HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-11-15 HCDP Minutes DraftMitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
HĀMĀKUA 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
Tuesday, November 15, 2022 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Tawn Keeney called the Hāmākua Community Development Plan (HCDP) Action Committee 4
(AC) to order at 5:42 P.M. This was an Action Committee hosted meeting held at the Kulaʻimano 5
Community Center Picnic Bench. Quorum was established at this meeting. 6
ROLL CALL 7
AC Members Present: Tawn Keeney (Chair); Niki Hubbard (Vice-Chair); Brad Kurokawa; Rhonda 8
Pollard; Robert Nishimoto; Crystal Kua. 9
AC Members Absent-Excused: Carol Ignacio; Desiree Moana Cruz. 10
Corporation Counsel: Suzanna Tiapula, Deputy Corporation Counsel. 11
6 members of the public attended the meeting in person. 12
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None 13
14
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 15
1. This is a Hāmākua Action Committee hosted meeting. There was no County staff in 16
attendance. 17
2. Chair Keeney shared that Bill 238 was being heard by County Council regarding changes 18
to the Building Permit approval process. *Please note, this announcement was made at 19
the end of this meeting. 20
Please see more information about Bill 238 here: BIL 238 Draft 01 2020-2022 - Laserfiche WebLink 21
(hawaiicounty.gov) 22
3. Chair Keeney reported back on the discussion he had with Deputy Corporation Counsel, 23
Suzanna Tiapula, regarding the Sunshine Law as it relates to communications of members 24
across the Action Committees. An Action Committee member may contact members of 25
other Action Committees so long as they do not start a chain communication amongst 26
members of the same committee. Action Committee members cannot discuss business 27
via reply-all emails. It was understood that information can be shared with all members if 28
it is made a public communication in a meeting packet. 29
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
4. Chair Keeney announced that the testimony from the October 18th meeting will be 30
addressed at the December Hāmākua Action Committee meeting: 31
• Communication No. 2022-18: Meizhu Lui’s Testimony 32
• Oral Testimony provided by community member, Richard Bidleman regarding 33
sidewalks and a possible presentation by the Department of Public Works. 34
At this point, Vice-Chair Niki Hubbard moved to change the order of the agenda due to the 35
meeting being held outside on a picnic bench. The Action Committee prioritized Administrative 36
Matter item #1 and Business Agenda Item #4. 37
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER: 38
1. Action Committee Meeting Calendar for 2023: 39
Vice-Chair Niki Hubbard moved to approve the Action Committee Meeting Calendar for 2023. 40
Seconded by Action Committee member Crystal Kua. 41
Discussion centered around the Action Committee’s scheduling conflict with the County 42
Council meetings. She stated that Councilmember Heather Kimball cannot attend in-43
person meetings on Tuesdays due to Council meetings in Kona. If meetings were held on 44
Zoom, there’s a possibility that she could attend. A recent County directive has made it 45
uncertain if planning staff can attend meetings at night. 46
Vice-Chair Niki Hubbard amended her motion to approve the calendar, meeting on the 3rd 47
Tuesday of every month, to revise the physical location of the meetings to be at the Honokaʻa 48
People’s Theatre for the next year. Seconded by Action Committee member Crystal Kua. 49
Motion passed with votes 6 aye, 0 no. 50
2. Election for Action Committee Secretary Position: 51
Action Committee moved this matter to the next Hāmākua Action Committee meeting in 52
December. 53
BUSINESS: 54
4. Zoom-Hybrid Meeting Discussion: 55
Chair Tawn Keeney moved to switch to a Zoom-hybrid meeting format going forward. 56
Seconded by Action Committee member Crystal Kua. Discussion included logistics and the 57
required equipment. Chair Keeney has a computer with a camera and the Honokaʻa People’s 58
Theatre will be used as the courtesy site. A Zoom link will be in the next meeting 59
announcement. The meeting will be recorded, not live-streamed. Recordings will be posted 60
to Facebook or YouTube within a day of the meeting. Motion passed with 6 votes aye, 0 no. 61
3. Subcommittee Report Back to Action Committee: 62
• Waipiʻo Wahi Pana – Report given by Action Committee member Brad Kurokawa. He 63
explained that the subcommittee met with Councilmember Heather Kimball on Monday, 64
November 14th, 2022, who provided a brief history of Waipiʻo’s management attempts 65
that began in the 1990s with Friends of the Future and Waipiʻo Circle; leases ran for 20-66
years at that time. Informational signs and education officers came out of that work and 67
there was high visitor impact. Former Councilmember Valerie Pointedexter got involved 68
when she was in office in the 2000s, as well as Kamehameha School, The Department of 69
Land & Natural Resources (DLNR), the County of Hawaiʻi and local farmers. During that 70
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3
time, there was a bill to ban pedestrians and community members wanted action. The 71
community also did not favor The Hawaii Visitor Bureau’s effort. He explained that a 72
Steering committee was eventually organized and in February 2022 an Emergency 73
Proclamation was issued and a lawsuit was filed. A later revised proclamation was issued 74
after mediation, in which the outcome opened the Waipiʻo road; the mayor created and 75
led 2 advisory committees: 1. To deal with the road and 2. To oversee the long term plan. 76
Overall, mistakes were made along the way and some organizations were biased towards 77
visitors. The hope now is for community input and a more thorough process. The goal is 78
for the Action Committee and Waipiʻo Wahi Pana Subcommittee to assist from a zoning 79
standpoint and gain community input. This will allow transparency and for the 80
community to have a voice in the process. 81
Action Committee member Nishimoto asked if he could hear from community on what 82
the definition of Wahi Pana was. (Vice-Chair Hubbard reference page 73 of CDP section 83
4.9.2 Waipiʻo Valley as Wahi Pana). 84
• Housing Subcommittee Report- This report was skipped at this time. 85
At this time, the Action Committee considered Public Comment on this item. 86
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: 87
Three (3) members of the public provided oral testimony. 88
1. Community member Lei Brown, representing herself, testified on Agenda item #3. She 89
shared a recap of her position that she does not want to pursue destination 90
management. She shared how a previous community group defined Wahi Pana without 91
government agency involvement, a copy of which was provided to Heather Kimball. She 92
thought inviting Kupuna to come share what Wahi Pana means to them in the future 93
would be a good idea. She reiterated how stewarding the valley is a commitment, that it 94
is a place sustained by the aina’s pulse and that it would be managed in that same 95
respect. 96
2. Community member Mahealani Makui, representing herself, testified on Agenda item #3. 97
She shared that the definition of Wahi Pana is “Legendary Place.” 98
3. Community member Keith Tallet, representing himself, testified on Agenda item #3. He 99
shared that the ocean community wants to be a part of the Wahi Pana conversations and 100
looks forward to inclusiveness. The group will advocate for the right to access the ocean 101
there. 102
Discussion continued: Action Committee member Kua asked Action Committee member 103
Kurokawa what role the Action Committee will take and if the goal is to bring the groups 104
together here or direct them to Councilmember Heather Kimball or Mayor Mitch Roth? 105
Discussion mentioned an upcoming steering committee meeting scheduled for Thursday, 106
November 22, 2022, with Councilmember Kimball. More information will be provided after that. 107
Community member Brown will relay the Zoom link to Action Committee member Kurokawa. 108
Community member Brown shared that they look forward to an inclusive process, but that it 109
should be exclusive to those with experiential and lineal connections to Waipiʻo. She likened 110
Waipiʻo to a Royal Mausoleum and thus it should have an elevated status of protection. People 111
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 4
should not be allowed to wander around a cemetery; even with access to the beach a lot of 112
Heiau’s are traversed. She believes people need to understand the protocols and stewardship. 113
A question was asked who is facilitating the next steering committee meeting. The 114
subcommittee discussed their next steps in working on Wahi Pana and not destination 115
management. They described tasks involving looking at Zoning, Framework, and plan execution 116
within the CDP. 117
Community member Brown suggested that the subcommittee needed legal counsel, but that 118
there was conflict of interest with one of the recommended attorneys due to the Waipiʻo 119
lawsuit. Deputy Corporation Counsel Tiapula could provide a list of others who work pro bono. 120
Counsel was asked why Councilmember Kimball cannot use county legal representation to get 121
quicker responses since this is a community led effort now. 122
Action Committee member Kurokawa acknowledged that even the terms such as scenic corridor 123
would need those management strategies put into code to protect them so that is work that can 124
be done. 125
5. Discussion on Action Committee Communication to the Public: 126
This report was skipped at this time. 127
6. Action Committee Project Prioritization Discussion: 128
This report was skipped at this time. 129
7. Status on All Action Committees Discussion: 130
This report was skipped at this time. 131
COMMUNICATIONS: 132
8. Communication No. 2022-19 Brad Kurokawa Letter to the Planning Director Regarding 133
Zoning and Subdivision Code Update Engagement: Action Committee member Kurokawa 134
discussed his Letter to the Planning Director regarding the zoning code changes and the 135
Planning Departmentʻs response. He stated how the Planning Department assured him that 136
there will be interaction with the Action Committees throughout the process. He stated that 137
the online open house was ending soon. Action Committee member Pollard encouraged 138
signing up for the alerts on this topic online. 139
9. Communication No. 2022-21 Planner Heather Bartlett’s Email Response to Hāmākua Action 140
Committee Chair Tawn Keeney Answering Questions Related to Action Committee Meetings: 141
This item was skipped. 142
10. Communication No. 2022-23 Planning Department Community Planning Newsletter: This 143
item was skipped. 144
11. Communication No. 2021-02 Hāmākua Action Committee Community Group Network Map: 145
This item was skipped. 146
12. Communication No. 2022-24 Hāmākua CDP Community Implementation Action Matrix: This 147
item was skipped. 148
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 5
13. Communication No., 2022-25 Kohala Mountain News September 2022: This item was 149
skipped. 150
14. Communication No. 2022-26 North Kohala Advisory Group Mission Statement: This item 151
was skipped. 152
15. Communication No. 2022-20 Chuck Flaherty Article t the Sierra Club Regarding Planning 153
Department Practices: This item was skipped. 154
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 155
The Action Committee skipped this item. Approval for the October 18th meeting minutes will 156
take place at the December meeting. 157
158
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: December 20, 2022, at the Honokaʻa People’s 159
Theatre. *Please note, this meeting will be a hybrid meeting and will include a Zoom option. 160
1. Subcommittee Report Back to the Action Committee 161
a. Waipi‘o Wahi Pana 162
b. Housing Subcommittee- possibly invite a speaker for presentation 163
2. Planning Department Presentation on Permitted Uses – To include permitted areas 164
zoned for agricultural and residential along the Hāmākua Coast, as well as enforcement. 165
3. Action on Sidewalk Support – Community member Richard Bidleman’s written testimony 166
submitted prior to the November 15th Action Committee meeting. 167
4. Fire Department Presentation on Fire Prevention 168
5. Department of Water Supply Presentation – Discussion centered around water meter 169
placement corresponding to the CDP. 170
6. Noʻeau Peralto from huiMAU Presentation 171
ADJOURNMENT: 172
Action Committee member Crystal Kua moved to adjourn the meeting. A seconded motion was 173
not documented. The meeting was adjourned at 6:45pm. 174
This agenda and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Hāmākua 175
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 176
Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 177
by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 178