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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 244 Draft 01 1988-1992COUNTY OF HAWAt~,. STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION No. z44 90 (DRAFT 2) WHEREAS, the Hamakua Sugar Company, with its 35,000 acres of sugar cultivated lands, contributes over $50 million in export earnings to the County of Hawaii, creates and supports over 800 jobs, and is a major contributor of electricity to the Big Island; and WHEREAS, the continued survival of the sugar industry is important to the County of Hawaii, as it helps to diversify the island's economy, serves as an important form of open space, and is symbolic of a diminishing but important agrarian-rural life-style; and WHEREAS, in recent years, the Hamakua Sugar Company has experienced serious financial difficulties caused primarily by its heavy debt burden; and WHEREAS, the Hamakua Sugar Company must be able to generate at least $100 million by the end of this year to pay off and/or reduce `,his debt, and its failure to make that timetable would result in the loss; of the Company's land and related assets and, in turn, the demise of the current. sugar operation; and WHEREAS, to help generate the required funds, the Western Farm Credit Bank and the other creditors agreed to a plan proposed by Hamakua Sugar Company to auction off about 5,000 acres of plantation land in two phases, initially in June and later in August; and WHEREAS, subsequent to the June auction, the County of Hawaii and the State of Hawaii both raised concerns about the land use implications of these auctioned properties, particularly in wanting to make sure that the future uses of these properties were consistent with the Hawaii County General Plan and Community Development Plan processes; and WHEREAS, these concerns resulted in the abortion of the planned August auction and the creation of a State/County "Steering Committee", ~ohose primary objective was to develop a land use plan that would enhance the prospects for the continued operation of the sugar industry in the area; and WHEREAS, the strategy behind this planning effort was to create added value to as little sugar lands as possible, but sufficient enough to retire the total debt owed to the Western Farm Credit Bank, plus any capital gains tax which must be paid; and WHEREAS, a preliminary land use concept plan has been prepared, a plan which reflects a perpetual open space buffer along the rim of Waipio Valley, added small-scale agricultural and residential densities to existing communities along the Hamakua Coast, and low-density resort, rural/residential lots and golf courses at the Kukuihaele-Waipio end of the coast. NO64, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the County of Hawaii hereby endorses the land use concepts as presented to the Council's Planning Committee at its meeting of October 10, 1990, to serve as a planning and regulatory guide for [all future] County land use decisions affecting this area in order to accomplish the above stated objectives; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all development proposals affected by this plan shall still be subject to the same standards of review relative to land use procedural requirements, community participation and infrastructural impacts and obligations thereto; and BE I'P FURTHER RESOLVED that to facilitate the implementation of this plan and its objectives, the County Council, upon request of the affected property owner(s), may consider the adoption of a development or other similar agreement which articulates the types and levels of infrastructural obligations associated with the development of the affected properties. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the County of Hawaii is directed to transmit certified copies of this resolution to Governor John Waihee, Senator Malama Solomon, Representative Dwight Takamine, Mayor Larry S. Tanimoto, Planning Commission Chairman Fred Fujimoto, Planning Director Duane Kanuha, Harold Masumoto, Director, Office of State Planning, Renton Nip, Chairman, State Land Use Commission, Yukio Kitagawa, Director, State Department of Agriculture, and Olen Zirkle, Vice President, Western Farm Credit Bank. Dated at Hilo, Hawaii, this 8th day of INTRODUCED BY: COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to the right hereof adoptzd by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on November 8 , 1990 ATTEST: l ~ /- ~ X _ V ~~ ~ C 4. ~''L%'7 COUNTY CJe~tR- AIRMAN & PRES DING OFFICER J November 1990. ROLL CALL VOTE AYES NOES ABS EX DOMINGO HALE ARAKAKI y KOKUBUN X LAI MAKUAKANE RUDDLE SCHUTTE Dl; LINA Reference FC'-176 RESOLUTION NO. 2~ 3O (DRAFT 2) <~a,~ 7 COUNTY OF HAVI~/~I~,,~ ;, =S.TATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION No. 244 3~ WHEREAS, the Hamakua Sugar Company, with its 35,000 acres of sugar cultivated lands, contributes over $50 million in export earnings to the County of Hawaii, creates and supports over 800 jobs, and is a major contributor of electricity to the Big Island; and WHEREAS, the continued survival of the sugar industry is important to the County of Hawaii, as it helps to diversify the island's economy, serves as an important form of open space, and is symbolic of a diminishing but important agrarian-rural life-style; and WHEREAS, in recent years, the Hamakua Sugar Company has experienced serious financial difficulties caused primarily by its heavy debt burden; and WHEREAS, the Hamakua Sugar Company must be able to generate at least $100 million by the end of this year to pay off and/or reduce this debt, and its failure to make that timetable would result in the loss of the Company's land and related assets and, in turn, the demise of the current sugar operation; and WHEREAS, to help generate the required funds, the Western Farm Credit Bank and the other creditors agreed to a plan proposed by Hamakua Sugar Company to auction off about 5,000 acres of plantation land in two phases, initially in June and later in August; and WHEREAS, subsequent to the June auction, the County of Hawaii and the State of Hawaii both raised concerns about the land use implications of these auctioned properties, particularly in wanting to make sure that the future uses of these properties were consistent with the Hawaii County General Plan and Community Development Plan processes; and WHEREAS, these concerns resulted in the abortion of the planned August auction and the creation of a State/County "Steering Committee", whose primary objective was to develop a land use plan that would enhance the prospects for the continued operation of the sugar industry in the area; and WHEREAS, the strategy behind this planning effort was to create added value to as little sugar lands as possible, but sufficient enough to retire the total debt owed to the Western Farm Credit Bank, plus any capital gains tax which must be paid; and WHEREAS, a preliminary land use concept plan has been prepared, a plan which reflects a perpetual open space buffer along the rim of Waipio Valley, added small-scale agricultural and residential densities to existing communities along the Hamakua Coast, and low-density resort, rural/residential lots and golf courses at the Kukuihaele-Waipio end of the coast. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the County of Hawaii hereby endorses the land use concepts as presented to the Council's Planning Committee at its meeting of October 10, 1990, to serve as a planning and regulatory guide for all future County land use decisions affecting this area; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all development proposals affected by this plan shall still be subject to the same standards of review relative to land use procedural requirements, community participation and infrastructural impacts and obligations thereto; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that to facilitate the implementation of this plan and its objectives, the County Council, upon request of the affected property owner(s), may consider the adoption of a development or other similar agreement which articulates the types and levels of infrastructural obligations associated with the development of the affected properties. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the County of Hawaii is directed to transmit certified copies of this resolution to Governor John Waihee, Senator Malama Solomon, Representative Dwight Takamine, Mayor Larry S. Tanimoto, Planning Commission Chairman Fred Fujimoto, Planning Director Duane Kanuha, Harold Masumoto, Director, Office of State Planning, Renton Nip, Chairman, State Land Use Commission, Yukio Kitagawa, Director, State Department of Agriculture, and Olen Zirkle, Vice President, Western Farm Credit Bank. Dated at Hilo, Hawaii, this 8th day of November 1990. INTRODUCED BY: COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION waa by the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on November 8 , 199 0 ATTEST: COUNTY CLERK CHAIRMAN & PRESIDING OFFICER ROLL CALL VOTE AYES NOES ABS EX DOM[NGO HALE ARAnAKI KOKUBUN LA1 MAKUAKANE RUDDLE SCHUTTE D},: LIMA Reference Pr RESOLUTION NO. 2q'4 90