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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP PC 090 08/12/2008 2006-2008 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DATE: August 12, 2008 Re: Comm. 1349/Bill 333 PLACE: Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and Spa 78-128 Ehukai Street Kailua-Kona, Hawaii TIME: 3:00 p.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Planning; to which was referred Bill 333, reports as follows: Bill 333, transmitted via Communication 1349 from Mayor Harry Kim, dated July 23, 2008, presents the draft Kona Community Development Plan as submitted by the Kona Community Development Plan (CDP) Steering Committee and its consultant, Wilson Okamoto Corporation. Communication 1349 reports that the Hawaii County Planning Commission, as required by Chapter 4, Sec. 6-4.3(C), Hawaii County Charter, considered the above request and conducted public hearings on June 20, 2008, July 10, 2008, and July 18, 2008 to review the draft Kona Community Development Plan. The Commission concurs with the Planning Director's recommendation to send a favorable recommendation to the County Council for adoption by ordinance of the Kona Community Development Plan. Communication 1349 notes that in the Spring of 2005 a Request For Proposal was issued and that Wilson Okamoto Corporation was selected as the consultant for the Kona CDP. In September 2005, two kick-off meetings were held, one in North Kona and another in South Kona. Between November, 2005 and January 2006 one hundred nine small group meetings were held with over eight hundred participants that generated 3,496 ideas. These ideas were sorted ` into eighteen categories and used in evaluating policy priorities. On February 18, 2006 a "Mapping the Future" workshop was held and approximately 350 attended to brainstorm where future growth in North and South Kona should occur. Thereafter, two charrettes (working public meetings) were held, in March and in June, 2006 and eleven working groups were formed to address the following topics: Agriculture, Government, Land Use, Transportation, Housing, Natural Resources, Cultural Resources, Recreation, Public Facilities, Infrastructure, and Services, Energy, Flooding. At the August 12, 2008, Committee on Planning meeting, the following members of the public provided testimony in support of the Kona CDP: George A. Wilkins, Fred Housel, Peggy Ratliff, Cynthia Punihaole Kennedy, Ken Melrose (Chair of the Kona CDP), Curtis Tyler, Tsing Young, Denny Coffman (representing the Hawaii Democratic Party), Diane Gaylord, Gretchen Lawson (member, CDP Steering Committee), Duane Erway (on behalf of Plan to Protect), and Janice Palma-Glennie. Councilmember Naeole noted her interest in the section of the Kona CDP that PC Report No. 90 Communication 1349 Bill 333 Page 2 of 3 highlighted the preservation of cultural resources and stated she was very impressed, especially with the analogy expressed by Ms. Palma-Glennie in her testimony. Council Chair Hoffmann extended his thanks and appreciation to the members of the Steering Committee and Planning Department staff for doing an excellent job, noting that with such a diverse community and large area covered in the plan, the outcome, although it may not meet with everybody's approval, is quite a tremendous accomplishment. Mr. Hoffmann concluded he was excited and enthused to see that this plan is implemented in the next couple of years. Ms. Nancy Pisicchio, CDP representative with the Planning Department stated this was a very personal matter for her and that for many years she strongly felt the need for communities to develop regional-based plans. She said that in her opinion this was a historic day in which the Council was considering "Bill 333" and not "Resolution 333." Ms. Pisicchio stated that she personally has never had an experience like this involving such diversity of people with potentially clashing interests who were able to come together and achieve solidarity. She thanked Jane Testa, Director of Research and Development who was very supportive of the vision of regional planning and who came forward to provide support and resources to finance the community outreach portion in its early stages. Ms. Pisicchio also thanked Director Yuen who, after approval of the General Plan in 2005, wasted very little time in starting the Kona CDP and initiating the RFP process and noted that his leadership in moving such an enormous program forward was greatly appreciated. Roy Takemoto explained there is one chapter in the Kona CDP which specifies what the financial plan should be in order to implement all infrastructure and public facilities identified in the Kona CDP and that their team did not want the financing plan aspect to end up as a "wish list". Mr. Takemoto stated they wanted to know how much these improvements would cost and where the funds could come from, especially since traditionally, government has looked only to general obligation bonds for funding, which is a very limited source. He said they felt that government needed to be more innovative in that respect. He thanked Councilmember Pilago and Councilmember Ford who provided funds which allowed the department to secure a special tax consultant who is to take a comprehensive look at infrastructure on a regional basis. Mr. Takemoto noted that this is a relatively new idea which has only been done on a project basis and not so much on a more complex regional basis. He said Kona would be the guinea pig in making this work and to develop a more practical and creative way of finding different sources of funding. Mr. Takemoto stated that a consultant has been hired and has begun the data collection process. Councilmember Higa stated it was his understanding that since the Kona CDP was the very first plan started in Hawaii County that it was going to be the first to be completed and used as a template. He inquired whether Mr. Takemoto's involvement in the Kona CDP was the same as his involvement in the Puna CDP. Mr. Takemoto responded that when the Kona CDP process began he was the Deputy Director of the Planning Department and that after transferring to the Mayor's office, he continued his involvement in the Kona CDP. Regarding his involvement with the Puna CDP, Mr. Takemoto stated that when Puna began its CDP process, due to his PC Report No. 90 Communication 1349 Bill 333 Page 3 of 3 involvement and commitment in the Kona CDP, he did not have the time to spend time on the Puna CDP. Councilmember Higa noted that in his opinion, Mr. Takemoto's commitment was an integral part of the CDP process and that his involvement is a very important piece of the puzzle missing from the Puna CDP process. Mr. Higa said he believes it's very important to have administration and departments working together with the steering committee and felt that every CDP should have the opportunity of working at the highest level of our county government. Councilmember Higa stated that they have done an excellent job with Kona and have set the template even though the Puna CDP was the first CDP to be completed. Mr. Higa expressed wholehearted support for the Kona CDP and noted that future CDPs should have someone very close to the mayor as an integral part of the process which makes for a better work product, and that the Kona CDP was a testament to that. Ms. Pisicchio noted that this was a new process and stated that for all the other communities who will be developing their own CDPs, her advice was not to look at the current drafts of any of the completed plans as a final product. She said these individual plans are introducing regional planning mechanisms into the island which are meant to evolve. Councilmember Ford noted that whatever is learned as the result of the financial consultant will benefit every CDP and will also benefit the County as it will have discovered new and innovative processes that could be adopted and utilized in more than just CDPs. Councilmember Yagong congratulated the members noting a job well done and stated he was very happy that Nancy Pisicchio was a part of this process. Mr. Yagong said he believes in home rule and regional planning and that the documentation and quality produced in the Kona CDP, although a useful guideline was also very critical to implement. He concluded that the Puna, Kona and Kohala CDPs have clearly set the benchmark which Hamakua will certainly learn from. Your Committee on Planning is in accord with the purpose and intent of Bill 333, and recommends it pass first reading. and AYES NOES A&E EX Respectfully submitted, FORD X RIGA X CON IITTEE ON PLANNING I ANN x uKEDA cEDA x (°151 JACOBSON X NAEOLE X K. ANGEL 4PILA, HAIR PILAGO X YAGONG X PC REPORT NO. 90 YOSIIMOTO X ADOPTED: AUG 7 7AUG 7 7 7002