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Home My WebLink About2023-02-22 Kaʻū CDP Minutes FinalMitchell 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, February 22, 2023 1 DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2 CALL TO ORDER 3 Chair Leinaʻala Enos called the Kaʻū Community Development Plan (KCDP) Action Committee 4 (AC) to order at 5:39 P.M. This meeting was held at the Nāʻālehu Community Center. There was 5 no Zoom option. Quorum was established at this meeting. 6 ROLL CALL 7 AC Members Present: Leinaʻala Enos (Chair), Pernell Hanoa (Vice-Chair), Kaweni Ibarra, Jesse Ke, 8 Jason Masters, Babette Morrow, Catherine Williams 9 AC Members Absent-Excused: Kaʻohinani Mokuhaliʻi 10 County Officials: Deputy Corporation Council- Suzanna Tiapula 11 12 members of the public attended the meeting 12 ANNOUNCEMENTS: 13 • The County Water Commission has an open position for District 6 14 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 15 Committee Member Morrow made a motion to approve the December 19, 2022 minutes. Motion 16 seconded by Vice-Chair Hanoa. Motion passed with 7 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 17 BUSINESS: 18 1. Report Back on the January 18, 2023 Hawaiʻi County Code Update Open House: 19 Committee Member Williams attended the Open House. Shared that, having no experience or 20 knowledge of Hawaiʻi County’s Code system, she learned a great deal about current codes and 21 found them confusing at best. She felt that the new process would do much to streamline the 22 use of the codes and perhaps improve the permit process moving forward. Overall, Committee 23 Member Williams felt that it was a positive move forward. 24 www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2 Committee Member Jason Masters, who is very familiar with how County Codes are used found 25 a downside and felt that the people involved in the Open House were knowledgeable about the 26 code update but did not know the current code. He would like to see people there that work 27 with the code rather than those just involved in the update. Those present could not answer his 28 simple questions about height definition. Committee Member Masters recommended that they 29 involve people who know the current code in the update of those codes and in the Open House 30 discussions. Overall, he does support the update as his experience with the current codes is that 31 they are very old and outdated. 32 2. Subcommittees Report Back to Action Committee: 33 a. Punaluʻu Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee 34 2 items submitted as written testimony were read aloud by Vice-Chair Hanoa, to the body, from 35 Elsa Dedman and Daryn Arai. 36 See Communication No. 2023-01 Elsa Dedman Testimony – Punaluʻu by clicking here: 37 https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/121412/Communication%20No.%202023-38 01%20Elsa%20Dedman%20Testimony%20-%20Punaluu_Redacted.pdf 39 Sophia Hanoa, Secretary of the Kaʻū Advisory Council, testified on Agenda Item #2a. The Kaʻū 40 Advisory Council received a new 2nd draft plan and 2nd maps were submitted by Black Sands 41 LLC to the council. The developer has reached out for a new meeting to present a new map. 42 Recommendation to respect and hear the Kupuna for their experience and knowledge of 43 Punaluʻu. The Advisory Council continues to recommend that the developers seek the Kupuna’s 44 manaʻo and knowledge of the history and cultural significance of this place. Discussion was held 45 on who can attend these upcoming meetings and clarification of our role as Punaluʻu and Kaʻū 46 community members and will be forthcoming to advise the Action Committee moving forward. 47 Committe Member Masters made a motion to accept the report back. Motion seconded by 48 Committee Member Ke. The motion passed with 7 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 49 b. Green Sands Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee 50 Committee Member Morrow shared a summary of the February 15th subcommittee meeting 51 minutes. 52 The committee would like to change the name of the committee to Mahana Bay Coastline 53 Access and Resource Investigatory Subcommittee. Update of actions taken and investigation to 54 come, two goals have been set to locate sensitive sites and to identify environmental concerns 55 including coastal run-off and endangered species. Further investigation is pending. 56 Community Member Sophie Hanoa shared that Committee Member Ke is a Kupuna that may be 57 able to identify cultural sites. Committee is putting out a call to get more information from the 58 community about abuses and preservations needed of the area. Committee Member Masters 59 stated Department of Hawaiian Homelands South Point Resource Management has put out a call 60 to the community to continue to gather information about various sites, trails, and sacred spots. 61 It was noted that there has been much information shared over the past 30 years and it may 62 benefit the committee to review and gather as much relevant information they could, about 63 what is happening and what has happened. There was a plan shared that may not have been 64 www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3 acted upon. Chair Enos announced that if community members were interested in serving on 65 any of these committees, then to let the AC know as community involvement is important and 66 welcome. 67 Community member Gwen Sorenson of Pahala, wanted to know how to share the purpose to 68 the CDP to get the word out. She would like to have more community involvement in the AC 69 meetings and find out why they are doing this. 70 Community members of Pahala, Pomai Kajiwara-Ke, Toby Kekoa-Burgos, Jycetin Mukini, and 71 Jovan Javar, from Kaʻū High School, introduced themselves. Chair Enos made an explanation of 72 our purpose to the 12 members of the public in attendance. Discussion commenced on the 73 Community Development Plan. 74 Committee Member Morrow motioned to approve the report back. Motion seconded by 75 Committee Member Masters. Motion passed 7 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 76 c. Pōhue Bay Coastline Access and Resources Investigatory Subcommittee 77 The Subcommittee has not met since their last meeting. Committee Member Masters recently 78 received new information from the Volcano National Park representative and will report back at 79 the next Action Committee Meeting. 80 Committee Member Masters motioned to approve the report back. Motion seconded by 81 Committee Member Ibarra seconded. Motion passed with 7 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 82 d. Kūpuna Housing Investigatory Subcommittee 83 Committee Member Morrow summarized the minutes of the subcommittee meeting submitted. 84 She informed that she reached out to a member of ʻO Kaʻū Kakou (OKK), Raylene Moses, who 85 was instrumental in the effort to get a developer to build senior housing in Naʻalehu. Members 86 of the committee discussed and proposed that a new survey was needed. Thereafter, a Zoom 87 meeting was held with Raylene Moses to keep Kupuna housing as the focus, but the committee 88 wants input from the community as to what are the other needs that the community sees. What 89 were the issues that were brought up previously? Also, previously there was not enough need 90 assessed. The next subcommittee meeting would be in April to meet with Wayne Kawachi, 91 President of OKK. Committee Member Masters shared that he has still not heard from the 92 Planning Department to get an update on what are the current parameters, zoning 93 confirmations etc. for this project to move forward. He will seek assistance from Council 94 Member Michelle Galimba, who attended this meeting, in getting a reply from the Building 95 Department. Discussion was had about community concerns around guidelines for senior 96 facilities that are currently in Pahala. The subcommittee will seek to clarify the rules around 97 Kupuna Housing, i.e., “Can clients be married?”…etc. 98 Committee Member Williams motioned to approve the report back. Motion seconded by 99 Committee Member Ke. Motion passed with 7 votes aye, 0 votes nay. 100 e. Development in Kaʻū Investigatory Subcommittee 101 No subcommittee meeting was held; no report given at the meeting. 102 www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 4 3. Kaʻū Action Committee Meeting Schedule Discussion: 103 Oceanview Community Center is very busy and not available on Wednesday evening. The AC’s 104 intention is to meet every 2 or 3 months. Vice-Chair Hanoa suggested every 3 months or 105 quarterly. Quarterly may be more effective for the committee’s investigatory process. 106 Committee Member Masters felt that it was important that the committee would go to each 107 community. The next meeting should be in Oceanview. Committee Member Williams would 108 investigate an alternate day of the week and an alternate time with Thursday as a priority. 109 Committee Member Masters made a motion to meet quarterly and rotate meeting locations 110 between the three district communities, with Oceanview as the next location. Motion seconded 111 by Committee Member Morrow. 112 4. Nāʻālehu Theatre Restoration: 113 A letter was sent to the Planning Department by a community member regarding and requesting 114 restoration efforts for the Nāʻālehu Theatre. 115 See Communication No. 2023-02 Nāʻālehu Theatre Restoration by clicking here: 116 https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/edoc/121717/Communication%20No.%202023-117 02%20Naalehu%20Theater%20Restoration.pdf 118 The AC had a discussion around whether they should add it to their growing number of 119 Permitted Investigatory Groups in order to find out what the path the County is going to take. 120 Committee Member Masters made a motion to establish an investigatory Committee. Motion 121 seconded by Vice-Chair Hanoa. Motion passed. 122 ** In writing these meeting minutes, on March 6, 2023, County crews knocked down the 123 Nāʻālehu Theatre building and cleared the lot completely 124 PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: 125 1. Update on County Code 126 2. Subcommittees Report Back to Action Committee 127 3. Small and Industrial Solar Farm developments 128 4. Ground satellite proposal 129 ADJOURNMENT: 130 Committee Member Masters motioned to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed with 7 votes aye, 131 0 votes nay. The meeting was adjourned at 7:13 P.M. 132 These minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kaʻū 133 Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 134 Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 135 by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 136