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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-76 TSC Report re Village Centers i �ZY OF N� William P.Kenoi °.�y.�-�� � ;• Duane Kanuha Mayor \�►�•.,. • Director ' Bobby Command �rE OF• �►� Deputy Director Coun of Hawaii PLANNING DEPARTMENT PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 3 • Hilo,Hawaii 96720 Phone(808)961-8288 • Fax(808)961-8742 November 18, 2014 Communication No. 2014-76 Duane Kanuha, Director Hawai`i County Planning Department 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawai`i 96720 Subject: Pahoa- Village Centers Greetings Director Kanuha, Due to the June 27th lava flow and its potential impact on Pahoa residents and businesses, a special meeting of the Puna CDP Action Committee was held on September 22, 2014 in Nana-wale. At that meeting you asked for the recommendations of the Action Committee on potential sites for establishing new commercial centers including those already proposed in the Puna CDP. Our Town Meeting Subcommittee contacted most of the community associations in the Pahoa service area in order to get local input regarding the suitability of potential sites and to gauge individual community support for establishing commercial centers on or near community association owned lands. While we received very few responses to our inquiries, all of those we did receive were very positive and supportive of the idea. However, some that responded most favorably to the idea of establishing a village center on their community property, such as Hawaiian Shores Community Association, may unfortunately be in the path of the lava flow. Questions asked by the Town Meeting Subcommittee: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? 5. What commercial endeavors are you willing to temporarily house? 6. Are there any restrictions to what you might be able to temporarily house? 7. Do you have water access? If so, what type of access? Also, do you have a water purification system for drinking water? Hawai`i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer i Mr. Duane Kanuha, Director Hawai`i County Planning Department November 18, 2014 Page 2 We also presented these same questions to other organizations (private/non-profit) and received very positive responses as well. Both community associations and private/non-profit enterprises agreed that creating a village center is more beneficial than allowing random and unplanned commercial development through Special Permits. This would not only keep businesses together in the Pahoa service area, but it will also increase the sense of community and provide greater security. Attached are the responses we received from both community associations and private/non-profit enterprises. Mahalo for your support and the work that you do on behalf of the people of Puna. Respectfully, Patti Pinto, Chair Puna Community Development Plan Action Committee Encl.: Village Center Responses Village Center Responses Leilani Community Association Thank you for starting to look into this. The district may well change as events unfold and the more prepared we can be the better off we are. The Leilani Community Association can and will do many things to help ourselves and others in Puna. Frankly, some of the infrastructure you are looking for will not be available. For instance with no county water or sewer available we would find it difficult to support most types of commerce. (The County, or maybe the State, has property and a couple of buildings with County water on Pohoiki Road just below Leilani. It's been abandoned but could probably be brought into useful condition. It was part of the old geothermal site.) Currently our Board of Directors has authorized the use of the Leilani Community property by both government and relief agencies, coordinated by Civil Defense, up to a time frame and density to be determined. Any other use, including other service groups or NGO use, will be considered on a case by case basis. Use of private property in the subdivision remains under the terms of the Leilani CC&Rs. Jay Bondesen Leilani Community Association Questions: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? Ag 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? Office and equipment storage building, paved parking, 4,000 gallon catchment water, 201000 + sq. ft. pavilion. 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? Roughly eight acres 5. What commercial endeavors are you willing to temporarily house? We have monthly sales in the pavilion. That could possibly be expanded. 6. Are there any restrictions to what you might be able to temporarily house? Yes. We are generating a document covering things such as insurance, hours of operation and others. So far this is to accommodate non-commercial relief and governmental uses. 7. Do you have water access? If so, what type of access? Also, do you have a water purification system for drinking water? Catchment. Hawaiian Shores Community Assn Nice idea. Visited Christ's Church in New Zealand at Christmas last year and they relocated their businesses to a container town after their massive earthquake. It was pretty impressive! While Hawaiian Shores Community Assn has land—over 20 acres of open space and a water system, we would most likely NOT be the favored location due to the current lava path. Zoning throughout the subdivision is A-1 a County but State designation is urban. Hope that helps. I've been discussing the concept proposed in the Sept 23 d letter from the PCDP with the rest of our board and members of the community. We really do have a good location at the property where the Hawaiian Shores Community Center is situated which is also referred to as "the Stables" located near Keonepoko School. The property contains a total of 10-12 acres and once supported a polo field although now allowed to grow up in grass. Provided the flow takes the path predicted, it will skirt this area by 1 mile and head off towards the keonepoko ahupua'a (DHHL). If it follows the predicted path, we will have a site that has water provided from our well next door, electricity (HELLO is bringing in power along the Beach Rd from HPP), and is zoned State Urban, County A 1 a. This spot was identified as a Village Commercial center in the Puna LDP. It is also just a mile up Kahakai Blvd from the Railroad Ave detour route. Oceanic and HI Tel have put in free WiFi at the center and we've invited the County police to set up a substation there should lava cut off Hwy 130 and the top of Kahakai Blvd. The police are considering this seriously and contacted me yesterday to do measurements on the facility. We would prefer to have their presence inside the Hawaiian Shores/Beaches subdivision as their response times are already excessive and if they have to file in with everyone else on the detour routes it will be even slower. Thus, there may be a police presence on site as well. There would be plenty room for parking as well, although our septic system for the community center would not support additional restrooms so port-a-potties would be needed on site. AT&T and Verizonwireless will be activated from the new cell tower on Maikoiko Street on Nov. 1, 2014 which will help boost cell services in that location. Given that the nature of a container town provides for mobility, it might be a good spot to consider for Pahoa businesses that could be displaced. It would be great to have some services inside the subdivision should access in and out be restricted to slow emergency detour routes. I did experience a similar effort in Christschurch NZ as they did a container town for displaced downtown businesses after the 2011 earthquake which was still functioning well after 2 years. The powers that be were having a hard time deciding whether to rebuild the downtown area given the earthquake prone nature of the location. Sound familiar?? Please let me know that you have received this communication as I responded earlier and heard nothing back. Contact me if there is interest as it would seem this location is the most central to the traffic flow patterns that will develop once they have to activate Railroad Ave. There is no guarantee that is will be safe from inundation forever, but at this time it doesn't appear to be in the path so might actually suffice. It has been the intention of the current board to consider this location for some type of light commercial activity anyway, so this actually supports that plan provided Pele cooperates Eileen O'Hara, Ph.D. President, Board of Directors Hawaiian Shores Community Assn 965-1981 Koa'a Community Asociation. Questions: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? The area is several hundred acres but the Community Assoc. does not own any land except a portion of Papaya Farms Road. 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? Ag. 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? No official CC but there is a recreation center within our community whose owners allow the CA to hold meetings there. 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? N.A. Ann kobsa <autofreeann akhotmail.com> orchidland Association Elmer, I don't have the information details that your are requesting but here are some POCs that may be very helpful to you. Jeff Darrow, Hawaii County Planning Department, jdarrow@co.hawaii.hi.us, phone: 961-8158. Jeff can give you the full plan on the various community centers in Puna. Gregg Gadd: - - - -___ _ _ _ __ _ - -- , is the developer who owns the commercial lot under construction at orchidland Drive and 34th Street. Richard Howard , , �.n:- ., is the manager for JD Watumull who owns the orchidland commercial lot that has the gas station, drive-in and hardware/convenience store. Thanks, Bob OLCA Board Member Kalani—LJ Questions: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? 120 Acres 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? Ag 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? Kalani.com 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? 120 Acres 5. What commercial endeavors are you willing to temporarily house? Open to all possibilities 6. Are there any restrictions to what you might be able to temporarily house? Yes. We are a private non-profit 7. Do you have water access? If so, what type of access? Also, do you have a water purification system for drinking water? New Catchment + County Water Ho`oulu Lahui Susie Osborne - pualaagilhawaii.net 1 Questions: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? Our founding non profit Ho'oulu Lahui has a long term lease on 600 acres, 325 makai and 282 mauka. Kua o ka La Charter School is a tenant. 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? Agriculture 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? It is called Pu'ala'a Cultural Education Center. We have 6 offices, covered courtyard for gathering and 10 classrooms. We will soon have a certified community kitchen. 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? 600 acres. We also have a facilities master plan that will cost 38 million to build and includes a wellness center, quest dormitories, amphitheater, a community center building, classrooms and more. Plan available for review. 5. What commercial endeavors are you willing to temporarily house? We are in the process of raising funds to build our certified COMMUNITY kitchen in which we will be available to the community for use. We also have facilities available for local and visiting groups and classes such as Hawaii Community College, teaching college courses after school hours. We host weekend community classes ie. agriculture, business planning. We are a sight for community service sentencing program, other schools, groups locally and nationally also. 6. Are there any restrictions to what you might be able to temporarily house? Yes, due to our lease, we cannot sublease and there are some commercial restrictions. 7. Do you have water access? If so, what type of access? Also, do you have a water purification system for drinking water? Yes, we have county water and a large water tank dedicated for fire. We do not have a purification system for drinking Vance Dubuclet - Pahoa Resident TMK 3-1-3-009-021 0000 & 3-1-3-009-022 0000 Questions: 1. How much acreage does your community cover? 160 acres 2. What is the current zoning of your lots? AG-5 3. What is the current infrastructure of your community center? raw land. location is equidistant access from all points of the red road communities. Thus access from Kalapana is the same as from hawaiian beaches. elevation 840 ft.- just out of Pahoa village-so infrastructure will not be immediately endangered by hurricanes, storms coming in from sea. 4. How big is the lot in which your community center is on? the space I have in mind is 10115 acres-just a guess 5. What commercial endeavors are you willing to temporarily house? I prefer to work with on-island businesses instead of large corporate entities, but open to negotiation and "as available"/ "as needed". 6. Are there any restrictions to what you might be able to temporarily house? I prefer businesses which have a low/zero impact on the property. i.e. a car wash which reuses and has a system in place to deal with waste water/residue would be preferred to one without an environmental impact plan. 7. Do you have water access? If so, what type of access? Also, do you have a water purification system for drinking water? I am one lot from the county water tank and believe a quick solution could be implemented. A well may also be researched for viability. There is currently a coded house with 10,000 gallons potable water close to targeted location Big Island Electric Service, LLC BiglslandElectrical@hawaii.rr.com Gilbert Aguinaldo I would like to inform you that 1) my lot is over 1.5 acres, 2) it is currently zoned under special use for a medical center, 3) I have 2-518 blank water meter mains, Helco, Telephone and oceanic is on my side of the property 4) I would like what our community will need like a grocery store similar to the old Cash and Carry is what we will need, a pharmacy etc. (we or I would need to discuss with planning and our Mayor if it would be possible to make the change. 5) it will be the determination of our County planning Director. 6) county water is accessible. Elmer I currently have the plan to build a medical building prior to this event we are facing, but was planning to discuss with our Mayor which I verbally discussed and would need to discuss with our Planning Director on what would it take to change my special use permit to possibly commercial which will be needed if the lava does go over highway 130. I know that PCMC is or will be across the school and Bay Clinic will be in Leilani so that covers our medical needs but we will need a pharmacy, place to purchase food like can goods, milk, water, rice, frozen food etc,. Any additional questions you can contact me at 960-7346. We also have a traffic count that has been done for our development and it maybe ok due to the traffic count will decrees and servicing the south side of the flow.