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Home My WebLink About2026-01-13 KCDP Minutes Final KONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN 1 ACTION COMMITTEE 2 COUNTY OF HAWAIʻI 3 DRAFT MINUTES 4 January 13, 2026 5 Call to Order 6 Chair John Pelletier called the meeting of the Kona Community Development Plan (KCDP) Action 7 Committee (AC) to order at 12:03 p.m. This meeting was held in person at the West Hawaiʻi Civic 8 Center, B2 Conference Room and online via the Zoom platform. 9 The full YouTube video of this meeting can be found here: 10 https://youtu.be/YYHCLzA354E?si=7FfyCU8gmVVfCVO6 11 Roll Call 12 Members Present (in person): Nancy Pisicchio (Vice Chair), John Pelletier (Chair), Charles 13 Young, Raymond (RJ) Kirchner, and Charla Thompson 14 Members Present (via Zoom): None 15 Members Absent: Roselyn Molina 16 Planning Department Staff Present (in person): Maryam Palma, Janice Hata, and Elizabeth 17 August 18 Planning Department Staff Present (via Zoom): Kawelo Kalili 19 There were approximately seven members of the public in attendance (six in person and one via 20 Zoom). 21 Approval of Minutes 22 Chair Pelletier requested approval of the December 9, 2025 draft meeting minutes. Committee 23 Member Charles Young moved to approve the minutes with an amendment to line 113, correcting 24 the date of the Keauhou Aquifer AMP expert panel meeting to January 10, 2026. Committee 25 Member Kirchner seconded the motion. The Committee voted unanimously to approve the draft 26 meeting minutes as amended. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 03:50] 27 Public Testimony on Agenda Items 28 Chair Pelletier called for public testimony on agenda items. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 04:55] 29 Janice Palma Glennie (via Zoom) raised concerns regarding Hawaiʻi County Council Bill 63, 30 expressing skepticism about the bill’s value and intentions and urging AC members to consider 31 its potential impacts on KCDP transit-oriented development (TOD) policies. [SEE YOUTUBE 32 TIMESTAMP 06:05] 33 Business 34 1. Welcome new AC member, Shane Palacat-Nelsen 35 This item was called to order at 12:11 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 08:24] 36 This item was called but the new member had not yet been sworn in or confirmed present. 37 The AC agreed to defer formal introductions to a future meeting when the member can attend. 38 KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 13, 2026 2 2. Tree City USA Program Update – AC member Thompson will provide an update on the 39 County’s Tree City USA designation and related efforts, with discussion and potential action 40 to follow. 41 This item was called to order at 12:12 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 08:51] 42 Public Testimony: 43 • Janice Palma Glennie testified about the need for incentives to preserve existing trees. 44 [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 09:11] 45 • Lamakū provided testimony. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 12:09] 46 Committee Member Thompson and Vice Chair Pisicchio echoed concerns about frequent 47 removal and “butchering” of large trees and noted that a future tree management plan and the 48 exceptional tree process may help address such issues. 49 Committee Member Thompson reported significant progress toward re-establishing Hawaiʻi 50 County’s Tree City USA designation: [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 12:55] 51 • She had completed the Tree City USA application and initially submitted it to the Mayor 52 for signature. The Mayor’s office responded that, while the County had met Tree City 53 USA standards, the Mayor did not wish to sign because he viewed the program as a 54 “formal agreement” deemed unnecessary. 55 • Thompson clarified that Tree City USA is a recognition program, not a binding formal 56 agreement, and sought assistance from County long-range planning staff and the 57 Division of Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) Urban Forestry staff. 58 • Upon review of the application language (which allows signatures by “mayor or other 59 city official”), DOFAW staff confirmed that a County Council representative could sign. 60 Thompson then contacted Council leadership, who agreed to sign the application on 61 behalf of the County. 62 • With the required signature secured, Thompson submitted the completed application 63 through the Tree City USA online portal earlier that day. The application will now be 64 reviewed by DOFAW and the Arbor Day Foundation. 65 Committee Member Thompson emphasized that Tree City USA is a starting point that can 66 help the County access grants and support subsequent efforts. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 67 17:03] 68 Vice Chair Pisicchio noted that long-term success will depend on administration support and 69 broader education about the program but agreed that achieving Tree City USA recognition is 70 an important step forward. 71 Additional public testimony and discussion highlighted the spiritual and cultural significance of 72 trees, the need to reduce unnecessary removals, and the importance of community 73 partnerships and incentives to keep shade trees in place. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 74 19:51] 75 No formal action was taken. 76 This item concluded at 12:28 p.m. 77 KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 13, 2026 3 3. Keauhou Aquifer System Area Groundwater Adaptive Management Plan (AMP) – AC 78 member Young will provide an update on recent efforts related to the AMP, followed by 79 discussion and potential action. 80 This item was called to order at 12:28 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 25:05] 81 Committee Member Young reported on a January 10, 2026 “sharing session” convened by 82 the Commission on Water Resource Management (CWRM) regarding the Keauhou Aquifer 83 System Area Groundwater AMP: [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 26:06] 84 • The session was not a formal CWRM public hearing but a facilitated meeting to bring 85 together multiple expert panels – hydrologic, pollution/water quality, indicator species, 86 and cultural advisors – who had previously been working separately. 87 • The Deputy Director opened by clarifying CWRM’s jurisdiction (groundwater resource 88 management) versus County and Department of Health responsibilities (e.g., 89 wastewater, pollution regulation, land use). Many community concerns about 90 development, traffic, and wastewater lie outside CWRM’s direct authority. 91 • Presentations by the scientific panels focused on: 92 o Hydrology: Relationships among high-level water, the basal lens, and deep 93 confined water, and the need to better understand interactions and recharge; 94 o Pollution and water quality: Existing contamination concerns and the role of DOH 95 and County agencies in addressing them; and 96 o Indicators: Potential monitoring metrics to detect changes in groundwater and 97 coastal conditions. 98 The process is still in early stages and will likely take several years to synthesize scientific and 99 cultural input into a coherent AMP recommendation for CWRM consideration. 100 Funding exists for monitoring wells, but their final locations and depths will depend on AMP 101 design decisions and the need to monitor key transition zones (e.g., the interface between 102 fresh and salt water). Some existing wells may be converted to monitoring use in high-level 103 areas. 104 Public Testimony: 105 • Lamakū spoke about water as a sacred gift and the importance of spiritual guidance in 106 protecting freshwater resources, referencing concerns about past blasting and coastal 107 impacts. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 37:09] 108 • Keola Childs questioned whether it is necessary to wait for full AMP completion before 109 allowing additional housing within known sustainable yield limits, noting that current 110 withdrawals may be well below modeled sustainable yield. [SEE YOUTUBE 111 TIMESTAMP 43:08] 112 • Janice Palma Glennie responded that development is proceeding in many areas and 113 that other infrastructure remain major unresolved issues. She stressed the need to 114 respect and rely on both scientific and cultural expertise and to treat water as a finite, 115 critical resource. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 52:37] 116 Committee Member Kirchner emphasized the severe housing shortage and observed that at 117 least one large project (Stanford Carr’s) has cited water constraints as a reason for not 118 proceeding. He expressed concern that limited housing supply is driving residents away due 119 to high costs. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 54:37] 120 KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 13, 2026 4 No formal action was taken. 121 This item concluded at 1:05 p.m. 122 4. Hawaiʻi County Council Bill 63, Relating to Dwellings – AC members will discuss any 123 amendments to Bill 63 proposed during the January 7, 2026 meeting of the Hawaiʻi County 124 Council. AC members will decide whether to submit further testimony on this legislation. 125 This item was called to order at 1:05 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:01:23] 126 Chair Pelletier and Vice Chair Pisicchio summarized proceedings at the January 7, 2026 127 Council meeting on Bill 63 (Draft 2), which proposes to allow residential dwellings within the 128 Industrial-Commercial Mixed Use (MCX) district: 129 • Council Member Onishi introduced an amendment that would have allowed dwellings 130 in MCX as accessory uses tied to permitted industrial-commercial uses rather than as 131 stand-alone residential projects. 132 • After extensive discussion, the Council voted 8-1 to defeat the amendment (Council 133 Member Onishi in favor). The bill remains in Draft 2 form, with its only adopted change 134 to date being a setback alignment with MG (general industrial) zoning requested by 135 Civil Defense. 136 • The bill was deferred to the Council’s February 4, 2026 meeting. Several Council 137 Members expressed discomfort with broad, by-right residential use in MCX and interest 138 in alternatives such as project-specific zoning changes or a use permit approach. 139 Public Testimony: 140 • Keola Childs testified, suggesting that, if the County wishes to allow some residential 141 use in MCX, it could do so through a use permit mechanism rather than as a blanket 142 permitted use. A use permit process would allow case-by-case evaluation, public input, 143 and site-specific conditions. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:06:33] 144 • Janice Palma Glennie testified in support of TODs. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 145 01:14:16] 146 Committee Member Kirchner pointed out that the zoning code already contains an RCX 147 (Residential-Commercial Mixed Use) district where housing over commercial use is more 148 appropriate than in industrial MCX, and suggested that the impetus for Bill 63 may be the 149 proposed new Queen’s hospital campus seeking on-site housing. He noted that the hospital 150 could instead pursue a zoning change or other tools without rewriting MCX uses countywide. 151 [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:04:43] 152 Initially, Chair Pelletier and Vice Chair Pisicchio suggested waiting to see whether new 153 amendments are proposed by the Council or Planning Director on February 4 before 154 submitting additional testimony, noting that the AC’s earlier written testimony remains in the 155 record. 156 After further discussion, the Committee agreed to proactively request that the bill be referred 157 to committee for more thorough work and additional CDP AC input. 158 Committee Member Kirchner made a motion to transmit a letter from the Kona CDP Action 159 Committee to Council Chair Inaba requesting that Hawaiʻi County Council Bill 63 be referred 160 to the Council Planning Committee for further deliberation, including an opportunity for the 161 Kona CDP Action Committee to review and comment on any proposed changes before the bill 162 KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 13, 2026 5 proceeds. The motion was seconded by Vice Chair Pisicchio and passed unanimously. [SEE 163 YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:19:37] 164 Planning staff will draft the letter for Chair Pelletier’s signature. 165 This item concluded at 1:28 p.m. 166 5. Aliʻi Highway – AC members will discuss engaging with the community in envisioning 167 opportunities for the development of the Aliʻi Highway corridor. 168 This item was called to order at 1:28 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:24:41] 169 Public Testimony: 170 • Lamakū provided testimony [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:27:43] 171 Vice Chair Pisicchio noted that input from Shane Palacat-Nelsen, who previously served on 172 the Action Committee, would be valuable to consider before determining any next steps. 173 Committee Member Young summarized prior work he co-chaired with Shane in a small 174 working group several years ago. That effort focused on the existing County-owned right-of-175 way and engaging lineal descendants and other stakeholders to gauge whether any use (such 176 as pedestrian paths or open space) might be acceptable. The work at this time did not advance 177 any specific roadway alignment or project. No capital improvement funds were expended 178 beyond exploratory discussions. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:40:31] 179 Given the strong community views and incomplete information, the Committee agreed that 180 further discussion would be more productive when Shane and additional background are 181 available. 182 No formal action was taken. Chair Pelletier deferred further consideration of this matter to a 183 future meeting. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:56:52] 184 This item concluded at 2:00 p.m. 185 6. 2026 Meeting Schedule Poll – Planning staff will provide an update on the meeting schedule 186 poll distributed to AC members on December 17, 2025. 187 This item was called to order at 2:00 p.m. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 01:57:00] 188 Planning staff reported that responses to the poll indicated a strong preference for continuing 189 monthly meetings on the second Tuesday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Staff confirmed that: 190 • Conference Room B2 and Building G at the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center are generally 191 available for these times; 192 • Special evening meetings and/or community-based meetings in other locations (e.g., 193 South Kona venues) are possible when agenda topics warrant, subject to room 194 availability and staff travel; and 195 • Any changes in time or location will be clearly indicated in agenda postings, emails, and 196 on-site signage. 197 Committee members discussed the possibility of holding occasional site visits linked to specific 198 agenda items (e.g., through permitted interaction groups), following Sunshine Law 199 requirements. The discussion also included scheduling some future meetings in community 200 KONA CDP ACTION COMMITTEE Minutes of January 13, 2026 6 locations to increase public participation, particularly when discussing geographically focused 201 topics. 202 No formal action was taken. 203 This item concluded at 2:06 p.m. 204 Public Testimony on Matters Not on the Agenda 205 No public testimony was provided. [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 02:07:03] 206 Third-Party Reports; Government Officials 207 No third-party reports or presentations from government officials were provided. [SEE YOUTUBE 208 TIMESTAMP 02:07:03] 209 Proposed New Business 210 Committee Member Kirchner proposed the following item for a future meeting agenda: 211 1. Discussion regarding redevelopment of downtown Kailua Kona 212 Announcements 213 1. Board and Commission Vacancies – The County is currently seeking applicants for the 214 Kona CDP Action Committee and the Cultural Resources Commission and requests 215 assistance in spreading the word to interested community members. The application can 216 be found on the Mayor’s office website at: 217 https://www.hawaiicounty.gov/our-county/boards-and-commissions/boards-and-218 commissions-application 219 2. The next AC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2026, and will include 220 attendance by the Planning Director. 221 [SEE YOUTUBE TIMESTAMP 02:23:59] 222 Adjournment 223 Chair Pelletier adjourned this meeting at 2:28 p.m. 224 These minutes and all related documents are available in the Planning Department’s Kona 225 Community Development Plan Action Committee folder via the County of Hawaiʻi Public 226 Documents Repository. These documents may also be requested from the Planning Department 227 by calling (808) 961-8288 or emailing CDP@hawaiicounty.gov. 228