HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-05-12 KCDP Minutes Final DraftMitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
KONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Phone (808) 961-8288 • Fax (808) 961-8742
Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Page 1
Thursday, May 12, 2022 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Young called the Kona Community Development Plan (KCDP) Action Committee (AC) to 4
order at 5:03 pm. A quorum was established with six members in attendance. Due to restrictions 5
related to the COVID-19 pandemic and new provisions set by the Sunshine Law, this meeting was 6
held via the Zoom interactive video platform with one on-site location at the West Hawai'i Civic 7
Center- Community Hale, Building G. 8
Chair Young shared an ʻŌlelo Noʻeau, expressing his manaʻo that coming together is the first step 9
in making progress and his hope that it would set a standard for moving forward: 10
Pūpūkahi i holomua - Unite to make progress. 11
12
ROLL CALL 13
AC Members Present in Person: Charles Young (Chair), Shirley David (Vice-Chair), David Huerta, 14
Kari Kimura, Franz Weber 15
AC Members Present via Zoom Online Platform: Shane Palacat-Nelsen [left at 6:20 pm], Janice 16
Palma-Glennie [arrived at 5:29 pm] 17
AC Members Absent-Excused: Marisa Bankston, Roselyn Molina 18
County Staff: Planners – Heather Bartlett, Keiko Mercado, Elyse Stevens 19
County Officials: Councilmember Hōleka Inaba 20
Five members of the public attended the meeting via Zoom. The meeting was also available for 21
synchronous viewing via the COH Planning Department YouTube Livestream. The Livestream is 22
available at Kona CDP Action Committee Meeting May 12, 2022- YouTube. 23
ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. 24
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 25
Committee Member Weber motioned to approve the March 10, 2022 meeting minutes , which 26
was seconded by Committee Member Huerta. There was no discussion. Motion passed 27
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unanimously with a voice vote (Weber, Huerta, David, Kimura, Palacat-Nelson, Young). 28
Committee Member Palma-Glennie was absent at the time of the vote. 29
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: 30
One member of the public provided written testimony: 31
Simmy McMichaels submitted written testimony on agenda items 2 and 3, regarding 32
infrastructure priorities and floodplain mitigation. 33
See Communication No. 2022-11 for Ms. McMichael’s testimony: 34
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/116196/Communication%20No.%202022-35
11%20Simmy%20McMichael%20Testimony.pdf 36
Five members of the public provided oral testimony: 37
1. Colin “Keola” Childs, representing himself testified on agenda item 2. He proposed that 38
infrastructure priorities within the Kona urban area should be directed to a single large-scale 39
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) hub in downtown Kona. He explained that the potential 40
TOD could be centered on the intersection of Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway and Palani Road, 41
with a radius of a half-mile north, mauka, and south. He suggested that the County and Kona 42
Action Committee focus on this area as a more feasible and cost-effective option to limit 43
overextending financial resources and encourage sprawl. Within this urban node, he 44
identified water, sewage, and roads as the main priorities. This would create a road network 45
between the three public schools in this area of North Kona. He also spoke about water 46
resource limitations, stating that housing will not be permitted if the Commission of Water 47
Resource Management refuses to issue well permits. He was informed that the National Park 48
Service determined that no more housing wells should be allowed because the anchialine 49
ponds might get more brackish. 50
Keola Childs’ written testimony (Communication number 2022-13) may be viewed at the following link: 51
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/116198/Communication%20No.%202022-52
13%20Keola%20Childs%20Testimony.pdf 53
2. Chuck Flaherty, representing himself, testified on agenda item 3. He reported that he 54
submitted documents regarding flood control efforts and other information to the Planning 55
Department. He will be following up with the committee regarding these documents soon. 56
3. Dr. Rick Bennett, representing himself, testified on agenda item 2. Dr. Bennett briefly 57
mentioned his nearly 50-years of experience with water issues that ranged from drinking 58
water, wastewater, and environmental protection. He discussed the public trust doctrine and 59
how natural resources such as water are to be managed within the said trust. He discussed 60
the current 14% decline in rainfall within the last 4-5 decades and the projected rainfall 61
reduction over the next 20-30 years, based on the Stanford Climate Model. He believed it is 62
imperative to implement policies according to the scenarios provided by the Stanford studies 63
and proposed that the Action Committee integrate water policy into the Kona CDP. He 64
suggested how the Kona CDP could design homes for freshwater conservation and 65
implement a uniform plumbing code, which could allow homes to reuse greywater. He also 66
suggested how using non-drinking water for other uses could effectively increase the 67
freshwater drinking supply. 68
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Committee Member Weber briefly discussed how utilizing greywater for other everyday uses 69
is a viable and resourceful option. 70
Dr. Bennett’s written testimony (Communication number 2022-12) may be viewed at the following link: 71
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/116197/Communication%20No.%202022-72
12%20Dr%20Bennett%20Testimony%20(Redacted).pdf 73
4. Susan Aronson, representing herself, testified on agenda item 3. Ms. Aronson described her 74
collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Civil Defense, to 75
capture and conserve water within Hōlualoa Homestead. She continues to work with the 76
NRCS on a proposal for a Kona Climate Adaptation Plan to minimize any impacts from severe 77
storm events. (Ms. Aronson held up a document for the in-person attendees to see). She 78
discussed proposed initiatives with the Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) 79
and Kamehameha Schools regarding the development of drainage swales and catchment and 80
the potential R-1 wastewater conversion upgrades. 81
82
5. Ron Aronson, representing himself, testified on agenda item 3. Mr. Aronson reported that 83
the County has been disposing 1.9 million gallons a day of R-2 treated water underground for 84
the last 20 years and stated that a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 85
study determined that the water was going into the harbor. He stated how the Kona CDP 86
mentions recycling water and how that could play an important factor in addressing the 87
water shortage. He suggested the Kona Action Committee urge the current administration to 88
take action to find the necessary funding and refrain from issuing permits until water 89
reclamation was addressed. 90
Committee Member Huerta informed the Action Committee as a former manager of a 91
wastewater treatment plant, that he was in favor of water reclamation and greywater reuse. 92
He supported the idea of a new plumbing code and the implementation of the Kona CDP 93
priorities 94
BUSINESS: 95
1. Election of Action Committee Officers 96
Chair Young nominated Committee Member Weber as the Kona Action Committee Chair. 97
Vice-Chair David seconded the nomination. Hearing no additional comments, Chair Young 98
closed the nominations. A show-of-hand vote was approved by six members (Young, David, 99
Huerta, Kimura, Palacat-Nelson, Palma-Glennie), and one abstention (Weber). 100
Vice-Chair David nominated Committee Member Marisa Bankston, despite her absence. 101
Committee Member Weber seconded. Committee Member Palma-Glennie expressed 102
concerns that Committee Member Bankston would be unable to attend the meetings 103
regularly. Ms. Bartlett stated that she had a discussion with Committee Member Bankston, 104
and she expressed interest in serving in a deeper capacity and could devote more time to the 105
Action Committee. Committee Member Palma-Glennie nominated Committee Member 106
Kimura as Vice-Chair. Committee Member Kimura declined the nomination. 107
After no further comment or discussion, Chair Young closed the nominations and called for a 108
voice vote. The motion passed unanimously. 109
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2. Infrastructure Priority Discussion 110
Chair Young reminded the Action Committee that members of the public provided 111
comments on this agenda item and opened the floor to the committee members. He 112
suggested members provide broad suggestions in no specific order. 113
Committee Member Weber asked if comments can be provided after the meeting to allow 114
time to draft useful language. Ms. Bartlett agreed that this was appropriate, and that 115
Planning Staff would collect the comments to submit to the Planning Director. Planning Staff 116
will also share the comments with the full Action Committee. 117
Committee Member Kimura asked about the 35 million appropriation to upgrade the 118
Kealakehe wastewater plant. Ms. Bartlett offered to follow up on this matter. Committee 119
Member Kimura stated that she does not feel a moratorium was appropriate. She believes 120
that the Action Committee can support projects that are important to the community. 121
Chair Young commented that the Action Committee needs to give this topic serious thought 122
because the science and technology are available; the only things lacking are funding and 123
willpower. He expressed how large amounts of water are being wasted daily; that basal 124
water is getting polluted, decreasing more drastically, and is not being replenished. He 125
believed that the AC should prioritize how to move in a different direction. 126
Committee Member Weber believed the issue was about short-term costs and long-term 127
savings. He expressed that reducing waste is better than recycling. He explained how policy 128
measures in Germany serve to minimize packaging waste by requiring stores to manage 129
reuse and disposal. Chair Young agreed but added that further information is needed to get 130
this written into policies. 131
Committee Member Palacat-Nelsen asked if the AC should be prioritizing and commenting 132
on the projects specifically provided in the packet. Ms. Bartlett stated that priorities could be 133
outside the CIP list. She mentioned there has been a lot of changes since the CDP adoption. 134
She believed that the Director was looking for suggestions to understand the general issues 135
of the area. Committee Member Palacat-Nelsen stated that managing how water is 136
approached was the most significant since it impacts housing and sustains agricultural lands. 137
Committee Member Palma-Glennie expressed concern for how the Action Committee could 138
effectively contribute to change. Ms. Mercado provided clarification that this agenda item 139
was specifically related to the Federal Infrastructure Bill funding that would be awarded to 140
the County and State. She clarified how the administration was putting together a taskforce 141
to help decide where and how the funds would be utilized and the Planning Department is 142
trying to be proactive and prepared for the conversation. She continued that Planning Staff 143
would summarize all comments and ideas for the Planning Director. 144
Community Member Flaherty announced that he would meet with Committee Member 145
Palacat-Nelsen about the Flood Mitigation Erosion Control Subcommittee work, to share the 146
documents he has and move the effort forward. 147
Vice-Chair David suggested affordable housing as a priority. She shared that infrastructure 148
plays an important role in building affordable housing, including public transit. 149
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Chair Young asked Councilmember Inaba about bills he was introducing: 152and 153 150
regarding affordable housing. Councilmember Inaba stated that regarding infrastructure 151
there are several projects to consider in the Kona area from wastewater treatment, to 152
extending Ane Keohokālole Hwy, repaving Hina Lani, widening Kuakini, widening Queen 153
Ka’ahumanu Hwy, etc. He repeated the importance of water for affordable housing 154
development and the merits of allocating one percent of Real Property Tax annually to the 155
Office of Housing. 156
Committee Member Weber suggested changing the perspective of what infrastructure is to 157
include additional projects and services like internet access, a refrigerated storage facility in 158
Kawaihae, and new methods of bringing things to the Big Island to help keep costs down. 159
Chair Young asked what the guidelines were for the federal infrastructure funds. Ms. 160
Mercado responded that she did not have information on the taskforce criteria. Chair Young 161
asked that the Action Committee be kept informed as things become clearer. 162
Committee Member Palma-Glennie asked about the Open Space Network and if the 163
infrastructure bill can be related to it. Ms. Bartlett suggested that the subcommittee may be 164
able to investigate that in relation to the contract scope that has been drafted. Ms. Mercado 165
stated that timing might be an issue. Committee Member Palma-Glennie stated that she 166
would like the subcommittee to help promote funding or move it forward. 167
Committee Member Palacat-Nelsen agreed that Open Space was related to housing and 168
water as it provides quality assurance for resources and quality of life. He also mentioned the 169
Affordable Housing, Planning, Feasibility, and Design CIP project should be highlighted but to 170
include concerns about water. 171
Chair Young asked if directing infrastructure funding to a TOD in the downtown area of Kona 172
(as suggested in Mr. Childs testimony) was a feasible focus for the Action Committee. 173
Committee Member Palacat-Nelsen voiced concerns about affordability for generational 174
families in Kona if we limit resources to one area. 175
Community Member Childs stated that the funding should be focused on the main arterials 176
in Kailua-Kona to build density around existing/planned infrastructure, housing, and schools. 177
Committee Member Palma-Glennie stated that the only way the TOD would work is if they 178
are integrated with different economic groups and hoped that this could be a template for 179
the entire island. 180
Community Member Susan Aronson shared that a group called ‘Aina Aloha is working on 181
circular economy concepts. She was involved with the effort to turn the municipal golf 182
course into a regional park. She expressed that through that and working with the 183
Department of Hawaiian Homelands and the Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant, there 184
is an opportunity to develop a concept for efficient water usage. She also shared information 185
about the upcoming Hawai‘i Rural Water Association Conference. 186
Chair Young recommended Action Committee members and the community provide Staff 187
with any suggestions or ideas. Ms. Bartlett asked if suggestions could be submitted within 188
two weeks so that staff have time to put the information together for the Planning Director. 189
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3. Action Committee Project Prioritization Discussion: 190
Chair Young recalled that staff offered a prioritization matrix for the committee to refer to at 191
the last meeting. He acknowledged that all issues are interconnected which can make it 192
difficult to focus on specific projects. He emphasized the need to look deeply at the Action 193
Committee’s role in the successful implementation of the CDP. He mentioned the 194
importance of Chapter 16 framing the roles and responsibilities of Action Committees and 195
specifically pointed out Chapter16-6(6) which says the Action Committee would receive 196
briefings from the County. He expressed how important it is for Action Committee members 197
to fulfill these responsibilities which in part requires a structured process. 198
Committee Member Palma-Glennie expressed the importance of working with the 199
community to move things forward and provide a platform for people to put together 200
networks and resources. She suggested utilizing the newspaper and social media for 201
community awareness and just generally focusing on outreach. 202
Committee Member Weber recalled the prior General Plan community “Speakout” sessions 203
the Planning Department organized. He suggested community outreach could help to 204
determine what concerns exist in the community. 205
Committee Member Kimura shared that the upcoming Kona Open Space Network project 206
would encourage community engagement. She added we must embrace higher-density 207
housing to increase affordability and create walkable communities that will support 208
businesses and reduce the need for driving. 209
Chair Young asked how to retain momentum on this, and Committee Member Kimura 210
offered that a contract discussion was currently taking place. Ms. Mercado explained that the 211
next three to four months would be used to obtain funding, choose a consultant, review the 212
contract agreement with the consultant, then distribute the funds. Committee Member 213
Palma-Glennie added that subcommittees could help with distributing information. 214
Community Member Flaherty asked for advice on networking with other community groups 215
to create partnerships with the Action Committee. He shared that community groups would 216
want to know how the Action Committee could help them to manifest their goals. 217
Vice-Chair David recalled previous discussions to hold more meetings aside from the 218
scheduled meetings. A brief discussion was held regarding staff support and the Sunshine 219
Law requirements. Ms. Bartlett offered to provide the PowerPoint from the South Kohala 220
Action Committee that outlines how Action Committees could initiate that. 221
Chair Young proposed creating a subcommittee to explore ways for the Action Committee to 222
become more proactive about implementing the CDP. He agreed with the need to continue 223
prioritizing such ongoing Action Committee projects and acknowledged the time 224
commitment involved with exploring the roles and duties of the Action Committee. 225
Committee Member Weber suggested holding joint meetings consisting of Action Committee 226
subcommittees with other community organizations to outreach to the community. There 227
was then some discussion regarding permitted interactions with staff expressing support to 228
make such plans possible. 229
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Community Member Ron Aronson suggested that the Action Committee organize strategic 230
planning sessions annually, with the purpose to review their current state, analyze their 231
projected state, and identify priorities. 232
After further discussions regarding Sunshine Law and permitted interactions, Ms. Mercado 233
stated that two members could attend a community organization meeting. She cautioned 234
that joining an organization’s meeting as a full committee may prove challenging due to 235
Sunshine Law requirements and related logistics. She offered to share information templates 236
(such as PowerPoint presentations) that staff have used in the past to share about Action 237
Committees and Community Planning with other community groups. 238
4. Update on the CIP budget: 239
Staff shared the FY2022-23 CIP (Capital Improvement Project) Budget spreadsheet that 240
outlined capital project appropriations submitted to the County Council relating to the Kona 241
District. Ms. Bartlett informed the Action Committee that no actions were required at the 242
time and that this item was simply an update. She offered to provide Financial Impact 243
Statement (FIS) sheets with more information on specific projects as requested. There was a 244
brief discussion regarding the statuses of listed CIP projects. She informed that the County 245
Council would be conducting their budget hearings from May 17 through May 19. 246
Councilmember Inaba clarified the budget hearing is at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday with the 247
budget discussion to take place the following morning. 248
Community Member Flaherty asked how much of the list had been authorized through bond 249
funding. Councilmember Inaba stated that he was unsure which of the projects were funded 250
through bond funding. He stated that the projects remain on the list for three years until it 251
lapses and that it’s the County Councilmember’s responsibility to place them back on. 252
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: 253
1. For the Kona Action Committee Meeting on September 8: Flood Mitigation and Erosion 254
Control Subcommittee report. 255
ADJOURNMENT: Vice-Chair David moved to adjourn. Seconded by Committee Member Huerta. 256
Motion passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 257
The meeting was adjourned at 7:07 pm. 258
These minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kona 259
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 260
Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 261
by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 262