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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0729.006 2008-2010 o!.YOFhgw 11 , • •9 William P. Kenoi : 1 , Darryl J. Oliveira a % Fire Chief Mayor v%� i Glen P. I. Honda .;4 o i'n >N r Deputy Fire Chief County of R9acivaf `i FIRE DEPARTMENT 25 Aupuni Street • Suite 2501 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720 (808) 932-2900 • Fax (808) 932 -2928 October 6, 2010 -� C •v5 Mr. J Yoshimoto Council Chair Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Council Chair Yoshimoto, I would like to submit this letter as written testimony regarding Bill 215 (Draft 2) pertaining to the issue of concurrency. Although I was present at two previously scheduled hearings on this matter, I apologize that I am not able to attend today's hearing to address any questions the Council may have. I would like to state that I do support the development and establishment of mechanisms or processes that would fairly and responsibly address and improve infrastructure deficiencies and in particular provide for the infrastructure needs of the Hawaii Fire Department. As I have shared with both Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Ikeda, although I support the expressed intent of the proposed bill, I am not confident that it could be applied fairly and consistently for all future developments seeking rezoning approval. In consideration of both the current Fair Share Assessment process and the Impact Fee process as defined in the Hawaii Revised Statues, these two methodologies provide a basis of consistency with regards to their application with all rezoning or development requests. I acknowledge that the current Fair Share Assessment process can be debated with respect to its effectiveness and legality and that a true Impact Fee system does not currently exist. It is with those points that I see the discussion of the intent of Bill 215 as an opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue to develop an effective and practical tool and process to address infrastructure insufficiencies. co��. ao, 7 2 9 .0 ^ . Ref. Toy r • / 1, �' Ref. Date 4"=`► Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer. �� Council Chair J Yoshimoto Page 2 October 6, 2010 As proposed in Bill 215, all new rezoning requests involving the creation of twenty or more Tots and within fifteen miles of an existing fire station would be subject to approval by the Planning Director however based on an infrastructure and fire protection needs assessment conducted by the Fire Department or more specifically the Fire Chief. Based on this assessment, the developer or landowner requesting a rezoning may be required to provide such items inclusive of but not limited to: firefighting equipment, firefighting vehicles, firefighting gear and supplies, and /or the installation of fire hydrants and water lines as deemed appropriate by the fire chief. I do confirm that the proposed language to provide for the water supply and hydrants is my suggested revisions to this draft bill as that is a prevalent deficiency in many areas of our island community and an essential fire protection need to support our operations. As I shared with the previously mentioned council members, I feel it is important to insure that whatever process is used to determine how and what impact a proposed rezoning or development may present with as well as how best to reduce or off set that impact, that process must be fair, clearly defined, and objective and criteria based. Applicants and developers should be able to use that same matrix to reasonably identify their potential impact and their required contribution prior to submitting for approval. Essentially, I would like to minimize and if possible remove any subjectivity and ambiguity from the process and insure the application of any impact assessment and required contribution is reasonably fair and consistent. For example, if two developers were considering rezoning identical parcels in the same area to create two one thousand unit residential subdivisions, under the current fair share process they would be assessed the same dollar value contribution for fire protection regardless of the sequence of when they submitted for approval. In addition through the rezoning process, fire protection needs such as roads and water would be provided to the Planning Director for consideration. Under the proposed bill, if applicant "A" submitted an application before Applicant "B" there may be an opportunity for disparity in the required contribution for each party. If applicant "A" was required to provide a firefighting apparatus or engine (approx. value $500,000) as that was determined by the fire department or fire chief to be the deficiency or need at that time, should applicant "B" submit for approval after that need was addressed, he /she may not necessarily be subject to the same cost or financial burden as applicant "A ". As part of the current rezoning and project plan review and permitting process, the fire department is afforded the opportunity to recommend specific project design and infrastructure components which are taken into consideration by the Planning Director. This often includes such provisions and standards for road access, road grade, surface, and widths, Council Chair 1 Yoshimoto Page 3 October 6, 2010 cul -de -sac design, and water access for fire protection. We are working very collaboratively with Ms. Leithead -Todd on improving the process to insure our fire protection and general emergency response needs are addressed. I realize that a great deal of emphasis and consideration is given to fire protection and fire suppression needs, however, our department's mission is much broader and therefore the impact is very wide reaching. With developers and contractors adhering to the current fire code requirements, fire risk is reduced substantially and therefore impact is reduced. However, in consideration of the aforementioned example, those two developments would potentially present with a significant impact to our Emergency Medical Services program in that the influx of potentially six thousand residents would increase the demands on those services. All missions and service delivery needs must be addressed. In summary, I would like to reiterate that I believe the introduction of Bill 215 provides for the opportunity to recognize and reinforce the need for some form of an effective infrastructure maintenance and expansion process. However, in its current draft I do not feel it can be effectively and fairly applied. I am presently reviewing various fire protection standards to identify and develop an effective hazard risk assessment matrix to best determine rezoning and development impact. It will also need to take into consideration local environmental and socioeconomic variables and factors. I am committed to working with the Council and Administration to help develop an appropriate impact minimization mechanism and tool. I am also committed to work with Ms. Leithead -Todd and her department to continue to improve the rezoning review and application process to insure the needs of the fire department are met so that we may effectively serve our community and provide for the safety of the public and our first responders. I apologize once again that I am unable to attend today's hearing and hope that you will consider this testimony in your discussion and consideration of Bill 215. Respectfully, dREIRA Fire Chief DO:Ik