HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommunication No. 2026-05 Olson Trust Morrow.Ibarra LetterDRAFT March 24, 2026 RE: Letter Regarding the Proposed Pāhala Center along Hawaiʻi Route 11 Pāhala, Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi Tax Map Key: (3)9-6-012: 012 (por.) Dear Olson Trust, The Kaʻū Community Development Plan Action Committee (CDP AC) has heard presentations and testimony from your employees, including John Cross and Brenda Iokepa-Moses, on July 22, September 23, November 18, 2025, and January 27, 2026 in the communities of Pāhala, Nāʻālehu, and Ocean View, regarding their proposed concepts for a Pāhala Center at TMK (3)9-6-012: 012 (por.). The project proposes to develop a coffee shop, convenience store, fuel station, and public restaurants along Hawaiʻi Route 11 near the Kamani Street entrance to Pāhala. Under the current Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) the parcel is classified as Low Density Urban (LDU) per the County of Hawaiʻi (COH) 2005 General Plan, and is zoned as Agriculture (A-20a) per County of Hawaii Chapter 25. The Land Use Policy Map in the CDP designates this area as Important Agricultural Lands. To allow for this development, the Olson Trust proposes to request a modification of the LUPAG to Medium Density Urban (MDU) from the Planning Commission for an 8-10 acre portion of the parcel and apply for that to be re-zoned to Village Commercial (CV-10) through the COH. At this time, the Olson Trust has not finalized or submitted any applications for the project. As Action Committee members, we realize that our responsibility is not to decide whether or not we like a project, but to evaluate whether or not a project complies with the goals and policies of the CDP and to make recommendations to the Planning Director and/or the Planning Commission. The AC has reviewed the conceptual plan and we have the following comments regarding alignment of the plan with the CDP.
The proposed conceptual plan would align with the following provisions: Section 1.5.1 Community Objectives Objective 11: Increase the number and diversity of income sources for residents, including jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities that complement Ka‘ū’s ecology, culture, and evolving demographics. Objective 12: Establish or expand retail, service, dining, and entertainment centers in rural villages and towns capable of supporting Ka‘ū‐appropriate growth.
Section 6.1.3 Community-Based, Collaborative Actions Community Action 23: Coordinate regional strategies to increase “buying local.” Section 6.3.3 County Action Policy 141: Assist in the promotion of products produced in Ka‘ū. Objective 11 of Section 61: “Increase the number and diversity of income sources for residents, including jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities that complement Ka’ū’s ecology, culture, and evolving demographics.” This is also Objective 11 in Section 6.8. Objective 12, Section 6.8: Establish or expand retail, service, dining, and entertainment centers in rural villages and towns capable of supporting Ka’ũ-appropriate growth.
The proposed conceptual plan does not align with these policies of the Ka’ū CDP: Objective 1 of Section 3.3 relates to preferred settlement patterns: “Concentrate new commercial development in compact, walkable, mixed-use town/village centers”. Policy 1 of Section 3.4 states: “Rehabilitate and develop within existing zoned urban areas already served by basis infrastructure, or close to such areas, instead of scattered development.” Policy 2 of Section 3.4 advises to “Concentrate commercial uses within and surrounding central core areas in Pāhala and do not allow strip or spot commercial development outside of the designated urban areas.” Policy 3 of Section 3.4 states: “Commercial facilities shall be developed in areas adequately served by necessary services, such as water, utilities, sewers, and transportation systems.” Policy 7 in Section 3.4 states “Future land use decisions shall be consistent with the land use policy map boundaries, designations, and policies herein, unless the CDP and the General Plan are in direct conflict.” Policy 8 in Section 3.4 states that changes of zone in LDU shall only be permitted to Single Family Residential, Multiple Family Residential, Residential-Commercial Mixed Use, or Open. Policy 15 in Section 3.4 proposes County action to amend the General Plan LUPAG and, as needed, State Land Use boundaries, to conform with the official Ka’ū CDP Land Use Policy Map.
Community Support
While there is strong community support for the services as presented in the conceptual plan, community members and members of the Kaʻū CDP AC have presented issues with the proposed project area being in close proximity to the highway, which raises concerns with youth and elderly in the area accessing the proposed development. As proposed, the development is inaccessible by foot through the town of Pāhala, and would require travelling along Highway 11. The Kaʻū CDPAC looks forward to seeing proposed solutions to these concerns.
Land Use Policy The Kaʻū CDP AC is aware that the Olson Trust proposes to apply for changes to the current LUPAG from LDU to MDU for an approximate 8-10 acre portion of the parcel, and to apply for rezoning from A-20 to CV-10. The Land Use Policy Map in the Ka’ū CDP designates this area as Important Agricultural Lands. During preparation of the Kaʻū CDP, the Steering Committee recommended this area be designated as Intensive Agriculture, rather than Residential as it is designated in the COH 2005 General Plan. The rationale for this decision was that “connections to town over the channel are impractical and the land is planted in coffee”. Note that the CDP AC is in the process of reviewing all of the Land Use Policy Maps for Ka’ū. Once application of the proposed development plan is made, the CDP AC can comment on alignment with the Land Use Policy Maps in the CDP as appropriate. The LUPAGs in the General Plan are currently being considered by County Council and the CDP AC is not in a position to recommend changes. Mahalo for your time. The Kaʻū CDP looks forward to seeing our comments taken into consideration and seeing the input from our community in Pāhala addressed.