HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-30 AC-Kenoi VLRP funding 13May14 Communication No. 2014-30
May 13, 2014
To: Mayor William Kenoi
Aloha, Mayor Kenoi:
The Volcano Long Range Planning Subcommittee of the Puna Community Development Plan
Action Committee in conjunction with The Volcano Community Association are seeking
funding in the amount of$100,000 to hire a planning consultant for our draft village plan, which
is at a stage where we cannot advance it further without help from a professional planner. The
next stage would be to present it for formal review by Planning Department, then eventually to
the Windward Planning Commission, and then to Council for approval as ordinance. We are
informed that staff from the Planning Department are not available to assist us because of
workload constraints. Therefore, we seek the consulting service of a professional planner.
We hope you will be able to allocate funds from projects elsewhere in County that might be
available but not yet allocated.
The Volcano community has participated extensively in the preparation of the draft village plan,
and some officials in the Planning Department have read it informally and commented. All the
work on the draft plan has been done by community volunteers, none of whom has expertise in
community planning.
We believe that review of the draft plan by a professional planner would ensure it aligns with
County and State plans, and that it is properly linked with the PCDP, and its stewardship by the
PCDP Action Committee, within which we now have a subcommittee working toward this
endeavor. We need to be sure we have correctly identified funding and implementing sources
that are referred to in our action proposals, that the maps are displayed professionally, and that it
is presented in a professional and coherent manner.
We don't know of another community in Puna, or elsewhere in Hawaii County, where a draft
community plan has advance so far. We believe it is a good plan, and might serve as a model for
other village plans. We have carefully adhered to the style and format of the PCDP. We believe
we have properly expressed the transition from concept to implementation. We have identified
and prioritized the actions we believe are necessary to guide growth in our community for the
next 20 or 30 years.
We desire to work collaboratively with County to ensure the sustainable and planned growth of
the Volcano community. We thank you in advance for helping us to secure the funding necessary
for us to complete the planning process that began in Volcano nearly 20 years ago.
Sincerely,
Volcano Long Range Planning Subcommittee of the Puna Community Development Plan Action
Committee