HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0466.000 2004-2006 ~N~v,or N,w~.
rP,••,i, ~ let's Dixie Kaetsu
Harry Kim ~ Managing Director
Mayor
Peter L. Hendricks
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rf~•N~M Deputy ,Managing Director
COUNTY OF HAWAII
25 Aupuni Strcet, Room 215 Hilq tlawali 96720-4252 (808) 967-8211 Fax (808) 961-6553
KONA_ 75-5706 Kuakini Highwag Suite 103 Kailua-Kona, kiawai'i 96740
(808)3?9-5226 Fax (808)326-5663
September 20, 2005
Honorable Stacy Higa, Chairman
and Members of the County Council
County of Hawaii
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, ffi 96720
Dear Chairman Higa and Members:
Change of Zone Application (REZ OS-002)
Applicant: State of Hawaii, DLNR
Request: Open to MCX 1-acre
Tax Map Key: 6-1-3:15
Change of Zone Application (REZ 05-009)
Applicant: Johanna Leaird Revocable Living Teust
Request: RM-1 to RM-10
Tax Map Key: 2-C-3:portion 22
?Amendment to Chapter 25 {'Coning Code)
Re' Plan Approval and Landscapinf;
As required by Chapter 4, Sec. 6-4.3(C), Hawaii County Charier, transmitted herewith for the
County Council's consideration and action are the Planning Commission's letters and enclosures
regarding the about-referenced requests.
Sincerely,
Harry Kim
Mayor
Enclosures
cc: Plannning Department
~~j 1 11 ~ ~ 1 ~ J Iawai i CouNy is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer COmn1• NO.~
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County of Hawaii
PLANNING COMMISSION
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Sheet, Sui[e 3 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone (808) 961-8288 • Fax (808) 961-8742
September 20, 2005
Stacy Higa, Chairman
and Members of the County Council
County of Hawaii
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Chairman Higa and Council Members:
Amendment to Chapter 25 (Zoning Code)
Re: Plan Approval and Landscaping
The Planning Commission at its duly held meeting on September 2, 2005, voted to
forward a favorable recommendation on the proposed amendment to Chapter 25 (Zoning
Code), Hawaii County Code, by deleting the Plan Approval and Landscaping
requirements for the construction of one single family dwelling and accessory buildings
per lot within the various zoning districts.
For your favorable consideratiou, we have enclosed the draft bill. We have also enclosed
the transcript of the hearing for your information.
Should you have questions regarding this matter, please contact the Planning Department
at 961-8288.
Sincerely,
Fre ones, Chairman
Planning Commission
Enclosures
Kawai'i County is an Equa[ Opportunity Provider and Employer
PLANNING COMMISSION
COUNTY OF HAWAII
HEARING TRANSCRIPT'
SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
A regularly advertised hearing on the AMENDMENT TO CFIAPTER 25 (ZONiNC
CODE) was called to order at 10:07 a.m. in the County Building, Conncilmom -
Room 201, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawaii, with Chairman Fred Galdones presiding:
i-Rs~Ei~iT: reed Gaid~nc~ :~I3SEi~iT & E:~ C~~SED: i%viiliam uraham
C. Kimo Alameda Jeffrey McCall
Andrew Iwashita Rodney Watanabe
Allen Salavea
Rene' Siracusa
Hannah Springer
Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel
Christopher Yuen, Planning Director
Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager
Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner
Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner
And one person from the public in attendance.
INITIATOR: PLANNING DIRECTOR
Amendment to Chapter 25 (Zoning Code), Hawaii County Code, by deleting the Plan
Approval and Landscaping requirements for the construction of one single family
dwelling and accessory buildings per lot within the various zoning districts.
GALDONES: Commissioners, we are on Agenda Item No. 4. The initiator is the
Planning Director. This is an amendment to Chapter 25 (Zoning Code), Hawaii County
Code, by deleting the Plan Approval and Landscaping requirements for the construction
of one single family dwelling and accessory buildings per lot within the various zoning
districts. Mr. Yuen.
YUEN: The current Zoning Code requires a stage called plan approval for all
construction in the commercial, resort and industrial zones, including single family
homes. Plan approval is a step where the applicant submits something that's close to the
plans that they would submit for a building permit, not necessarily with all the structural
details but it would show the building, the setbacks, the parking, the proposed
landscaping; and it would be reviewed by staff and then given, and signed off as a plan
approval. And then after that, there's a submission of the building permit which is then
a]so reviewed by staff and signed off from the planning point of view.
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What Planning Department looks at for plan approval typically in a commercial or resort
building is setbacks from the property lines, landscaping which is required by Rule 17 for
those types of buildings, and the adequacy of parking. And they also look at things like
the way the parking flows around the building. So this is more of a site design issue and
it's done You don't see them here at the Planning Department, I mean, at the Planning
Commission. It's done as a stage typically after a rezoning has been done. You'll notice
That in Borne of your applications we will say they have to get plan approval; and that"s,
for those it's e way of ~~hecking ~_ip on the conditions., that the conditions of approval are
followed Chrough in the actual thing that's submitted. Then at a building permit typically
you look at many of the same things all over again. You wouldn't look at the parkintt but
you v~outd still ieok at Inc sctbactcs trom the buitning to the property line.
What we've seen in the last few years is that we have a lot of single family homes that
are being built in resort zones. This has been one of the biggest trends in land use on the
island in the last decade. Many of the sites that were zoned for hotels in places like
Mauna Lani have, or zoned in some cases for multi-family buildings have been
subdivided and sold for single family residences, really typically high end single family
residences. Examples would be 49 Black Sands Subdivision that actually just came in for
rezoning from RM to single family residential, the Pauoa Bay Estates residential
development in Mauna Lani, and there are many other examples of this. So what
happens in these, and we're talking, Kukio is another example, the Kaupulehu Resort is
another example. So what we're seeing here is that right now we see dozens of homes.
In the future we'll have Hundreds of homes coming into these resort areas.
And the Planning Department side there's two steps of processing that essentially
duplicate each other. The first comes the plan approval. Because they're in a resort zone
or in amulti-family zone, it needs a plan approval. And second comes the building
permit stage which is also necessary. Tn looking at this we decided that the plan approval
is not necessary for a single family residence. In a single family residential zone, you
don't need plan approval. You don't, the issue of the use of the property is checked at the
building permit stage to see that it is an allowed use. The setbacks will be checked at the
building permit stage. And any other conditions of approval, say, of a rezoning
ordinance, will be typically done at the subdivision review or at the stage of, or also could
be done with the building permit. So to try to eliminate unnecessary work for both the
Planning Department and for the private applicant, we've suggested this amendment to
the Zoning Code.
GALDONES: Commissioners, any questions of Director Yuen? Commissioner
Siracusa?
SIRACUSA: Yes. I noticed that all the additions refer to a single family
dwelling and any accessory buildings. Could you tell us what the definitions of these
accessory buildings would be, other than say a free standing garage?
YUEN: A tool shed, a dog kennel, any building that's submitted as
accessory to the single family home. So you'd have to have the home, and then the
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building would be something that's accessory to it, like a, you know, a lawn storage
building. A free standing garage is probably the most common sort of accessory
building.
SIRACUSA: And would these types of accessory buildings also have the same
setback requirements as the main house or could [hey be closer [o the boundary? I'm
thinking about a situation where somebody has a whole lot of, say, fighting cocks or
pig dogs or something like that, and they put them way away from the house but right
up on the neighbor's boundary where it might create a nuisance?
YUEN: They're the same. The setback requirements are the same for the
accessory buildings.
GALDONES: Any further questions of Director Yuen? Mr. Yuen, this subject
matter will it be acted upon today or it will also be heard at the Kona meeting before
any action is taken?
YUEN: We're just scheduling it one time on the agenda. So our intent
was to finish this today.
GALDONES: Commissioner Springer.
SPRINGER: Mr. Chair, I'd just like to note that I received a letter from
Dorothy Walsh a member of the public who submitted testimony on this matter of
Chapter 25, but I believe that she was not clear in her understanding which section of
Chapter 25 we were hearing today. But I did want to note her correspondence for the
record.
GALDONES: So noted, yes. Also, I noted in her letter she was relating to the
agriculture tourism, and it is a different subject matter in which we are addressing
today. But thank you for that note. Okay.
Mr. Yuen, then it is just an action by the Planning Commission? It's not to be
forwarded to any other body for their approval?
YUEN: We're asking that the Planning Commission forward a favorable
recommendation to the County Council. It will require final action by the Council.
SIRACUSA: I have a question.
GALDONES: Commissioner Siracusa.
SIRACUSA: Yeah, I can see where this would certainly make it a lot easier for
the Planning Department, especially as so many buildings now are coming up for final
plan approval, all this new construction we've got. And it'll also make it easier for
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people who are building their own homes. Will it make it less expensive for them if
they don't have to go through final plan approval?
YUEN: It takes away, it removes a time element of submitting for plan
approval and it does take, it will reduce cost to some extent for the private person
because they don't have to make a separate application for the plan approval. They
would just come in with a building permit, just as somebody comes in In a single
iamily gone for a house, you just come ire fur your building permit. The same thin
would hold true in a resort zone.
SIRACUSA: Okay, thank you. In that case, I'm prepared to make a motion if
no one else has any comments.
GALDONES: Seeing that there is no further discussion on this matter, motion is
in order. Commissioner Siracusa.
SIRACUSA: I move that the Commission send a favorable recommendation to
the County Council regarding the amending of Chapter 5 (sic) of the Zoning Code of
the Hawaii County Code, 1983, 2005 edition, relating to plan approval and landscaping
for single family dwellings and accessory buildings.
IWASHITA: Second.
GALDONF,S: Commissioner Siracusa, just one correction, that would be
Chapter 25, right?
SIRACUSA: I believe I said that, Chapter 25, Zoning Code.
GALDONES: Okay, so noted.
SIRACUSA: Yeah.
GALDONES: It has been moved by Commissioner Siracusa, seconded by
Commissioner Iwashita, that the amendment to Chapter 25, Zoning Code, Hawaii
County Code, by deleting the plan approval and landscaping requirements for the
construction of one single family dwelling and accessory buildings per lot within the
various zoning districts, be given a favorable recommendation and be forwarded to the
County Council. Further discussion? Seeing none, Norman.
HAYASHI: Commissioner Siracusa?
SIRACUSA: Aye.
HAYASHl: Commissioner Iwashita?
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IWASHITA: Aye.
HAYASHL Commissioner Salavea`?
SALAVEA: Aye.
HAYASHL: Commissioner Springer'?
SPRINGER: Yes.
HAYASHI: Commissioner Alameda?
ALAMEDA: Aye.
HAYASHI: Chair Galdones?
GALDONES: Aye.
HAYASHI: Motion carries.
GALDONES: Thank you, Norman.
The discussion ended at 10:20 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon M. Nomura, East Hawaii Secretary
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