Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP PC 020 04/20/1999 1998-2000 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DATE: Apri12Q 1999 Re: C-187/Bill No. 50 PLACE: Councilroom TIME: 2:41 p.m. Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Planning, to which was referred Bill No. 50, transmitted by Mayor Stephen K. Yamashiro per Communication No. 187, dated February 17, 1999, regazding the request to amend ordinance No. 91-21 by SCD Kahakai, LLC, at Puapuaa is' and 2nd, North Kona, Hawaii, TMK: 7-5-20:1 (formerly portion of 1), reports as follows: Bill No. 50 amends Ordinance No. 91-21, which reclassified the district classification of land from Unplanned (U) to Single Family Residential (RS-7.5) for approximately 108.336 acres of land, and amends Special Management Area Use Permit No. 304, which allowed the development of a 353-lot residential subdivision and related improvements. Bill No. 50 reduces the density from the original 353 lots to 98 lots. Bill No. 50 was originally heazd at the April 7, 1999, Planning Committee meeting. Former Council Member Keola Childs provided the lone testimony, which was in favor of constructing a mauka-makai connector road, as was originally stated in Ordinance 91-21. Several Committee members agreed with the concept of the connector road, while others disagreed because the reduction in density does not necessitate a connector road. Discussion ensued and Bill No. 50 was deferred until today. The somewhat rectangular shaped subject property, owned in fee by the applicant, is located between Kuakini Highway and the proposed Ali`i Highway, north of Kahakai Elementary School and Alii Kai Subdivision. On November 8, 1990, the Planning Commission submitted a favorable recommendation for the Change of Zone to the County Council, and it was adopted on March 15, 1991, as Ordinance No. 91-21. On July 29, 1998, SCD Kahakai, LLC, purchased the subject property from previous owner/developer Kahakai Associates. The applicant has replanned the development of the subject property with the reduction in density from 353 to 98 lots. Lots to the east or mauka of the Kuakini Wall will consist of one acre minimum lots, and the lots to the west or makai of the Kuakini Wall will consist of one-half acre minimum lots. Access to the proposed private gated community will be from Kuakini Highway with a secondary access from Papala Street to the south. There will be no access to the new Alii Highway, which will traverse along the makai boundary of the project site. PC-20 PC-20 Page 2 April 20, 1999 The State Land Use Classification is Urban. The General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) Map designates the project site as Urban Expansion. The Kona Regional Plan recommends residential units at a density of six units per acre. The property is presently undeveloped and vacant of any stmctures. The western (makai) two-thirds of the property has slopes of 5-12 percent, and the eastern (mauka) side of the parcel has slopes ranging from 10-15 percent. The elevation is 40 feet above mean sea level at the proposed Alii Highway to 400 feet above mean sea level at Kuakini Highway. The soils within the project area are classified by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service, as Punaluu extremely rocky peat and Waiaha soil series. The Punaluu soil is used for pasture. The Waiaha series consists of shallow, well drained silt loams that formed in volcanic ash, and is characterized by rapid permeability, slow runoff and a slight erosion hazard which is typically used for pasture. Soils within the subject property are classified as "E" (Very Poor) for agricultural productivity. The property is unclassified on the State Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) Map. No rare or endangered species are known to inhabit the site. In 1985, an archaeological survey was conducted on the subject property, and in 1992, the Deparhnent of Land and Natural Resources Historic Preservation Division approved the archaeological data recovery plan conditioned upon several research topics. Located mauka of Alii Drive, the subject property will not adversely impact any recreational or visual resources to the shoreline and coastal ecosystems. Surrounding vacant properties are zoned RM-7 and RM-2. Lands to the east (mauka of Kuakini Highway) are zoned A-la. Lands to the south are within the Alii Kai and Kuakini Makai Phase II Subdivisions, which are zoned RS-7.5 and RS-10. The southwest corner of the property, zoned A-Sa, is adjacent to Kahakai Elementary School. The subject property is located in Zone X, which is outside the 500-year flood plain. All utilities are or can be made available to the subject property. At today's meeting, representatives of SCD Kahakai, LLC, presented some visual aids which allowed Your Committee to see the scope of the project. Project engineer, Nancy Bums explained that the grade of the land is so steep it would not be feasible to construct a connector road. It was also reiterated that because this will be a gated community, no through traffic will be allowed. PC-20 PC-20 Page 3 Apri12Q 1999 Your Committee after much discussion about breaching the Kuakini Wall to construct a roadway, proposed that a 10 meter buffer be created around the wall and that all rocks be removed by non-mechanical means. Eric Maehara, attorney for the applicant, mentioned that he would meet with the DLNR to determine if this condition would be acceptable, and if, perhaps, a mechanical device could be used to initially breach the wall and remaining rocks be removed by hand; and determine where the displaced rocks would go. Also, the discussion involved the sewer easement which connects the project to Alii Drive, and it was noted that this could possibly be used as the connector to the makai roadway. Your Committee wanted to know when the easement would be turned over to the County, and were informed that the applicant would have to be consulted before a response could be provided. Your Committee recommended that the following language be inserted: "That parcel identified as the sewer easement makai of the proposed project, which would basically connect Alii Highway or Parkway to Alii Drive, would be dedicated in fee simple to the County for sewer and roadway purposes." Bill No. 50, Draft 2, which reformats the original language of Ordinance 91-21 to the current format, was approved by Your Committee and amended further to include the aforementioned recommendations. 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. 50, Draft 2, as amended to Bill No. 50, Draft 3, and recommends it pass first reading. AvES NOES A & E Ex Respectfully submitted, LEITHEAD-TODD X TvLER x COMMITI' P A G CHUNG X ELARIONOFF X o JACOBSON X FlslccHlo x B Y JEAN L A- OD ,CHAIR SMITH x vncoNC x PC REPORT NO. 20 ARAKAKI E.O.M. X ADOPTED: MAY 2 0 1999