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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-03-31 Planning Commission Minutes PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII MINUTES MARCH 31, 2006 The Planning Commission met for a workshop on the General Plan Interim Amendments at 9:00 a.m. in the County of Hawaii Aupuni Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawaii, with Chairman C. Kimo Alameda presiding. PRESENT:C. Kimo AlamedaABSENT & EXCUSED: Andrew Iwashita Fred Galdones Jeffrey McCall Bill Graham Allen Salavea Rene€ Siracusa HannahSpringer Rodney Watanabe Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel Christopher J. Yuen, Planning Director Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager And approximately 20 people from the public in attendance. Workshop on General Plan Interim Amendments, which include proposed changes to the text, policies, courses of action, Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map and Facilities Map. The Chair introduced the Commissioners and staff to members of the public. Mr. Yuen gave some background information and presented a workshop on the proposed General Plan Interim Amendments (SEE EXHIBIT A). He noted that the Commission thst will hold hearings on these amendments at its April 7 Hilo meeting and April 21 Kona meeting. He explained the three types of amendments which were to the Text, the Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Maps and the Facilities Map. For Commissioner Springer€s information, Mr. Yuen said he will research her question if there was a volunteer fire station at Kalaoa Makai, at the bottom of Kaiminani Street. Commissioner Siracusa said the facilities map still shows the old alignment of Red Road down by Pohoiki. Mr. Yuen said although the Department tries to be accurate on how the General Plan Facilities map shows the alignment of roads, the alignments are conceptual and not meant to be scaled out exactly where the road is to go. Regarding Item 6 on Page 3, Course of action (g), the Director recommended the CommissionnotactonthisitemanddeferanyactionuntiltheParsonsBrinckerhoff study for circulation in the area is completed. 1 Commissioner Graham said he sees things going into the General Plan as a positive kind of thing that can fall by the wayside as although there is a plan it may never actually be implemented. Mr. Yuen said the reason things are put in the General Plan is the County would be adopting it as a basic concept, such as having a connector road. He said, as an example, if Parker Ranch Trust proposed an amendment to their rezoning ordinances that did not have a connector road and the General Plan showed the connector road, then that change to the current zoning ordinance for Parker Ranch should not be passed since it would be inconsistent with the General Plan. He clarified that it is true that just taking the connector road out of the General Plan amendment would not eliminate the requirement in the rezoning ordinance, as an amendment could be made to ordinance to include the connector road. In response to Commissioner Springer€s inquiries, Mr. Yuen said he did discuss with ParkerRancharoadthatgoesthroughneighborhoodsratherthanabypasstypeofroad but he has not seen any concrete plans. He said the Napoopoo-Mamalahoa intersection will be a major intersection with people going south on the Hokulia bypass will be the through traffic at that junction and people on the old highway going south are going to be stop controlled, noting he was not sure if the signal there is planned in the first round of improvements. In response to Commissioner Graham€s inquiry, Mr. Yuen said he currently would not want to cancel out commercial zoning along the bypass through Waimea town at the moment. In response to Commissioner Siracusa€s request to avoid ill feelings, Mr. Yuen said the Department will notify property owners of the General Plan Amendment in the area of the Ainaloa Boulevard-Highway 130 intersection. Regarding the new course of action for the Waiakea House Lots area, Mr. Yuen said the amendment is intended to have medium density areas for commercial developments focused on the major streets, Kekuanaoa, Piilani, Manono and Lanikaula, while interior blocks should be zoned primarily for single- and multi-family residential uses. Commissioner Siracusa questioned how one measure progress toward achieving the goals, objectives and policies of the General Plan. Mr. Yuen said there are a lot of goals and policies in General Plan that is difficult to measure progress, but an annual review of rezoning actions and other land use changes, or an annual review of progress on capital improvements could be and has been done, noting he would rather not hire a new staff position just to work on annual reports. In response to Commissioner Springer€s suggestions, Mr. Yuen said he thought it was a good idea perhaps a year before the GP review begins to have a report of preparedness that the County is on track and ready to begin the 10-year review at a 10-year time. 2 Regarding South Hilo District, B-1, Rural to Low Density Urban, Commissioner Siracusa questioned whether the Department in changing the density of an area considers the green belt areas to absorb some of the flooding waters. Mr. Yuen said this was a concept and the LUPAG maps are meant to represent an overall land use pattern to develop an area. Mr. Yuen said they will comply with Commissioner Springer€s request to produce a map which shows the FEMA map floodways overlaid on a slide for this area at the public hearing. Regarding Page 2, B-6, the Big Island Candies area, Commissioner Siracusa expressed her concern of having a General Plan amendment to benefit a private commercial business, referring to spot zoning and showing favoritism. Mr. Yuen said it would be too inflexible and not usable to the community to say the General Plan will not be amended because it happened to be a landowner€s idea. Mr. Yuen noted the impetus for changing the General Plan did come from Big Island Candies but the Department felt the request wasappropriate,notingthereisaalsopropertyalongKekuanaoathat€scoveredbythis Amendment that is not owned by Big Island Candies. Mr. Yuen said the better way to deal with this might be to introduce more flexibility into the way the Zoning Code is written as to terms of uses within different zoning districts, adding the Department would not initiate an amendment if they did not feel it should be amended. Commissioner Siracusa said she agreed with Commissioner Iwashita that there should be a community development plan so that it is consistent with the will of the community. Commissioner Springer said she did not think this was a matter of spot zoning since the lands contiguous are already zoned high density urban, but that she concurred with Commissioner Siracusa regarding the community sense of disenfranchisement and wondered if there was any notification protocols similar to the ones discussed earlier that would be triggered by this action. Commissioner Graham spoke in support of the Director€s proposal, noting if the Big Island Candies facility was not in existence he would not support the Director. Commissioner Watanabe had no problem with the Director€s proposal as this area has been in mixed commercial uses for a long time, and he anticipated it will continue to be so. Mr. Yuen said it was a question of do you make mixed use work and a lot has to do with Mr. Yuen added that if the Department is going to say they want mixed use, then they have to learn how to control mixed use so that it is compatible with people staying in residential areas, noting he would need to work on this more himself. Commissioner Siracusa felt what needed to be done was to relook at what is being allowed in each zoning category to resolve the concerns. Commissioner Springer felt if a community buys into the concept and the vision to the extent they are part of the planning process, it will just be more successful than what appears to be dictated to them. Regarding Page 3, D-1, Commissioner Graham said the proposal sounds reasonable as a concept but questioned whether people in the Maliu Ridge Lots would want to subdivide their 3-acre lot to Rural 1-acre where it would be difficult to do with Important Ag lands? Mr. Yuen said the text description that talks about rural does not imply support for further rezoning but is meant to recognize what exists there; and he agreed one could say as an overall matter it would be easier to rezone the land if it was designated Rural. 3 Regarding pages 3, E-2, Commissioner Watanabe said he was not opposed to the proposed change but expressed his concern of people building up the level of the ground and then setting the height limitation from that level for the home. Mr. Yuen said specifically on Kohanaiki covered by SMA Permit there are two controls: one, a viewplane analysis done from the highway where the requirement is that the development conform to what they€re showing in their viewplane analysis, being able to look from the highway and see the ocean and an agreement with the current developer to moving the development back from the shore, keeping an open space buffer of the golf course between the first row of houses, and coming in at a density much lower than permitted by their zoning. Regarding Page 4, E-5, Mr. Yuen agreed with Commissioner Graham that the Planning Department does want to set aside lands for parks, and open spaces and that he hopes the location of these areas will be determined during the community development plan process.InresponsetoCommissionerSpringer€sinquiries,Mr.YuensaidthereareState and private lands that he thought should be put in residential expansion and committed to open space, but he did not have a great vision for this area apart from the coastal area being kept open. He added that as far as the ahupuaa that the State owns between Palisades and Kailua-Kona being kept as a type of greenbelt, he hopes this determination will come out in the community development plan process or other kinds of planning. Commissioner Watanabe at this time referred to the Hokulia project and noted one of the terms of the settlement was to seek a rural classification for their lands. Mr. Yuen noted the lands are currently mixed between Extensive Ag and Orchards and he would have to look at the possibility of doing a rural amendment to the General Plan now that the plan is to go to the LUC; noting Hokulia is actually covered in the text of the GP as an approved development but it would be better from the standpoint of map consistency if it were designated Rural in the General Plan. RECESSEDThe Chair called a short recess at 11:07 a.m. RECONVENEDThe meeting reconvened at 11:12 a.m. On the facilities map, Commissioner Siracusa noted the volunteer fire Dept. in Ainaloa Subdivision was left out. In response toCommissioner Springer€s inquiry, Mr. Yuen said he will report back what volunteer fire station exists between the Kaupulehu station and the Kailua Fire Station. Mr. Yuen noted that the Roadway Maps are meant to guide capital improvement projects in the future and be the primary map for County expansion of roads. He explained that an arterial road is a main road that carries traffic from one region to another; a collector road is one that takes people from an area to another but is a lower classification than an arterial as far as the level of development of roads. He said the maps are conceptual and notmeanttobeexact,andtherationaleistotryandconnectvariousroadways. 4 For Commissioner Watanabe€s information, Mr. Yuen said the map showing a future collector that bypasses much of Palani Road is not a change but it placed in the 1989 General Plan; and other than a conceptual alignment, nothing has been done as far as land acquisition, design, or anything. On the Kailua to Keauhou area map, B-2, Mr. Yuen agreed with Commissioner Springer that this slide does not reflect the A-7 deletion. On the Kailua to Keauhou area map, B-7, Mr. Yuen gave a status report on the lower section of Lako Street that connects to Alii Drive, noting that Public Works did do an environmental assessment but no design work has been done, and he was not sure if funding has been approved. Regarding the South Kohala District Map F, Mr. Yuen informed Mr. Graham that differentsegmentsoftheSaddleRoadhasbeenfundedandtheworkbeingdoneiscloser to Hilo. In response to Commissioner Springer€s inquiry, Mr. Yuen said that he did not think it was critical to include a cell tower map in the facilities map section, noting the locations do change a fair amount over time. In response to the inquiry of Commissioner Galdones on how it can be determined which are State or County Roads to seek funding from the appropriate agency to improve a certain roadway to address safety and congestion concerns, Mr. Yuen said the Planning Department has information on which roads are County and which are State, and generally major arterial roads are State and local roads are County, noting there are markers on State highways. Mr. Yuen referred to an article he wrote in the Hawaii Island Journal and said that traditionally a major road construction is funded 80 percent by the Federal aid system and the local match is only 20 percent, but the difficulty is available with each island competing with each other. He added that projects such as the Waimea by-pass or Queen K going to four lanes, etc. would wipe out the funding that comes to this island for years, noting much of it traditionally goes to things for safety improvements, like curve straightening, replacing bridges. Mr. Yuen said if the County is going to get serious about funding, Hawaii County is going to have to come up with its own funding sources, whether from property taxes, or increased fuel taxes, or some other source as relying just on Federal aid will account for maybe four major projects in a 15- year timeframe. For Commissioner Graham€s information, Mr. Yuen explained there is a Statewide transportation improvement (STIP) program, involving the State and County agencies and various community groups, that sets funding priorities over the next 3-4 years, but there are chaotic elements to how things actually get built. Commissioner Galdones expressed his frustration of having all these plans to take care of a problem and yet it can sit for years because there are no funds. Mr. Yuen agreed 5 funding as being an issue, but noted some projects such as Phase I of Alii Parkway and Kamanu Street connecting to Hinalani and Kealakehe Parkway are moving forward. MargaretWille resident of Waimea thanked the Director for responding to the community€s concerns about the Parker Ranch€s proposed deletion to take out the connector road, Waimea mini-bypass proposal, and referring to a map she submitted into the record (SEE EXHIBIT B). She promoted the County€s accountability to the public and referred to two studies for the Lalamilo Farm and Kawaihae Road areas. Bob Hunter encouraged the County to see the wisdom in not changing the General Plan on the connector roads through the town of Waimea; and he noted the strong consensus in the community to change the General Plan and zoning maps so that the puu behind Waimea is not zoned Ag-1a. Mr. Yuen said either the State or County could initiate rezoning for the puu area, and there is recognition of the puu in the General Plan; and he requesteddeferralfortheWaimeatownportionuntilafterParsonBrinckerhhoff€sstudy. MarniHerkesspokeoftheneedandurgedpassageoftheimpactfeeordinance.She noted that Makala Boulevard should be included on the maps for the Kona area and money for the Saddle Road improvements will be used on the Hilo side. David Tarnas representing Jacoby Development commented on E-4, the State plans to expand the harbor and have some associated commercial and golf development south and east of the harbor and suggested the development should include a coastal open space buffer. He said that the State DHH Lands, which has approximately 200 acres in that area, sought an RFP for a private developer partner (Jacoby Development in February 2004) to develop their commercial property; and that the State DLNR, which has approximately 300 acres in that area, sought an RFP for a private developer to build public infrastructure of a new marina, harbor basin, as well as the connector road which is the extension of Kealakehe Parkway to Kuakini Highway, noting theRFPs were based on the 1989 LUPAG Map. Hesaid the State agencies and developers are moving forward with the mixed use development concept that includes resort components, hotel and time share, as well as variety of other components of a mixed use plan. Mr. Tarnas referred to proposed interim GP amendments for the land that is to the north of the existing harbor basin that already is being used for harbor purposes and currently zoned Open. He then said there is another DLNR parcel of land that is approximately 18 acres between the existing harbor and the Queen Kaahumanu Highway north of Kealakehe Parkway that is part of the development agreement from DLNR to Jacoby for commercial development and Jacoby plans in the future to come before the Planning Commission to request a proposed amendment to what was included in the 1989 General Plan Amendment of a resort component to that area. Christopher Robb, representing Lalamilo Farmers Association, opposed the proposed connector road between Mamalahoa and Kawaihae where it would enter Kawaihae Road by the transfer station because of the limited sight distance, as well as the fact that the traffic will end up right in front of the Elementary School. He said Routes A, B, C and/or 6 D would affect the commercial viability of farming within that region which has the best agricultural land in the State of Hawaii for temperate vegetable crops. He said the solution to the problem for the Waimea area is to expedite the State project of the Mudlane to Kawaihae bypass. In response to Mr. Yuen€s inquiry, Mr. Robb clarified that their concerns about the construction of roads impacting the farms were that the existing Lalamilo Farm Road is substandard and has never really been maintained, it is one way in and one way out, farmers drive from field to field so there is a lot of mud on the road, and farmers transport their equipment so they drive extremely slow. He added that although they are exempt from dust and DOH regulations, with the prevailing winds in Waimea of 15 to 35 miles per hour, there will be spray drift from the surrounding operations. He said they are hoping to get a 100-yard buffer around the perimeter of Lalamilo Farm Lots just to perpetuate the integrity of the area as a viable commercial agricultural area. Ken Melrose, representing three Greenwell families south of the Napoopoo area who havebeenranchingthelandssincethe1850s,spokeregardingthemapsuggestionsfor E-6, 7 and 8. He asked that the Ag designation be moved up to the 1,000-foot elevation consistently along their corridor as the rainfall below the 1,000 foot level does not support an active ag use without irrigation, and there is no irrigation source short of drilling wells. Mr. Yuen said he will consider the suggestion but will not make any promises. ADMINISTRATIVEThe Commission took up the following at this time: MATTERS Mr. Torigoe had nothing to report at this point. Mr. Hayashi announced that the next meeting is scheduled for next Friday and one of the items to be discussed would be the General Plan public hearing. ADJOURNMENTThe meeting adjourned at 12:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M. Nomura, Secretary A T T E S T: C. Kimo Alameda, Chairman PlanningCommission 7