HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0603.001 2012-2014 William P. Kenoi M'!+ • Duane Kanuha
Mayor \ �,. Director
•
Bobby Command
Deputy Director
West Hawai`i Office East Hawai`i Office
74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy • • 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 3
Kailua-Kona,Hawai`i 96740 County of Hawai 1 Hilo,Hawai`i 96720
Phone(808)323-4770 Phone(808)961-8288
Fax(808)327-3563 PLANNING DEPARTMENT Fax(808)961-8742
January 17, 2014
TO: J Yoshimoto, Chairperson =177.
embers of the Hawaii County Council
FROM: ne Kanuha
Planning Director
N -
SUBJECT: Testimony on An Ordinance Amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Division 1,
Section 23-61 of the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as Amended)
Relating to Site Visits for Applications Subdivisions (BILL 182)
Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony on the above referenced bill.
Article 4, Division 2 (Contents of Preliminary Plat), Section 23-63 (General information on
preliminary plat) provides that the preliminary plat shall provide the following general
information. Section 23-63 (4) requires the names and addresses of the owner, subdivider, and
engineer or surveyor who prepared the plat. (emphasis added) Only an engineer or surveyor can
prepare the plat map.
Article 1, Section 23-3 (Definitions) (14) "Engineer" means a person duly registered as a
professional civil engineer in the State. Article 1, Section 23-3 (32) "Surveyor" means a person
duly registered as a professional land surveyor in the State. The licensing and qualification
requirements for engineers and land surveyors are found in HRS Chapter 464, Professional
Engineers, Architects, Surveyors and Landscape Architects.
Bill 182 attempts to require that the director or the director's authorized representative conduct a
site visit of the designated property to essentially verify accuracy, determine omissions, and if
applicable, provide mitigation conditions for potential deleterious effects based on the
information provided on the preliminary plat by a duly registered professional engineer or land
surveyor in the State of Hawai`i.
We do not have any registered engineers nor surveyors in the department, including myself, so to q
expect staff to second guess the validity and accuracy of stamped submittals by registered
engineers or surveyors is neither practical nor supportable.
Please note and also take into consideration that under the existing Section 23-61 (Review of Z c 0
Plat) (a) a copy of the preliminary plat and supplementary materials submitted by the subdivider c o
:
www.cohrlanningdept.com Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Fanning/ihco.hawaii hi.us
J Yoshimoto, Chairperson
and Members of the Hawai`i County Council
January 17, 2014
Page 2
and the licensed engineer or surveyor, is furnished to the manager of the Department of Water
Supply, the director of Public Works, the state department of health, and when the proposed
subdivision is adjacent to a State highway or proposed State highway, to the district engineer for
review and comment. Those departments are staffed by licensed governmental engineers and
surveyors who are professionally qualified to undertake the kind of review that this bill attempts
to place upon staff of the Planning Department.
I recommend that this bill be tabled for the above reasons.
DK:rl