HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-02-22 Kaʻū CDP Meeting PacketMitchell D. Roth Mayor
Lee E. Lord Managing Director West Hawm'1 Office 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Hwy Kmlua-Kona, Hawm'i 96740 Phone (808) 323-4770 Fa-.. (808) 327-3563 County of Hawai'i PLANNING DEPARTMENT
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
Zendo Kem Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow Deputy Director East Hawm'1 Office IO I Pauah1 Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawai'1 96720 Phone(808)961-8288 Fa-.. (808) 961-8742 KA'U COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN of the following matters to be considered by the Ka'0 Action
Committee in accordance with the provisions of Section 92-7, Hawai'i Revised Statutes.
DATE: Wednesday, February 22, 2023
TIME: 5:30 P.M.
PLACE: Na'alehu Community Center
95-5635 Hawai'i Belt Rd,
Na'alehu, HI 96772
Please note there will not be a Zoom attendance option for this meeting.
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
AGENDA
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APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: The Action Committee will consider the draft minutes for the Ka'0
Action Committee Meeting on December 14, 2022.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS: Written testimony may be submitted via email at
cdp@hawaiicounty.gov or in person at the Hilo or Kana Planning Department, up to two (2)
business days prior (Monday, February 20, 2023) to the meeting (see the Notice Section below).
In addition, members of the public may provide oral testimony at the meeting on any of the
agenda items. Comments may be made either during the public comment portion of the agenda
or just prior to the relevant business item. With discretion of the Chair of the CDP Action
Committee, comments may be limited to three (3) minutes in length per agenda item.
BUSINESS:
1.Report Back on the January 18, 2023 Hawai'i County Code Update Open House: Action
Committee members who attended this meeting will share their experience and what they
learned with the rest of the Committee.
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2.Subcommittee Report Back to Action Committee: Designated subcommittees will report
back and provide updates to the Action Committee regarding their findings and progress.
See Communication Number 2022-05 Subcommittee Guidance.
a.Punalu'u Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee
b.Green Sands Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee
c.Pohue Bay Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee
d.Kupuna Housing Investigatory Subcommittee
e.Development in Ka'u Investigatory Subcommittee
3.Ka'u Action Committee Meeting Schedule Discussion: The Action Committee will discuss
and create a meeting schedule for the remainder of 2023.
4.Na'alehu Theatre Restoration: The Action Committee will discuss potential actions
following a recent letter they received regarding restoration efforts for the Na'alehu
Theatre. See communication number 2023-02 Na'alehu Theatre Restoration.
AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: Action Committee members will discuss logistics (meeting
date/time) and potential agenda items for the next meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
This agenda and all related documents are available in the Planning Department's Ka'u
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawai'i Public
Documents Repository: https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/fol/88959/Rowl.aspx.
These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department by calling (808) 961-
8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov.
NOTICE: The purpose of the public hearings is to afford all interested persons a reasonable
opportunity to be heard on the above items. A person desiring to submit oral or written
testimony shall indicate their name and whether the testimony is on their behalf or as a
representative of an organization or individual. Written testimony can be submitted via email
or hard copy. Hard copies should include an original and nine copies and be submitted no later
than 4:30pm two days prior to the hearing date.
Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service, other reasonable modification, or language
interpretation to access this meeting please contact the Planning Department at (808) 961-
8288 as soon as possible, but no later than five working days prior to the meeting date, to
arrange for accommodations. "Other reasonable modification" refers to communication
methods or devices for people with disabilities who are mentally and/or physically challenged.
If you are a lobbyist, you must register with the Hawai'i County Clerk within five days of
becoming a lobbyist. (Article 15, Section 2-91.3(b), Hawai'i County Code). A lobbyist means,
"any individual engaged for pay or other consideration who spends more than five hours in any
month or $275 in any six-month period for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or
administrative action by communicating or urging others to communicate with public officials."
(Article 15, Section 2-91.3(a)(6), Hawai'i County Code). Registration forms and expenditure
report documents are available at the Office of the County Clerk-Council, 25 Aupuni Street,
Hilo, Hawai'i 96720.
KA'0 CDP ACTION COMMITTEE
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Mitchell D. Roth
Mayor
Lee E. Lord
Managing Director
Zendo Kern
Director
Jeffrey W. Darrow
Deputy Director
County of Hawai‘i
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
KAʻŪ 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
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Leina’ala Enos called the Kaʻū Community Development Plan (CDP) Action Committee (AC) 4
to order at 5:02 P.M. This was an Action Committee hosted meeting at the Nāʻālehu Community 5
Center; there was no Zoom option. Quorum was established at this meeting. 6
ROLL CALL 7
AC Members Present: Jesse Ke, Ka’ohinani Mokuhali‘i, Leina’ala Enos (Chair), Babette Morrow, 8
Pernell Hanoa (Vice-Chair), Catherine Williams, Jason Masters, Kaweni Ibarra (arrived at 5:11pm) 9
AC Members Absent-Excused: None 10
County Officials: Deputy Corporation Counsel- Suzanna Tiapula 11
13 members of the public attended the meeting. 12
ANNOUNCEMENTS: None 13
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 14
Action Committee Member Babette Morrow motioned to approve the October 19, 2022 minutes. 15
Seconded by Action Committee Member Jesse Ke. Motion passed with 8 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 16
BUSINESS: 17
1. Subcommittee Report Back to Action Committee. 18
• Punalu’u Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee. 19
Vice-Chair Hanoa shared that there have been no formal subcommittee meetings yet, however, 20
there have been several meetings with residents and the Ka’ū Advisory Council. 21
Sophia Hanoa, Secretary of the Kaʻū Advisory Council, testified on Agenda Item #1. The Council 22
and the Punalu’u community have met with Black Sands LLC on numerous occasions. The Black 23
Sands LLC has presented project proposals to the community through generated maps. The Ka’ū 24
Advisory Council has copies of the maps and had many questions/concerns for the Architects 25
and the owner’s representatives. They would like the Kūpuna to identify sacred sites and protect 26
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
the Iwi (ancestral bones). The families of the area are concerned that the Ahupuaʻa’s significance 27
has been honored and there are several discrepancies in the maps around the sacred sites and 28
the church. The Ka’ū Advisory Council would like to help and provide guidance to the Action 29
Committee on how to address the public concerns over the future plans. 30
Discussion followed about having the subcommittee meet with the Black Sands LLC to see what 31
their proposals are and how they can help to interpret the wants and needs of the community to 32
help find a compromise/balance between the entities. 33
Earl Louis of Pahala, representing himself, testified on Agenda Item #1. He stated that he 34
remembers when Punalu’u was a well-managed place that provided jobs for the people of Ka’ū. 35
He expressed the need to have well managed development. That the people 36
(developers/tourists) are coming, we cannot stop them, but we can provide guidance on how we 37
would like to see development. He raised the concern that having a landowner on the 38
subcommittee may be a conflict of interest. 39
Patrick Getchius of Oceanview, representing himself, testified on Agenda Item #1. He asked the 40
Action Committee to clarify how the subcommittee works in regard to inviting certain parties to 41
a non-public meeting. 42
There was some discussion on how Punalu’u Coastline Access and Resources Subcommittee was 43
invited to be a part of this panel and its purpose. It was discussed that Action Committee 44
members are new to this process and are open to creating a subcommittee that the people of 45
the community need and want. 46
Bob Graham, representing himself, testified on Agenda Item #1. He raised concerns around the 47
development of the 1000 acres up Mauka of Nāʻālehu. He stated that nobody knows what is 48
being planned or developed for that area; there is no information on what will happen if Iwi 49
(bones) are being removed. The cultural resource management research group, Nohopapa 50
Hawaiʻi was brought to the attention of the Action Committee. 51
For more information regarding Nohopapa, please click here: 52
https://www.nohopapa.com 53
Action Committee Member Ke moved to approve the current notes of the Punalu’u Subcommittee 54
meeting. Vice-Chair Hanoa seconded. The motion passed with 8 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 55
• Green Sands Coastline Access and Resource Investigatory Subcommittee. 56
Please see Communication No. 2022-07 Green Sands Subcommittee meeting notes 2022-11-30 by clicking here: 57
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/120198/Communication%20No.%202022-58
07%20Green%20Sands%20Subcommittee%20meeting%20notes%202022-11-30.pdf 59
60
Addendum to subcommittee minutes Communication 2022-07: Add under subheading E- 61
“Acknowledge the additional activity of off-road vehicles that impact Mahana Bay from different 62
access points.” The Ka’ū CDP Action Committee reviewed the minutes and the Subcommittee 63
report. Action Committee Member Mokuhali’i moved to accept the notes with the addendum. 64
Vice-Chair Hanoa seconded the motion. Motion passed with 8 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 65
66
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3
• Pōhue Bay Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee. 67
Action Committee Members Williams and Masters both attended an informational meeting 68
sponsored by the National Park Service on December 10, 2022, at the Nāʻālehu Hongwanji. 69
There were more than 30 community members in attendance. The event had stations to gather 70
feedback and share the current priorities expressed by the community for the newly acquired 71
Kahuku-Pōhue parcel . Priorities were listed as such: #1. Preservation of Cultural sites. #2. 72
Protection of the Ancient Trail System. #3. Appropriately Identify Cultural and Historical Sites. 73
The National Park will provide resources such as materials and manpower for their current 74
proposed .03-mile access foot-trail that will connect the current 4-wheel drive road to the 2.1 75
historic trail. The National Park will also put in a 20-30 car parking lot, create a .03-mile spur trail 76
around private property to connect with the existing trail and add signage to all trails. The 77
timeline for this project is approximately 2023. 78
Overall, the comments supported the hiking trail for beach access. There were many comments 79
that were aimed to establish a permit process for fishing and vehicular access. Community 80
members want priority to be given to residents and possibly limit the number of days/permits to 81
be allowed. Natural resource management is a priority for the community and the National 82
Park. 83
Notes of this meeting are available on the website at https://www.nps.gov/havo/learn/historyculture/kahuku-84
pohue.htm 85
Christine Kaehuaea, representing herself, testified on Agenda Item #1. She shared about 86
working with the fire department on a recent brush fire where equipment and personnel 87
inadvertently damaged architectural/cultural sites because they did not know they were there. 88
She reiterated that it is very important to let the National Park service know of any “secret” or 89
unknown sites that may be within the new Kahuku-Pōhue parcel of land so that officials can 90
protect these sites and respect the community/ohana’s wishes. 91
Action Committee Member Ibarra motioned to accept the verbal report as the Subcommittee 92
notes. Seconded by Action Committee Member Morrow. The motion passed with 8 votes Aye, 0 93
votes nay. 94
• Kūpuna Housing Investigatory Subcommittee. 95
Please see Communication No. 2022-06 Kūpuna Housing Subcommittee meeting notes 2022-11-30 by clicking here: 96
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/WebLink/1/edoc/120197/Communication%20No.%202022-97
06%20Kupuna%20Housing%20Subcommittee%20meeting%20notes%202022-11-30.pdf 98
In addition, Action Committee Member Masters added that he has contacted the Hawaiʻi County 99
Planning Department as the subcommitteeʻs next step, to obtain a Zoning Verification Letter and 100
its permitted uses for subject properties. 101
Action Committee Member Morrow motioned to approve the minutes with the addition. The 102
motion was seconded by Action Committee Member Mokuhali’i. Motion passed with 8 votes aye, 103
0 votes nay. 104
Alison Yahna of Oceanview, representing herself, testified on Agenda Item #1. She has concerns 105
about large development projects such as Solar Farms, land clearing and the destroying of 106
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 4
natural resources. She suggested that the Action Committee create a subcommittee focused on 107
researching these numerous projects. Action Committee Member Masters advised that this may 108
be too large of a subject matter for the Action Committee to investigate in the district of Ka’u. 109
He suggested focusing on a specific area or project, such as “Punaluʻu” or “Nāʻālehu Mauka”. 110
There was a vibrant discussion about creating a subcommittee around the large or small 111
developments that are happening around Kaʻū. Due to a majority of community concern, Chair 112
Enos felt that it was important for the Action Committee to do so. Action Committee Member 113
Mokuhaliʻi motioned to establish an investigatory subcommittee on Development to look at, 114
address and educate the community on large development projects that are concerning and 115
brought to our attention. Action Committee Member Ke seconded. The motion passed with a 116
vote of 7 aye and 1 abstention (AC member Masters). 117
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: Action Committee members will discuss 118
potential agenda items for the upcoming meeting on February 22, 2023, at 5:00pm at 119
Oceanview Community Center. 120
ADJOURNMENT: Action Committee Member Masters motion to adjourn the meeting. Seconded 121
by Action Committee Members Williams. The motion passed with 8 votes aye; 0 votes nay. 122
The meeting was adjourned at 7:09 pm. 123
This agenda and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kaʻū 124
Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 125
Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 126
by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 127