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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-30-2010 SKCDP AC Minutes 1 Meeting of South Kohala CDP Action Committee August 30, 2010 Waimea Senior Center Committee Members Present: Nancy Alvord, Mike Fischer, Margaret Horwatt, Excused: Leonard Librizzi, Jeannie Palermo, Achahn Schulze, Fran Tabor. Robin Inaba Margaret and Leonard were not present at the start of the meeting. Others: Project Manager Allen Salavea; Michael Prinslow of the Office of Housing and Community Development. Members of the public Bill Campbell, Tom Kelly, Margaret Wille, Keoki Wood; Recorder Judith Graham Handouts: Permit Activity Report; Letter of 8/9/10 from Office of Housing and Community Development asking to be placed on the AC agenda; SKCDP AC Land Use/Permit report in color The meeting began at 5:05 pm. The chair indicated that the AC would conform more closely to Robert’s Rules of Order. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Tom Kelly: Tom brought and submitted an 8/30/10 letter from the Waikoloa Community Development Corporation. It asked the AC to establish standing or ad hoc subcommittees to address Waikoloa park planning. Waikoloa now has only seven acres of park space for a population of 9,000. This does not meet County standards of 5 acres of park space per 1,000 residents. Ideal would be several parks, a trail, an indoor gym and a community center. Waikoloa Community Association has approved donating some land. The next steps, Tom said, were: maps, prioritization and coordination. The State should be included in planning; Representative Cindy Evans has shown strong interest. Bill Campbell: Bill stated that parks needed to be built as fast as possible in Waikoloa. Presently youth are hanging out in the evening. Margaret Horwatt joined the meeting during Mr. Campbell’s comments. Margaret Wille: Margaret submitted proposed changes to the AC’s draft Operating Guidelines. She emphasized that the AC was intended to be a counterweight to the Planning Department. This did not mean anything against the Planning Department but would preserve the intent of the CDP. She noted that the DLNR lease of pu‘uacreage three parcels. Leonard Librizzi joined the meeting during Margaret Wille’s comments. 2 Approval of Minutes Minutes from the meeting of July 26, 2010 were approved. 1)Community Input on Potential Public Uses for a Two-Acre Parcel in the Kamakoa Housing Development Michael Prinslow, a project manager with the Office of Housing and Community Development, gave a PowerPoint presentation. He said the Kamakoa housing development will have 91 affordable houses in Waikoloa. A 12-acre park is being graded now. Lot 178 is two acres in size, not really buildable due to terrain differential. Presently it is covered in kiawe and grass, and the lots around it are developed. He asked: Should the two acres be kept open and natural, or serve as a dog park, or are there other possibilities? There could be an ADA access point and drinking fountain. The neighbors might be concerned about encroachment issues. The land derived from a 1986 commitment by Transcontinental Development. During discussion, these views arose: The two acres could be a social place for low-key exercise with a route around the perimeter. They could be a dog park except that the County Department of Parks and Recreation has jurisdiction and does not allow dogs in the parks. A presentation needs to be made to the Waikoloa Village Association. However, this land is not part of Waikoloa Village and is not annexed to Waikoloa Village. Motion and Vote: Fran Tabor moved to establish an ad hoc committee to work with the Waikoloa community and the principals involved to develop a plan for presentation to the AC. Jeannie Palermo seconded. The AC supported the motion unanimously. REPORTS 2) SKCDP Action Committee Vacancy Allen Salavea advised that recommendations would go to the Mayor soon. Mike Fischer hoped that geographical representation would be taken into account when selecting the new member. 3) Land Use Permit Activity Report Allen Salavea will keep items on the report until they come to fruition. Then they will be reflected on the land use map. He provided a map utilizing color coding: green primarily 3 for plan approval; red for subdivision applications; magenta for Planning Commission items. The AC thanked Allen for the work that went into this color-coded map format. Achahn Schulze asked what use the AC could make of the information. Apparently the Planning Commission is the only place for public input. Allen noted that plan approvals are tied to use; use equates to zoning. For projects near the ocean, a planner conducts a review of access issues. If the AC wants to comment on an application, it can write a letter directly to the Planning Director. The Director in turn will take this into consideration when providing information for the Planning Commission. Input from the community and provisions in the SKCDP are included in her considerations. Once an item comes before the Planning Commission, the plan approval stage may be two to three years away. However, after zoning the landowner has an entitlement; plan approval is one step prior to a building permit. Jeannie Palermo asked if an applicant could be placed on the AC’s agenda. Allen, in response, indicated that the North Kohala AC has formed a standing committee that consults with applicants outside of meetings and then presents a subcommittee report to the North Kohala AC. 4) DLNR Lease of 420 Acres within the Protection Zone Pu‘u With the assent of the AC, chair Mike Fischer moved this item forward on the agenda to accommodate a presentation by Parker Ranch’s Keoki Wood. Margaret Horwatt advised that not a lot of progress had been made. She had contacted the DLNR who advised contacting the Forestry Division. Mike Fischer wrote a letter to Hawaii Preparatory Academy which is doing an Environmental Assessment for federal purposes. Margaret wrote to the Department of Fish and Wildlife expressing the AC’s desire to keep options on the table. Mike Fischer hoped safe access would be compatible with Parker Ranch’s lease, and introduced livestock manager Keoki Wood. Keoki Wood acknowledged that the pu‘u land was a signature item for Waimea. The lease restricts Parker Ranch mostly to grazing. The ranch allows some education, cultural access and hunters. The concept of grazing only is a DLNR restriction. Parker Ranch’s concern is that recreational use will represent a liability. Residents in the area are concerned about increased traffic as well. As long as the DLNR can address liability, access might be worked out. If the ranch had to assume liability, it probably would not renew the lease. Regarding the possibility of preliminary workshops, similar to classes for hunters, he noted that the DLNR may write 4 in conditions after the lease is awarded. Or the AC and Parker Ranch could jointly request an extension of the existing lease until options are clarified. Discussion: Ideas put forward were: designating limited areas for trails along the perimeter, and requesting an extension to allow consideration of options. On the other hand, recreation and grazing may not be compatible. The goal is to protect the pu‘u and other lease applicants might propose less compatible uses. Then the protection purpose is defeated. Who would maintain trails and police them? It was noted that schools have their own insurance and that hiking clubs occasionally have permits. HPA and Parker Ranch allow limited access now. It is possible to pass a bill that landowners are not liable for injuries to volunteer workers; that occurred with regard to Waimea’s skateboard park. 5) Liaison Reports Fran Tabor reported on the medical health fair in Waikoloa which included a range of medical professionals. Concerns addressed included the need to attract health care workers, quality of life issues, and the demographics of an aging population. Results are still preliminary. Leonard Librizzi attended the Wiliwili festivities in Waikoloa at which the community celebrated Waikoloa’s new bookmobile. Achahn Schulze and Mike Fischer talked with Tom Kelly regarding a skateboard park in Waikoloa on County land. He checked the site that may be used; it is near the affordable housing project. 6) Subcommittee Reports Nancy Alvord sought to connect with the Puako Community Association and the Nature Conservancy. More can be learned about a UH research parcel north of Puako boat ramp. Jurisdictions need to be clarified among the County, the Paniau development, and the DLNR. Margaret Horwatt and Robin Inaba met regarding availability of potable water in Kawaihae. They feel this matter is beyond their scope. Fran Tabor and Leonard Librizzi Regarding Waimea’s trails, will make a presentation to the AC after learning what Kimura International’s Environmental Assessment says about flood control, watershed protection, transportation impacts and safety. Their work plan has been submitted. 5 Mike Fischer noted that the AC has been in existence for eight months. He looks forward to increasingly effective operations. The CDP has action plans. The AC members can meet with County officials, serve as coordinators to get projects moving, and help maintain enthusiasm He plans to meet with Councilman Pete Hoffman regarding a park master plan and also steps to take to get the Planning Director to submit a concurrency bill as provided for in the CDP. As a separate matter, Waikoloa Village would like to sell land for development of another commercial center. OLD BUSINESS 7) Proposed South Kohala CDP Website Members were generally of the view that the County website may be sufficient with adjustments now being considered. The website is under the Planning Department’s purview. The webmaster should make the site more interactive, with a survey capacity. Work plans could be posted on it. It could act as a reflector. Margaret Horwatt suggested that this topic be deleted from the AC’s agenda in the future. 8) Review Draft Operating Guidelines The chair had received some recommended changes from AC members and from the public. He proposed to combine the recommendations and call for formal approval at the next meeting. He will do a red-line or Ramsayer version. Discussion: Public comments were discussed first. Achahn Schulze agreed with the comment on item 18. Others had also commented on that item. Another suggestion was to include portions of the CDP in the Operating Guidelines, specifically those addressing the powers of the AC. Overall, however, it was agreed that the Operating Guidelines would be procedural. Mike Fischer’s version will have an introductory sentence acknowledging the authority the CDP gives to the AC and stating that these Operating Guidelines are designed to implement the AC’s role. Although a public document, the Operating Guidelines are essentially for AC members now and in the future. 6 STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Margaret Wille stated that Bob Hunter of the South Kohala Steering Committee had worked hard on pu‘u protection. The state constitution provides for rights of access to mountains and streams. A lot of money is currently available for trails. On Puako: The church at Puako’s entrance would like to take over a large, nearby piece of land. Margaret wrote a letter affirming that public access is very important. She is concerned that the church wants to cut the kiawe trees at the shoreline. On transportation: Hele On buses are now supplying transportation to the resorts. If these riders paid a small fee, the money could subsidize other routes. On website development: The Puna AC seems to have reflector capability. NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be on Monday, September 27, at 5 pm at the Waimea Senior Center. The AC voted against changing the starting time to 5:30 pm, which had been suggested. The meeting concluded at 7:05 pm.