HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0939.004 2004-2006
Jul, 18 06 12:55p Rocky Mountain Institute 808-329-4370 p.2
Mot~y ~
T
r
~TITV~
ROCKY MOUNTAIN INST'ITUT'E TESTIMONY SUPPORTING
RESOLUTION 383-06
Planning Committee
Hawaii Council
July 18, 2006
1:30 p.m.
Chair Pilago and members of the Committees:
The Rocky Mountain Institute is an independent, entrepreneurial, nonprofit applied research
center working with the private and public sector to foster advanced resource productivity. RMI
supports Resolution 383-06, amending Hawai'i County's general plan to allow an Open, Resort,
and Urban Expansion designation for the Kona Kai Ola Project on DHHL and DLNR lands, in a
manner consist with the DLNR lease agreement.
RMI is the advocate of smart growth and supports the concurrency approach to ensuring
adequate infrastructure necessary to support new developments is available as the developments
are built. RMI believes that the correct approach is to make new developments as resource
efficient as possible, minimize new infrastructure demand, and apply sustainable development
principles to land use, waste, and transportation to minimize impact on the environment and
community.
Our community has been seeking developers that embrace this approach, and Jacoby
Development has risen to this challenge. Jacoby Development seeks to make the Kona Kai Ola
project a model of sustainable development for our county, and indeed, the state. Jacoby
Development has set the sustainable design goal to go beyond minimizing impact, to a "good
neighbor" approach of improving the surround infrastructure for energy, water, and waste. This
is the type of leadership from developers that RMI believes the Council should support,
Jacoby Development has engaged RMI to be its consultants for sustainability, and we have
drafted broad sustainability goals for the project and are in the process of incorporating those
goals into the design effort. Once adopted, these goals would place the Kona Kai Ola project on
track to become a LEED certified development.
The sustainability approach can lead to Hawaii's first resort powered 100% by renewables, the
creation of a constructed wetlands for wildlife habitat that cleanses and recycles wastewater,
large scale composting, purchase of local food, fish, and dry goods to maximize local economic
benefits while minimizing carbon intensity, development of alternative transportation approaches 1
Comm. No. 7
1 Ref. To:Pr0$**"
Ref. irate
Jul 18 06 12:55p Rocky Mountain Institute 808-329-4370 P•3
(water shuttles, van pools), public parks, open space, as well as the creation of green affordable
housing. RMl has confidence that, unlike promises from other developers that have not come to
pass, JDI will respect its commitment to sustainability, as evidenced by its award winning
project, Atlantic Station.
RMI also notes that under the newly passed legislation Act 96 (SLH 2006), the County is
required to establish a method to accelerate permitting for LEER or similarly certified
developments. The rationale behind this statewide legislation is to reward developers who
choose to implement sustainable building approaches.
We must proactively define how Kona develops. We can choose to stop all development,
creating a moratorium until our transport, waste and water infrastructure have caught up to the
demands of the development boom. This solves the near term problem, but does not articulate
what type of development we support. RMI recommends that the County Council say no to
destructive development that adds to our community's burden, but support developers that
commit to sustainable approaches that will help solve our County's vexing infrastructure
challenges.
Jacoby Development's Kona Kai Ola project meets these criteria and deserves our support.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify,
Kyle Datta Natalie Mims
Senior Director Legislative Fellow
Rocky Mountain Institute Rocky Mountain Institute
2