HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-05-10 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
Wednesday, May 10, 2023 1
DRAFT Meeting Minutes 2
CALL TO ORDER 3
Chair Tawn Keeney started the Hāmākua Community Development Plan (HCDP) Action 4
Committee (AC) meeting at 5:04 P.M. This meeting was held online via Zoom, and in-person 5
at the Laupāhoehoe Public Library. Quorum was not established at this meeting; thus, only 6
presentations were heard, and committee business was not addressed and there were no 7
votes. 8
The YouTube video of this meeting can be found here: 9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDFa7zB5raE 10
ROLL CALL 11
AC Members Present: Tawn Keeney, Nicolette (Niki) Hubbard, Brad Kurokawa, and Robert 12
Nishimoto 13
AC Members Absent-Excused: Desiree Cruz, Carol Ignacio, and Crystal Kua 14
County Officials: Deputy Corporation Counsel, Suzanna Tiapula 15
ANNOUNCEMENTS: This item was taken out of order and announcements were given at 16
different times during the meeting 17
• Council Member Heather Kimball announced that she will be including a detailed update 18
on the Laupāhoehoe pool repairs in her next newsletter. She also shared that the first 19
hearing for Bill 48, which was created by herself and Council Member Villegas, would be 20
held next week. The Bill would create an Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and 21
Resilience. Council Member Kimball encouraged all to submit testimony for the Bill if 22
interested. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:22:41] 23
• The Affordable Housing Production Administrative Rules have been finalized and are now 24
available for public access. The rules and more information on the tentative schedule and 25
fund availability can be found on the Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing & Community 26
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 2
Developmentʻs website here: www.hawaiicounty.gov/ahp [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 27
1:33:11] 28
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 29
This item was derferred as quorum was not established. 30
BUSINESS: 31
1. Permitted Affordable Living (PAL) Presentation: 32
Representative, Mary Blyth, shared information about the Kauaʻi based non-profit affordable 33
housing developer and their possible expansion to Pepeʻekeo. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 34
4:25] 35
Questions were taken from Committee members and members of the public, and further 36
discussions were had around funding, the Pepeʻekeo location, programs offered by the non-37
profit organization, determination of residents, as well as the organization’s current goals for 38
the Pepeʻekeo location. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 14:23] 39
For more information on PAL Big Island click here: https://www.pal-kauai.org/big-island 40
Council Member Heather Kimball informed that County Council is currently working on 41
residential preference law with regard to residents who have lived or worked in the county for 42
a certain period of time. She also informed that they were working to ensure that homes built 43
for affordable uses continue to be used as such for a longer period than ten years. [SEE 44
YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 31:18] 45
See PAL presentation here: 46
https://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/1/edoc/122861/Communication%20No.%202023-47
10%20New%20PAL%20Pepeeko%20Presentation.pdf 48
2. Public Access, Open Space, & Natural Resources (PONC) Presentation: 49
Chair Keeney informed that presentor for this agenda item, Blake McNaughton, was unable to 50
attend this meeting to share his efforts and experiences with the PONC application for 51
Pepeʻkeo. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP - 2:45] 52
3. Honokaʻa Business Association Presentation: 53
Michelle Hartman, Head of the Honokaʻa Business Association, apologized for arriving late to 54
this meeting and informed that she would give her presentation at another time as she had 55
another meeting to attend that evening. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 19:55] 56
4. The Hāmākua Heritage Center’s Agricultural Festival: 57
Nicole Garcia, Director of the Honokaʻa Heritage Center, shared information on their 58
upcoming Agriculture Festival which is to be held in October 2024 to commemorate the 30th 59
anniversary of Hāmākua Sugar’s final harvest. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 39:05] 60
Questions and comments were taken from Committee members and members of the public. 61
[SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 46:24] 62
Dwight Takamine, member of the Honokaʻa Historical Committee, shared his appreciation of 63
the opportunity to work together and acknowledged the CDP process allowing community 64
and grassroots participation. He also shared some background information to emphasize the 65
www.planning.hawaiicounty.gov/ CDP@hawaiicounty.gov Page 3
importance of the history of what life was like during the sugar plantation era along the 66
Hāmākua coast and how this event would provide more opportunity to strengthen the 67
foundation of the community, by not only learning about the history, but also the continuity 68
of agriculture in Hāmākua. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 47:09] 69
Ms. Garcia requested assistance from the AC in acquiring County level support for this event. 70
Mr. Takamine also suggested and encouraged members to communicate and participate as 71
resources so they could work together to bring more effectiveness to the overall effort. [SEE 72
YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:00:36] 73
Additional comments and questions were taken from Committee members and members of 74
the public. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:03:23] 75
5. Permitted Interaction Groups Updates to AC: 76
Richard Biddleman shared updates on his work and efforts related to Lehua Street 77
Infrastructure in Honokaʻa [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 1:27:30] 78
6. Action Committee Meeting Format: 79
This item was derferred as quorum was not established. 80
PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS FOR NEXT MEETING: 81
1. Permitted Interaction Groups Updates to AC 82
2. Action Committee Meeting Format 83
3. Honokaʻa Business Association Presentation 84
4. Community Gardens Update Presentation by Indy Singh 85
ADJOURNMENT: 86
The meeting ended at 6:43 P.M. 87
These meeting minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s 88
Hāmākua Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi 89
Public Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning 90
Department by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing cdp@hawaiicounty.gov. 91