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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-10-16 Leeward Exh B (Amend Subdivision Code Bill No. 266) LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT OCTOBER 16, 2014 COUNTY COUNCIL INITIATED AMENDMENT TO A regularly advertised hearing on the CHAPTER 23 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE, RELATING TO SUBMISSION OF PRELIMINARY PLAT AND FINAL PLAT was called to order at 09:40 a.m. in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Community Center, Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, with Chair Brandi Beaudet presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Brandi Beaudet, Thomas Hickcox, Collin Kaholo and Keith Unger ABSENT AND EXCUSED: Barbara Nobriga and Thomas Whittemore ALSO PRESENT: Duane Kanuha (Planning Director), Amy Self (Deputy Corporation Counsel), Jeff Darrow (Planner), Maija Jackson (Planner) and Noriko Sauer (Commission Secretary) And three people from the public in attendance. INITIATOR: COUNTY COUNCIL (Bill No. 266) County Council Bill No. 266 amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Section 23-58 and Article 5, Section 23-68 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended), relating to submission of the preliminary plat and final plat for an application for subdivision. The purpose of these revisions is to require the preparation of both the preliminary and final plat maps by a surveyor. BEAUDET: Moving right along, second agenda item, initiated by the County Council, Bill No. 266, County Council Bill 266 amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Section 23-58 and Article 5, Section 23-68 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983. Staff? JACKSON: Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don’t have a presentation for this bill because it’s fairly straight forward. The County Council initiated Bill 266 to require a licensed surveyor to prepare, sign and stamp the preliminary plat. Currently, a licensed surveyor is only required to prepare, sign and stamp the final plat. And just to give you a little background, a plat is a map that the applicant submits to Planning in order to subdivide or consolidate their property. The plat shows things like the lot layout, the lot sizes, location of roads, location of water courses. And then the Planning Department sends the preliminary plat to our reviewing agencies like Department of Water Supply, Department of Public Works, State Historic Preservation Division. They all provide comments related to their authority within the Code and laws, and then the applicant is required to revise the preliminary plat with those changes and then submit it as the final plat map, which is then approved by Planning. The purpose of this bill, if you recall, earlier in April of this year you saw a bill that was initiated by the County Council, and the bill was to require Planning Department staff to do a site inspection for every subdivision application. Their concern at the time was the accuracy of the plat maps that were being submitted to Planning; they felt like certain information wasn’t shown accurately. So 1 EXHIBIT B that’s why they wanted staff to go out and verify all the information on the plat map. The director had concerns with the bill at the time, and both Commissions voted to send an unfavorable recommendation to the Council at the time. The director’s concerns were, you know, that it’s primarily the responsibility of the applicant to hire professionals that can verify that the information that they submit is accurate. There was also a staffing resource concern; we get approximately 100 subdivision/consolidation applications a year, and to have staff go out and verify the information on each of those, particularly if it’s a very large property, would be really difficult. So the current bill, Bill 266, is the director feels a nice compromise; it serves the intent of the original Council bill while also, you know, not putting a drain on staffing resources and really puts the responsibility to verify this information with the professionals that can, that are licensed to do that. So for that reason the director recommends a favorable recommendation be sent to the County Council for Bill 266. Are there any questions? BEAUDET: Okay? No questions, thank you. For the record, we still, there are no members in the audience who wish to testify. And if there are no further comments or questions of the staff, I would like to ask the Commissioners for a motion. HICKCOX: Mr. Chair, I move to close public testimony. BEAUDET: Thank you. I need a second. KAHOLO: Second. BEAUDET: Thank you. Moved by Commissioner Hickcox and seconded by Commissioner Kaholo to close this portion of the public testimony. With that, I’d like to ask for a motion from the Commissioners on this item. UNGER: I would like to make a motion to make a favorable recommendation to the County Council on the ordinance amending Chapter 25, Article 5 of the Hawai‘i County Code, 2005 Edition, as amended, relating to zoning district regulations – oops, wrong one – County Council Bill No. 266 amending Chapter 23, Article 4, Section 23-58 and Article 5, Section 23-68 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983, relating to submissions of preliminary plat and final plat for an application for subdivision. The purpose of this revision is to require the preparation of both preliminary and final plat maps by a certified surveyor. BEAUDET: Thank you, Commissioner Unger. May I ask for a second? KAHOLO: Second. BEAUDET: It has been moved by Commissioner Unger and seconded by Commissioner Kaholo for a favorable recommendation be sent towards Bill 266 to the Hawai‘i County Council. JACKSON: Okay, with that, I’ll take the roll call. Commissioner Unger? UNGER: Aye. JACKSON: Commissioner Kaholo? 2 EXHIBIT B KAHOLO: Aye. JACKSON: Commissioner Hickcox? HICKCOX: Aye. JACKSON: And Chair Beaudet? BEAUDET: Aye. JACKSON: Okay. The motion to forward a favorable recommendation passes, four-zero. The discussion ended at 9:46 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary Leeward Planning Commission 3 EXHIBIT B