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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP PC 124 11/14/2000 1998-2000 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DATE: November 14, 2000 Re: C-971/Bill No. 348 PLACE: Councilroom TIME: 10:35 a.m. Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Milo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Planning, to which was referred Bill No. 348, transmitted by Mayor Stephen K. Yamashiro per Communication No. 971, dated October 25, 2000, regarding the change of zone amendment request by Queen Liliuokalani Trust, at Keahuolu, North Kona, Hawaii, TMK: 7-4-8: Portion of 1, reports as follows: Bill No. 348 amends Section 25-8-3 (North Kona Zone Map), Article 8, Chapter 25 (Zoning Code) of the Hawaii County Code by changing the district classification for 23.339 acres of land from an Agricultural (A-5a) to aResidential-Commercial Mixed Use (RCX-2a) zoned district. The subject property, owned in fee by the applicant (a non-profit organization), is a portion of a 663.079-acre parcel. The subject property measures approximately 2,300 feet in the mauka-makai direction, 250 feet along its makai boundary and 1,000 feet along its mauka boundary. The parcel is situated along the southern edge of Palani Road, with over 2,200 feet of street frontage along Palani Road, between the Queen Liliuokalani Village subdivision to the east and Henry Street to the west, approximately % mile mauka of Queen Kaahumanu Highway. On June 22, 1998, the State Land Use Commission (SLUG) approved with conditions approximately 432.91 acres of land of the County of Hawai`i's petitioned area of 955.78 acres for a State Land Use Boundary Amendment from Agricultural to Urban District. A portion of subject parcel i and parcel 63, consisting of a total of 60 acres, are a portion of the reclassified Urban district. On August 26, 1998, the SLUG determined that the portion of TMK: 7-4-8:1 (24.937 acres on the map) is designated entirely within the State Land Use Urban District. On December 4, 1998, Final Subdivision Approval was granted to the applicant for the creation of a two-lot subdivision and the designation of a utility easement. Lot 2-A, consisting of 1.598 acres and designated as TMK: 7-4-8:66, is the site of HELCO's future Palani Substation. Lot 2-B, consisting of 663.079 acres is designated as TMK: 7-4-8:1. Running along the southern boundary of TMK: 7-4-8:1 is a 100-foot wide future easement for utility purposes, where HELCO is anticipated to run overhead power lines within the next three to five years. The mauka region of the subject parcel will be designated for residential development, and the areas near the Palani Road/Henry Street intersection will be used for commercial retail development. PC-124 PC-124 Page 2 November 14, 2000 The easement area has been included with this rezoning application and the preliminary schematic subdivision map, due to the agreement between HELCO and the applicant which states if the land is no longer used for its intended utility purposes, the easement reverts to the landowner. Although no subdivision of the area is being sought in this rezoning application, the applicant is proceeding with this request for rezoning on the basis of the recent LUC decision and securing entitlements to position itself for future residential and commercial opportunities. Seeking the mixed residential-commercial zoning now would allow the landowner to begin: 1) site and azea wide planning (to be integrated with Liliuokalani Trust's overall master plan), 2) infrastructure planning, and 3) traffic planning. Based on the proposed site plan, over 250 dwelling units averaging 600 s.f. to 800 s.f. will be constructed in the approximately 14.5 acres proposed for multi-family residential use, and approximately 25,000 s.f. of commercial retail will be constructed in the 3.5 acres proposed for single story inline commercial retail use. The General Plan LUPAG designation is Urban Expansion which allows for a mix of high density, medium density, low density, industrial and/or open designations in areas where new settlements may be desirable. The Kona Regional Plan adopted by the Planning Commission in April 1984 designates the area as Residential-4 units/acre. The Keahole to Kailua Development Plan, adopted as Resolution No. 296-91 on April 3, 1991, was guided by an overall goal to develop a mixed residential, commercial, resort, industrial and recreational community with approximately 8,000 or more residential units. Although the subject property is not within the project area identified in the plan, it is adjacent to its southern boundary, which runs along the north side of Palani Road. The subject property is not situated within the project area identified as the Kailua Village Special District. The County zoning is Agricultural -5 acres (A-Sa). The property is not situated within the Special Management Area. Lands adjacent to the subject property are zoned Agricultural (A-Sa) and General Commercial (CG-10). Farther from the property, lands to the north aze zoned Single-Family Residential (RS-15 and RS-10), lands to the south are zoned General Commercial (CG-20), lands to the east are zoned Agricultural (A-20a) and lands to the west are zoned General Commercial (CG-10), Agricultural (A-Sa) and Open (O). Adjacent surrounding land uses consist of an existing large lot single-family residence and vacant lands, including the future HELCo substation on the makai side of the subject property. Farther to the north are various residential areas, including the Queen Liliuokalani Village Subdivision, the Kealakehe Homesteads azea and the Villages of Lai`opua. Lands farther to the west and southwest are primarily commercial and include the Makalapua Shopping Center on the north side of Palani Road and the Crossroads Development along Henry Street. Lands farther to the south and east are primarily vacant with some single- family dwellings. PC-124 PC-124 Page 3 November 14, 2000 The site is located within Zone X, an azea outside the 500-year flood plain. The ALISH system does not classify the soils as having agricultural importance. The USDA classifies the soils on the subject property as Pahoehoe Lava Flows and Punaluu Extremely Rocky Peat. The Punaluu consists ofwell-drained thin organic soils over pahoehoe lava bedrock, and is medium acid. The peat is rapidly permeable, although water moves rapidly through the cracks. Runoff is slow, and the erosion hazard is slight. The soil is used for pasture. The Land Study Bureau's overall master productivity rating for agricultural use of soils found within the area of the subject property is Class "E" or Very Poor. The applicant's Enviromnental Report did not find any endangered species of plants and animals in the area. The Report also states that the entire property is situated within the Kona Field System. The survey performed by PHRI in November 1998 identified twenty-six sites for evaluation of which five were historically used for livestock control, eighteen for temporary habitation, one for permanent habitation, one as a trail for transportation and an ahupua`a boundary wall. The only permanent habitation in the azea dates to the historic period. No burial sites nor potential burial features were found in the project area. Access to the subject property would be from three locations along Palani Road. Located 1,000 feet apart, two accesses would lead to an internal road servicing the area on the mauka portion of the site. The remaining access would consist of a single driveway onto Palani Road, located approximately 500 feet makai of the closest residential access, and would service the commercial area in the makai portion of the site. A Traffic Impact Analysis Report (TIAR) was completed and submitted to the State Department of Transportation and the County Department of Public Works for their review and comment, and the applicant has agreed to comply with the TIAR recommendations. The applicant had installed a 1.0 million gallon per day potable water well and a 1.0 million gallon storage reservoir in Keahuolu above Mamalahoa Highway, therefore, water and storage are available for the development. The Department of Water Supply and the Trust now need to work out the commitments and allocation of water. The County's Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Facility will be utilized. All solid waste will be taken to the West Hawaii Landfill. All utilities will or can be made accessible to the subject parcel. Mr. James Bell of Belt Collins represented the applicant at today's meeting, and explained that the applicant is not a developer and can never be a developer. The Trust would have to seek a developer to proceed with this project once the lands aze reclassified to RCX. He further explained that the "impetus for rezoning this piece of land as well as about 20 more acres below Henry Street along Palani Road, came from the County of Hawaii: ' In 1998, the State Land Use PC-124 PC-124 Page 4 November 14, 2000 Commission approved a County of Hawaii petition to reclassify this azea as well as a number of other areas in Kona, as a means of "growth measure-a growth management area by the County-to reclassify those lands closer in to Kailua rather than have development scattered across the countryside". Committee Member Tyler mentioned some proposed language amendments, however, no motion was made to approve them. Instead, he left it up to Mc Bell and Your Committee to prepare the appropriate language, which would be presented in the form of Bill No. 348, Draft 2, when this measure is presented to the Council for its first reading. Your Chair also noted that the format of the bill received from the Planning Commission is different from those we have received in *.he past, particularly, the references to the "fair share contributions" in the conditions referring to Civil Defense, the Department of Education, etc., which were taken directly from the LUC report and findings. Your Committee will be reviewing the changes "in the Honolulu Consumer Price Index over the last four years and adjust those numbers accordingly," and apply them to the proposed residential units. Your Committee did not entertain further discussion on this measure. Your Committee concurs with the Planning Commission and the Planning Director for recommending a favorable consideration for the Change of Zone request. Your Committee on Planning is in accord with the intent and purpose of Bill No. 348, recommends it pass first reading. AYES NOES A & E EX LEITH F.AD-TODD X Respectfully submitted TYLER X CI II1NG X COMMITTEE O LA ,G/~//J. 7 ELARIONOFF X t-C l~~'~~ JAC'OBSON X PISICCFIU) X ~ O JEAN LEITHEAD-TODD, CHAt SMITH x PC REPORT NO. 124 YAGONG x 2 ARAKAKI B.O.M. ADOPTED: POOO