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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0042.030 2004-2006 FROM :LRULIMR PUNK GRRDEN FRX N0. :808 966-7421 Jan. 02 2005 03:28PM Pl Comments on Bill 1¢3! Draft 1. Count General Plan ~ - ~`~G~%L'~ Yj~nia As~te.13-631 I.eilani Avenue. Pa1.or. 965~~i9/FAX My comments will be directed to the various sections of the County General Plan that deal with specific concerns in Puna: Transportation, Land Use, ~ Economics, and Recreation. Having worked for 18 months on the Puna = Community Developmettt Plan, I would like to see the recommendations of that plea facilitated by this General Plan. CONNECITVITY AND TRANSPORTATION There is a lesson to be learned from the traffic congestion generated by lack of connectivity and the absence of schools and services within subdivisions. Inattention to planning in Kailas.Kona, adding resorts and residential - subdivisions without counting the number of vehicles that would accompany such development, and without creating connectivity between developments and existing villages, was irresponsible and costly. In the end, the congestion may discourage tourists from selecting Kona as a destination. Similar congestion is becoming apparent in the Puna District. There is little question that build-out will continue at 10% per year or more. We must cluster development off the highways, within our subdivisions - or we will require at least 10 more lanes of expensive pavement to cant' people out of their driveways, onto the highway, to jobs, schools, services and shopping. It is less expensive to create connectivity using existing roadways, and to create bikeways and public transportation, than it is to pay for new highways. Creating more highways creates more congestion. PARADOX Some efforts have been made to accommodate increased growth in pone,; a new district park in Pahoa, provision of standpipes for potable drinking water, increased routes for public transportation with free rides for two years, and a recycling station. Most have been accomplished with federate funding. The County of Hawaii is caught in a double bind It can fail to plan and allow the situation to become so critical that the federal. government will supply funds for remedies. However, in recent years, much of the federal funding has dried up and if federal money is forthcoming, taxpayers must pay a share. On the other hand, if the County does specify solutions in its plan, voters may expect action. This may require tax increases, and may create a stalemate at the bahlot box. Comm. No. ~.'~Q Ref. To: he G Ref. Date .~dhl__. ~ _ 7(15 FROM :LRULIMR PUNK GRRDEN FRX N0. :608 966-7421 Jan. 02 2005 03: 26PM P2 ~4nty General Plea. Puraiuia Ante. PAGE 2 PUMA COMMUNTI'Y DEVELOPMENT PLAN The Puna Development Plan, written in 1995, followed the language of the existing County General Plan and provided recommendations and suggestions far itaplementation. Many of those suggestions are still applicable and reflect the results of a community based planning process. The criix of the plan is to preserve the rural lifestyle of Puna, but many people also want fire and police protection, dust enough," ec~omic development to provide jobs, and open space for recreation. With a build out potential population of 150,000 plus, the Puna District needs a plan of its own to avoid the type of congestion now occurring on the West Side. The Puna Developmem Plan suggests a number of mothods to accommodate and finance needed infrastructure: Rural Town Districts, Redevelopment Districts, Land Readjustment (lot consolidation and ro-subdivision), Transfer of Development Rights. Scheduling and timing of capital improvement projects and advance land acquisition (for public facilities and schools) caa save taxpayer dollars and facilitate clustering of businesses and service centers. These ideas have been used successfully in other jurisdictions and can be implemented here. MI33ING PIECES Tax dollars must be allocated to the Puna District until parity is achieved in County personnel and facilities. The CGP should identify this need. Requests for federal (and state) funding o8en require statements of intent in the general plan of a county requesting funds for housing or transportation. The General Plan should include such language. The CGP should acloyowledge lava zones and flood plains. If existing commercial zones conflict with lava hazard zone designations, then commercial zoning must be provided is other areas. If lots in certain areas are prone to flooding, or tsunami, then zero home building should be allowed. Continued bulldozing and building without regard to changes in the draieage maps or natural co-occurring phenomena will only cause costly damage in the future. FROM :LRULIMA PUNK GRRDEN FRX N0. :808 966-7421 Jan. 02 2005 03:30PM PS Cooaty General Plea, Vir¢ieia Asbe r,; ; ,PAGE 3 GENERATING INCOME Home businesses number more than 250 in Hawaiian Paradise Park alone. There are 16,000 lots under one acre and 17,000 one-acre lots in Puna subdivisions. Many of the residents will start home businesses. There are currently more than 250 home-based businesses in Hawaiian Paradise Park alone, with a wide range of goods and services besides agricultural. we need zoning which acknowledges these urea and town centers for relocation. 12ecvcling can serve as an income base far Puna by placingrecycle/reuse centers similar to the pilot project implemented in Kea'au in every subdivision, creating employment, decreasing traffic and reducing the cost of waste disposal to our county. Value added sericulture is a growing business sector in Puna. Appropriate zoning will allow infrastructure for these efforts (certified kitchens and warehouses.) Fco-tourism opportunities abound in Puna. and should be encouraged in ow planning. An economic base can be developed using trails and roadways which bypass the highways and include bed and breakfast locations and small, independent businesses. Creation of a regional park at Cape Kumukahi with a network of trails is now possible. HOUSING Currently, there is a shortage of over 1,000 housing units across the island. This was not the case ten years ago. Additionally, some families cannot afford to finish their homes. Assisting them would get more properties on the tax rolls. Collaboration between state, county and private developers is needed in order to create affordable single or multiple-utut complexes. MAKING HAWAII COUNTY A NICER PLACE TO LIVE Increased mobility and connectivity is the key to a diverse economic base which will provide some of the "niceties," opportunities for commerce, education, employment and recreation. I support the passage of the proposed version of the County General Plan. At the very least, it contains general language to which recommendations may bo attached aad acknowledges the need for planning future communities.