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Home My WebLink AboutINDIVIDUAL COMMENT EMAIL - 129234Mori, Ashley From: Morrison, Bethany Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2019 8:30 AM To: General Plan Subject: FW:GP HIFA Feedback Attachments: General Plan Feedback-3.pdf CZ, Ashley, please intake. Bethany From: oo Sent:Wednesday, November 6, 2019 6:43 AM To: Morrison, Bethany<Bethany.Morrison@hawaiicounty.gov> G Subject: Re: GP HIFA Feedback Aloha Bethany, Please disregard the first PDF sent. Best, Sarah From: Sent:Tuesday, November 5, 2019 10:42 PM To: Morrison, Bethany Subject:GP HIFA Feedback Aloha Bethany, Sorry that we are getting this to you so late. Here is the link to our feedback on the general plan. I have also attached a pdf as well. Please let us know if you have any questions. Mahalo, 1 1 29234 Section 1: Natural Resource Planning Page 19 Policies 23 and 24 (encourage the planting of native trees/community reforestation) could be encouraged through tax incentives similar to the agricultural tax exemption for private landowners. (similar to Page 24, Action 1.16) Page 21 Policy 32 (participate in marine zoning plans etc.): suggest including "temporary marine area closures" (e.g., when Kahaluu was closed for spawning) as an example of"other appropriate tools". Page 24 Suggested additional Action: Create incentives for landowners to protect riparian areas, including fencing them from domestic and wild animals and planting streambanks, with an emphasis on native species. Page 31 Policy 91 (hazard preparedness for NGOs etc): Suggest including schools (public, private, charter) on this list, including requiring them to have adequate stores of food and water. Section 2. Infrastructure Planning Page 50 Action 2.48(g) (transition to to eliminate styrofoam/plastic): Could the County provide incentives to businesses which discontinue sales of food in plastic packaging? Page 60 Policy 202 (intermodal connections): The focus of some of these policies is on only'urban centers'. There are a lot of people who commute (single occupancy vehicles) between Laupahoehoe, Paauilo, Honokaa, and Waimea for work, which adds up given the distance between these rural areas. Could the County look at piloting public transport(bus) between these communities that is paired with automobile/bike transit? Section 3: Economic & Opportunity Planning Page. 75 Sustainability Objective: Progressively increase percentage of residents that are economically self-sufficient. Suggested additional: Policies:(75-77) Suggested additional: Actions:(77-78) Suggested additional: Agency Action:(78) Page 77 Suggested additional Action in response to Policy 280 (living off land): Is there a way to incentivize this? Providing tax breaks (similar to the ag break) might be going too far but being engaged in subsistence ag is an activity the County could promote for disaster mitigation, P-20 ag pathways, health and wellbeing, etc. It seems worthy of an incentive of some kind given the benefits it can provide families/communities. Sustainability Objective:(78) Increase locally owned and operated ag businesses Suggested additional: Policies:(79-80) Suggested additional: Actions:(80) Suggested additional: Agency Action:(80) Page 79 Policy 304 (ag parks): What about including County ag parks? Policy 307 (incentivize small scale farming): It seems odd to mention taro production vs all (or just edible) canoe crops; there is the need to define"small-scale farming/small farms"- is it defined by land area and/or sales? Does it include subsistence? Suggested Policy: Support the development of the local seed industry. Rationale:Hawaii Seed Growers Network has 2 growers (Nancy Redfeather and Michelle Carrilo) on island that grow and sell locally adapted seed via an online website and their membership is growing. Additionally Jill Wagner and the Hawaii Island Seed Bank stores seed for all the Network growers statewide (https://www.hawaiiseedgrowersnetwork.com/) Page 80 Action 3.17 (tax reduction programs): Consider extending tax incentives to subsistence producers/small-scale farmers with those classes of producers defined. Page 81 Policy 314/317: Is there a need to define"local food system" and "community-based food system"? Should there be an action item accompanying this policy that draws on community to map and define the County's food systems and creates a Hawaii County Community Food System Plan? Action 3.27 (regional food system assessments): Suggested rewording to: Design and conduct regional community food-system assessments that are easy to update. Rationale:An assessment format needs to be designed that is based on available data so they can be updated with some ease and not too much time/$perhaps every 5 years. Ifdata is not readily available that is useful for such an assessment, a means ofcollecting that data must be devised alongside this Action item. Page. 82 Agency Action 3.33 (State DOA): Expand this beyond taro production to include edible canoe crops (ulu, uala, mamaki, maia, etc.). Agency Action 3.33 (State DOA): Expand this beyond taro production to include edible canoe crops (ulu,.uala, mamaki, maia, etc.) Agency Action: Suggested Addition: State DOA: Develop and support Farm to Institution programs (e.g., prisons, hospitals). Rational: While the State DOA hasn't filled Farm-Institution positions it remains a priority of their Department. Agency Action: Suggested Addition: Support HIFA to develop a food system policy council. Action: Community Food System Council (page 81) Action: Education/training for farm and small businesses. (page 81) Agency Action: What about other import replacement crops? Page 78-80 Sustainability Objective: Increase locally owned and operated agricultural businesses. Policy 304: adding UH-Manoa CTAHR training for new and existing farmers, cottage industry value-added) businesses. Agency Action: UH (UHH, HCC, CTAHR) training and development programs; P-20 agriculture education initiative. Section 5. Land Use Planning Page 139 Policy 570 (IAL land designation): Note: State DOA is looking at why there is little if any class A ag land on Hawaii Island, which correlates with IAL designation (I believe); might be due to access to potable water; check with HDOA Chair who brought up the matter in a meeting with HIFA members on 11/4/19. HDOA Chair suggested Waimea's Lalamilo area should be IAL. Page 141 Agency Action 5.31 (Lalamilo): Include other land owning entities in the conversation with regards to expanding Lalamilo (aside from DHHL) including State DOA, Ag Development Corporation, and Parker Ranch. When Scott Enright was HDOA Chair he suggested that HDOA could talk to Parker about purchasing land adjacent to Lalamilo which could be put into an HDOA Ag Park (vs sold fee simple as Lalamilo was) to maintain ag there into the future.