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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0352.014 2018-2020 e CODA CA Ken Melrose COM, 352 P.Q. Box 109 Kealakekua, HI 96750 Ken's Cell: 345-0854 E-Mail: ken0_Primavera.farm August 5, 2019 4=0 Won- Subject: Bill 87, Amendments to the Kona CDP `J rpt Mr. Chair and members of the Hawaii County Council, My name is Ken Melrose and I reside in Kealakekua. I apologize for not being able to attend the Council meeting on Wednesday but ask for your approval of the package of amendments to the Kona CDP, as presented. I served as the Chair of that Steering Committee through the crafting and adoption of the Kona CDP in 2008. The broad Vision and Guiding Principles evolved early in the public engagement process and those provided the framework for an aspiration of Kona as a more concentrated, mixed use, walkable, more transit and less automobile-oriented community. The Policies adopted in the Kona CDP embraced the emerging concepts of complete streets with a greater pedestrian orientation, with neighborhoods connected and infrastructure built concurrent with growth. The Kona CDP created new cutting-edge policies intended to enable such a Vision. Then an Implementation, now Action, Committee was empaneled to help guide bringing the Vision to reality. I served as the Chair of that initial came hi Acton Committee. Early on it be hl highly apparent that these new aspirational policies were running contrary to many existing codes and that our lust saying this is how we wanted it to be didn't change those codes. The absence of the Financing Tools prevalent in other jurisdictions with similar aspirations and the staunch resistance by previously unengaged County agencies to embrace the new standards further complicated implementation. For 11 years since its adoption, I have remained engaged as a community member as sub-committees of the Action Committee wrestled with a path to connect the community aspirations and the realities of the County 1 Comm. No. Ref. To: p C nU Ref. Date AUG 0 6 2019 `i Codes. To help rectify these conflicts the package of amendments can go a long way to the realization of the Vision of " A more sustainable Kona characterized by a deep appreciation for culture and the environment with residents that responsively and responsibly accommodate change through an active and collaborative community". Since the Kona CDP was adopted several key pieces of infrastructure envisioned have been completed- widening of Queen K to the airport, Ane Keohokalole to Hina Lani, Mamalahoa By-pass and the Laaloa extension, creating needed connectivity for alternative routes (acknowledged in Trans 6.2 and Table 4-1). County master plans for Kailua Park, the Regional Park at Kealakehe and for Mass Transit have been created consistent with the Kona CDP. A Cultural Resource Commission has been established and Certified Local Government designation achieved. However, many worthwhile projects have been stymied from moving forward with little new development occurring and exacerbating our housing shortage. To help unlock the causes, many of these amendments before you today have been proposed by the Sub-Committee, accepted by the Action Committee, vetted by Planning, Public Works, Water and Corp. Counsel among other agencies, approved by the Leeward Planning Commission and forwarded here today for Council approval. With sensitive environmental and cultural resources still taking high priority, these include: • Recognize the realities of topography and sensitive sites to allow flexibility in routes for future roadways and stub out connections; • Align Concurrency provisions with existing code and individual project TZAR; • Continue the aspiration for complete streets and inclusion of roadway landscaping while acceding to DPW and DWS concerns thereto; • Acknowledge the continued desire for and present constraints on a fully functioning Transit system; • Aligns future TOD processing compliant with existing Project District zoning code criteria, recognizing that not all the TOD suggested have either the large enough acreage or the single ownership to make it work; • Clarifying the role of the Design Center to recommend rather that approve projects and to use the Village Design Guidelines to be a flexible expression of desired outcomes rather than a rigid new code not yet sufficiently calibrated to our Kona site conditions. • Housing section policies are more closely aligned with existing Chapter 11; 2 Some of what has been proposed herein for amendment reduces the incentives offered to encourage the desired growth pattern to emerge, including: eliminating streamlined processing for compliant projects; and, reduced assurance of County funding of new trunk lines, transit stations and town center plazas within designated TOD among them. On balance, these amendments are a positive step forward toward realizing the Vision and Guiding Principles created by the community in the Kona CDP. I ask for your favorable consideration today and to move the package forward as presented to second reading Council for timely consideration. Respectfully Submitted, Ken Melrose 5 4 M 3