therefore ask you to formulate the most important ones and, by making them conditions of rezoning, retain. the power to enforce them. First of all, it is not enough to say that tiew planes will still be available on the State land to the north, so it doesn't matter so much what happens on the project site. It does matter. I believe there should be a substantial setback from the highway. The Northwest Hawaii Plan which the application says gives its blessing to this project calls fora 300' buffer along the highway. The Planning Department proposed a setback of 100' in its recommendations to the Plannutg Commission on the SMA permit application. The developer objected to such a setback, but since the public welfare and protection of this unique coastline are of highest priority, I urge you to stand firm on this. Either there should be a 100' buffer, or no roof should protrude about the level of the highway, or--preferably-- both. If this is too difficult, then the project should be downsized or "clusterized" to make it work. There should be a height limit of something like 15' near the highway, the shore, and at ridgetops. Better yet, there should be no building at all on ridgetops. Elsewhere, the height limit should be about 20'. Earth-tone colors should be required, and should not be compromised by white-rail fences, as happened at Kohala Ranch. Any fences or enclosure walls should be of wire, narural stone, weathered wood, or a brown material. No wall or fence or line of shrubbery should be used along the highway to shield the project from view, as that would detract from the natural open character of the area and would interfere with the view plane. There should be an upper limit on floor area, how much of the lot can be gaded, and how much of the lot can be landscaped. Outside air conditioning units should have to be in bafr7ed enclosures. Lighting at the entrance should be as low key as it is at Kohala Ranch. Any street lightening within the project should be no more than three or four feet above grade, and for the purpose of indicating intersections only. Wood roofs should not be allowed, no matter how fire retardant the manufacturer may claim they are, as their installation could adversely affect insurance ratings for the whole area. To construe the Island's electrical resources, solar collectors, with or without attached tanks, should be encouraged. Termite prevention should be by gavel barrier rather than poison under the house slabs. Drought-tolerant plants should be required for the bulk of the landscaping, and lawns should not be allowed. This will not only conserve 2 water, but also reduce the need for fertilizer and pesticides which could end up in the ocean. FL4aLLy, a ~aN ~P w tepidcncea, and nn ohana, should bo ~ittdv oonditiono of approval. I don't doubt the applicant's ggnA fa;th in premising thin, but situations can change, new developers can take over, and it is important to ensure that there can be no ISOSV44UC4 SlallUlll~p, l alOU UOi1GYV lIA0.L ~UGJ~ LV4JG ilIV H4H +°V~ Ur ui,v rr ~.a. Ti.v~ •x101 ..v. only add to the visual impacts of the project, but will lead to illegal de facto second residences and bed and breakfasts. Bed and breakfasts should not be allowed, as this will increase traffic to the azea and create more of a resort, rather than claw-key residential atmosphere. Fire comnanv I applaud the applicant's willingness to contribute its fair share to the North Kohala Coast Volunteer Fire Company, which serves the area. The Kohala Ranch Community Association is donating close to $100,000 for equipment and construction of a station house. Since the Gentry project will comprise approximately a tenth the number of units as Kohala Ranch, I suggest a grant of $10,000 to the fire company for consttuction or equipment. This is a bargait>, because I am not figuring in the Kohala Ranch developer°s donation of land for the station, which doubles the value of the contribution from Kohals Ranch. ther The application implies that the shoreline trail will always be within ten feet of the certified shoreline, This seems unnecessarily restrictive. Surely there must be places where the traditional--and safest--route deviates from this corridor. This needs clarification. There is a reference on page 35 of the application to "private refuse collection services". What guarantee is there that dumpsters won't be banged around by noisy collection vehicles during normally quiet hours? Noises carry long distances up the hill in this terrain, and Kohala Ranch and Kohala Estates residents could be affected by such activities if there aren't some controls. The references on pages 8 and 22 to dust control measures sound a bit noncommittal. I would prefer to see fex•er "could"sand more "will"s. It shouldn't be that hard to figure this out now. The application doesn't mention whether there are locations in the natural drainageways where water may stand for several days aRer a rain. If so, what kinds of mosquito abatement measures will be practiced or allowed? I am curious about the statement on page 43 that the project will develop infrastructure to minimize adverse impacts from wastewater disposal. Blscwhere in the document it is 3 stated that individual home builders will be on their own in this respect. Is the reference on page 43 just another obsolete leftover from the earlier plan? The discussion of archaeological remains indicates that some of the sites may be preserved and interpreted. Since we are talking about agate-guarded community, one wonders for whom the sites will be preserved and interpreted. Can public access be arranged from the shoreline trai] to such sites, or must would-be visitors know about these sites in advance and request entry? If the latter, how will they get in if the guard station is not staffed? Or are the sites to be available only to property owners and their guestsl Finally, there should be some waiver that property owners, because they are knowingly buying in an area which is subject to serious wave and storm damage, will reimburse the State and County for any emergency services provided in response to an inundation event or alert. In sumrnarv I ask you to defer consideration of this application pending development of additional conditions of approval. I find it hard to accept that the impacts of this project are "cleazly outweighed by public health., safety, or compelling public interest". But you can at least make them more benign by requiring a development that is ]ow profile, both literally and figuratively. I urge you to take a more active role in doing exactly that. 4