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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning Director Memo to CDP ACs. MY 10.30.2020 Ha J�TY OF p Harry Kim rp. Michael Yee Mavor Director Roy TakemotoApril Surprenant Managing Director "+ *��.� Acting Deputy Director ra'�"NM+► West Hawaii Office East Hawaii Office 74-5044 Ane Keohok5lole Hwy 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 3 Kailua-Kona,Hawaii 96740 County of Hawa>< i Hilo,Hawaii 96720 Phone(808)323-4770 Phone(808)961-8288 Fax(808)327-3563 PLANNING DEPARTMENT Fax(808)961-8742 November 2, 2020 MEMORANDUM To: Community Development Plan Action Committee Members From: Michael Yee, Planning Director Subiect: Community Development Plan Implementation 2020 will forever be remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented changes it brought to our daily lives. A sincere mahalo to many of you who have stepped up without hesitation to help your communities. Although at the national level a debate rages on about individual rights, the aloha spirit brings us together on Hawai'i Island in amazing ways. I am writing to follow-up on my December 31, 2019 memo to you in which I explained that the Action Committees would reconvene to focus CDP implementation on advancing community- based implementation through partnerships. Stating the obvious, the onset of COVID-19 and administrative challenges put a hold on the reconvening of the Action Committees. There have been five months of conducting virtual meetings with critical regulatory permitting bodies like Planning Commissions and Board of Appeals. After much trial and error, we are ready to reconvene the Action Committees on a virtual platform. We are thrilled that many of you have already expressed interest in working together and bringing in your community networks to address cross cutting themes in implementation. This work will begin with a virtual Community Learning Series for both your planning districts and island-wide as a vehicle to engage and inform community around the implementation of the Community Development Plans (CDPs) and share other resources and services that can benefit the community. We plan to convene the first round of this virtual series before the close of 2020. We are working closely with Corporation Counsel to assess fundamental issues relative to the functionality of Action Committees given Sunshine Law and the constraints it has on Action Committee Members continuing to work as community-based stewards across island wide cohorts. We will incorporate these lessons learned into the County's community planning program and the recommended draft of the General Pian. www.plannln .h awaiicount ov Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Prordder and Employerr Cannincahawaiicounty boa Community Development Plan Action Committee Members November 2, 2020 Page 2 In addition, the Long Range Planning Team is continuing to collaborate with other planning initiatives within the County to further support CDP implementation such as: Public Access Program; Shoreline Setback Project; Complete Streets; and Kilauea Recovery. We look forward to sharing updates on these and other projects during the upcoming virtual Community Learning Series. Finally, the Long Range Planning Team has been incorporating lessons learned from past implementation successes and challenges to develop a thoughtful approach to the County community planning program. We are looking forward to getting Action Committee input on the future program and the recommended draft of the General Plan in early 2021. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to contact Bethany Morrison, Acting Program Manager for our Long Range Planning Division, atBq than M�orrisqqri`�hqwaiic.oupt _V Sincerely, MICHAEL YEE Planning Director KM:kvs DirectorklemoACsOctober2020.FINAL