REP PC 056 03/21/2006 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DATE: March 21, 2006 Re: Comm. No. 686/Bill No. 223 PLACE: Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort & Spa, Kailua-Kona TIME: 2:30 p.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Planning was referred Communication No. 686 and Bill No. 223, transmitted by Mayor Harry Kim on February 3, 2006, regarding a Change of Zone request BY HAWAII ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY, INC. (HELLO) for the Keahole power plant at Keahole, North Kona, Hawaii, TMK: 7-3-49:36 and 37. Your Committee reports as follows: Bill No. 223 seeks to amend Section 25-8-3 (North Kona 7,one Map), Article 8, Chapter 25 (7,oning ('ode) of the Hawai" i County Code, by changing the District Classification of approximately 15.643 acres of land from Open (O) to General Industrial 15-acre (MG-15a). Communication No. 686 reports that the Hawaii County Planning Commission, as required by the Hawaii County Charter, Chapter 4, Section 6-4.3(C), considered the above request and accompanying BiII No. 223 on January 20, 2006. The Commission concurred with the Planning Director's favorable recommendation on this matter. Communication No. 686 transmits the following findings and recommendations from the Planning Director: I . "Fhe subject properties were originally zoned Open by the County to conform to their State Land Use Conservation district designation. The State BLNR approved a reclassification of these properties from the Conservation to the Urban district on November 7, 2005 by Docket No. A03- 743. The current request to rezone the parcels from the Open to the General Industrial zoned district will bring the properties into conformance with their existing industrial use. 2. The subject parcels are the site of the existing Keahole power plant, which is located east of Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway and the Kona International Airport at Keahole in North Kona. The existing power plant was developed in the early 1970's. The existing 104-foot tall exhaust stack was permitted within the State Land Use Conservation district, and is a legal non-conforming use under the Zoning Code. 3. Reservoir Road on the north side and Pukiawe Street to Kaiminani Drive on the south side of the properties provide access to Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. A Traffic Impact Analysis dated October 2004 (Appendix A) indicates that these two intersections provide an adequate level of service to the site. 4. A Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Keahole power plant expansion was accepted by the State Land Use Commission on February 10, 2005 and by written order dated May 24, 200. 5. Planned upgrades for the existing power generating facility will convert two existing simple-cycle combustion turbines to a combined-cycle system capable of generating 60 MW net power. The applicant also proposes to install a selective catalytic emissions reduction system and to improve the existing wastewater treatment system to dispose ofsite-generated waste. The Airport PC REPORT NO. 56