HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-03-01 Windward Transcript Mortuaries
PLANNING COMMISSION
COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I
HEARING TRANSCRIPT
MARCH 1, 2012
A regularly advertised hearing on the PLANNING DIRECTOR INITIATED AMENDMENT TO CHAPTER 25
(ZONING CODE) OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING
TO CREMATORIUMS, FUNERAL HOMES, FUNERAL SERVICES AND MORTUARIES, was called to
order at 10:18 a.m. in the County of Hawai‘i, Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo,
Hawai‘i, with Chairman Zendo Kern presiding.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Zendo Kern, Dean Au, Takashi Domingo, Wallace Ishibashi, Stephen Ono
and Raylene Moses
STAFF PRESENT: Ivan Torigoe (Deputy Corporation Counsel), B. J. Leithead Todd (Planning Director),
Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Phyllis Fujimoto (Staff Planner), Maija Cottle (Staff Planner), Jeff
Darrow (Staff Planner), and Sharon Nomura (Secretary)
And eight people from the public in attendance.
APPLICANT: PLANNING DIRECTOR INITIATED
Amendment to Chapter 25 (Zoning Code) of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended),
relating to crematoriums, funeral homes, funeral services and mortuaries.
KERN: Applicant, Application No. 7, Planning Director initiated amendment
to Chapter 25, Hawai‘i
County Code, relating to crematoriums, funeral homes, funeral services and mortuaries. Jeff?
DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a Planning Director initiated amendment to Chapter 25, the
Zoning Code. Previously or recently there was a County Council initiated amendment to the Code, regarding
crematoriums, funeral homes, funeral services and mortuaries. And basically the County Council was trying to
bring them together instead of having them separated, and to allow them a greater flexibility in zoning districts.
Through that process the Planning Director had made recommendations, as well as the Planning Commission,
and forwarded up those recommendations. In the process when these requested amendments had made their
way up to County Council it was unclear as to the correct process of how these amendments were to be
incorporated into the draft bill. So in response to that the County Council has requested to continue the original
bill forward and has asked the Planning Director to initiate a separate bill incorporating those simple
amendments that we had requested previously. And so that’s all these are, those three requested amendments to
that original Bill 90 that will incorporate the Planning Director’s and the Planning Commission’s requested
amendments for funeral homes, funeral services, mortuaries and crematoriums.
They’re very simple, if I could just touch upon them. Basically the first one is just, there was a section in the
Code that it’s just a cleanup. There were areas where we just needed to bring everything in line; and these are
just very simple changes, hopefully nothing too complex. But if there are any questions, we can work with
those. Thank you.
KERN: Thank you, Jeff. Are there any questions for staff? Hearing none, thank you, Jeff. Anybody want to
make a motion? Oh, one second. There is nobody from the public signed up to testify on this one. Now I’m
ready to entertain a motion. Commissioner Au?
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AU: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move to send a favorable to the Hawai‘i County Council regarding this bill
relating to crematoriums, funeral homes, funeral services and mortuaries.
KERN: Is there a second?
ISHIBASHI: Second.
KERN: Any discussion? Commissioner Domingo?
DOMINGO: Just one clarification. Now these are all uses permitted in the various zoning districts, and that in
the event when an application is made it will go through the Use Permit process with hearings being conducted.
Is that right?
KERN: Question for our Director?
DOMINGO: Yes.
KERN: Director?
LEITHEAD TODD: If it’s a use permit then you have to have it from the Commission. So it has to -.
DOMINGO: Yeah, and that was my concern, the ability to have the community respond to such a kind of use.
KERN: Any other discussion, comments? Hearing none, Jeff, take the vote.
DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The motion before us is to send a favorable recommendation for this
Planning Director initiated amendment to the Zoning Code. With that, we’ll take the roll call. Commissioner
Au?
AU: Aye.
DARROW: Commissioner Ishibashi?
ISHIBASHI: Aye.
DARROW: Commissioner Domingo?
DOMINGO: Aye.
DARROW: Commissioner Moses?
MOSES: Aye.
DARROW: Commissioner Ono?
ONO: Aye.
DARROW: And Mr. Chairman?
KERN: Aye.
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DARROW: The motion passes six to zero.
KERN: Very good. Thank you.
The discussion ended at 10:24 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon M. Nomura, Secretary
Windward Planning Commission
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