HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunication No. 2025-08 Figure 3 County Planning System Proposed Amendment1.5 County Planning System and
General Plan Framework
draft amendment (see page 2 for original located on pg 33 of the draft 2045 GP)
1.5 County Planning System and General Plan Framework
County Planning System The planning system, as illustrated in Figure 3, consists of a comprehensive County-wide General
Plan, and includes Community Development Plans (CDPs Special Area Plans and Urban Development Plans, and Agency
Functional or Strategic Plans as implementation mechanisms that carry out the goals, objectives, policies or standards,
and actions of the General Plan. The General Plan represents the first level of the County planning system and
encompasses long-range goals, objectives, policies, and courses of action for the entire County. The General Plan also
provides the legal basis for all the other elements of the County’s planning structure. As such, the Plan is the highest
order, or “umbrella” plan. It establishes the boundaries within which the County must operate.
The second level consists of community development plans, adopted by ordinance. These District-specific plans address
the geographic size and separation among the communities of this Big Island by translating the long-range goals and
policies of the General Plan to the unique needs of Big Island districts.
Second level also includes short and middle-range plans that further define the long-range goals and policies of the
General Plan. Other second-level plans are related to specific regions or districts (Hilo, Kona, Kohala, Kaʻū, etc.), functions
(recreation, agriculture, drainage, highways, etc.), and specific areas within a region (Kailua-Kona, Downtown Hilo, etc.).
The third level consists of specific mechanisms to implement the two higher levels of the planning hierarchy. These
include regulatory measures such as the Zoning and Subdivision Codes, and the operating and Capital Improvements
Program (CIP) budgets.