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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAC Minutes 10May2016 FINAL William P. Kenoi Duane Kanuha Director Mayor Joaquin Gamiao-Kunkel Deputy Director County of Hawai‘i PLANNING DEPARTMENT PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE Aupuni Center  101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3  Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 Phone (808) 961-8288  Fax (808) 961-8742 Tuesday, May 10, 2016 Meeting Minutes CALL TO ORDER Chairperson Larry Brown called the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) Action Committee (AC) to order at 3:05 p.m. in the Kea‘au Community Center. The following persons were present: Action Committee: Frank Commendador, Farris Etterlee, Larry Brown, Leila Kealoha, Patti Pinto, and Susan Osborne. Elmer Solis and June Conant were absent. Staff: Hans Santiago – Puna CDP Project Manager and Keiko Mercado – Puna CDP Planning Assistant. Members of the public: 8 ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: NONE ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. Larry announced that he would be absent from the September Action Committee meeting. 2. Hans reminded the Action Committee that any updates for the Annual Report should be sent as soon as possible. PUBLIC TESTIMONY: Two people signed up to testify. Both chose to testify at the time of the agenda item. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Patti moved to approve the minutes of the March 8, 2016 meeting as submitted. Second by Frank. The motion to approve the minutes as submitted passed with 6 votes aye, 0 votes nay. NEW BUSINESS: 1. Communication Nos. 2016-7 & 2016-13: Connectivity and Emergency Response Subcommittee (CERS): Public Testimony: Councilman Danny Paleka shared what a pleasure it’s been working on/with the Ad hoc committee. He informed the AC that an environmental assessment has been requested not only for S. Lauko Street but also for Pszyk and S. Kopua Roads. Work has been completed on the turn lane out of Kuauli Road. Because some of the CIPs that were earmarked for connectivity will be lapsing, they have submitted an 11 million dollar CIP to cover all of the requests. It Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Page 1 may sound like a lot of money but it is what is needed. Councilman Paleka looks forward to continued work with the Action Committee and Subcommittee. Susan moved to accept Communication Nos. 2016-7 & 2016-13. Second by Patti. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Marlene updated the Action Committee on the recent activities of the CERS. Currently the subcommittee is working on completing designations in upper Puna connectivity locations for the Ad hoc committee which includes members of the Council, Dept. of Public Works, Planning Dept. and the CERS subcommittee. Following the Ad hoc committee, the recommendations will go to the Council for funding and implementation. It’s necessary to emphasize that because of all the research and input received, there are lots of alternatives should any of the initial connectivity locations not be viable. Patti shared that there have been recommendations of properties and easements that may need to be purchased. Also identified are areas that may need Memorandum of Understanding (MOUs) between community associations to maintain open roadways. All of the collaboration that has gone into this effort so far is monumental. CERS meets at 2:00pm on the fourth Tuesday of every month at Kea‘au Community Center. Communication Nos. 2016-7 2016-13 can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/77195/Page1.aspx http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/78448/Page1.aspx 2. Volcano Long Range Plan Subcommittee (VLRPS) & Communication No. 2016-11: Draft Community Questionnaire: Dan Taylor and Yumi Kawano updated the AC on the recent activities of the subcommittee. The subcommittee has developed a questionnaire that they would like to distribute soon. The hope is that the community response, gathered via the questionnaire, will provide a means of validating the Volcano Long Range Plan and the work that has been done thus far. The subcommittee is asking for the AC’s thoughts on the questionnaire and looking to see if support will be given by the AC, the Council and the Planning Department as the plan goes forward. Discussion ensued ensuring the continued support of the VLRP Subcommittee’s work. AC members asked questions and made suggestions on best practices for questionnaire distribution, ensuring the word gets out, and avoiding duplicate responses. The AC asked what the next steps for the subcommittee would be post questionnaire. Larry reminded the AC that the Plan as it stands is not suitable for adoption by ordinance and adoption by resolution might not do much as most of the actions are community based. Larry stated that he was under the impression that the plan was already adopted by the Volcano Community Association, and questioned whether the survey is more to get buy in for the plan or to prioritize action in the plan. Dan expressed that the survey is meant to do both but is more of an attempt to validate the plan for the naysayers who are coming forth. Discussion continued regarding apparent road blocks, next steps, and suggestions related to the survey. VLRPS meets at 7:00pm on the third Thursday of every month at Cooper Center in Volcano. Communication No. 2016-11 can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/DocView.aspx?dbid=1&id=78366&page=1&cr=1 3. Mass Transit Subcommittee (MTS): No Report. Public Testimony: Councilman Danny Paleka informed the AC that the consultant contract for the Mass Transit Master Plan should be complete soon and Tiffany Kai is intending to be at the July AC meeting in Pāhoa. Page 2 4. Town Hall Subcommittee (THS): Patti moved to dissolve the Town Hall Subcommittee. Second by Leila. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. The Action Committee agreed to an annual outreach. 5. Budget Subcommittee: No Report. The AC discussed next steps, prioritizing, and timelines. The subcommittee will meet prior to the next AC meeting. 6. Communication Nos. 2016-9: Pāhoa Regional Town Center Plan Subcommittee (PRTCPS) & 2016-12: Draft Pāhoa Village Design Review Committee (PVDRC) Guidelines: Public Testimony: Councilman Danny Paleka informed the AC that an offer has been submitted to the owner of the parking lot property but there has been no agreement reached thus far. In case an agreement cannot be reached, there is another suggested piece of property under consideration. Leila moved to accept Communication No. 2016-9. Second by Farris. Patti shared that the subcommittee is not optimistic on closing the deal on the Luquins parking lot due to the discrepancy in assessed value and asking price by the owner. The SC is beginning investigations into two pieces of property behind Tin Shack that are owned by the Catholic Church. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Leila moved to accept Communication No. 2016-12. Second by Patti. Discussion ensued regarding the Pāhoa Village Design Guidelines Design Review Committee Policies and Guidelines (Communication No. 2016-12). Particularly addressed was the vetting system used to select the three parent organizations – Main Street Pāhoa Association, Kōkua Pāhoa, and Mālama O Puna. Additional questions regarding the role of each parent organization and the selection process that will be used to select members for the Pāhoa Village Design Review Committee were answered by Larry and Patti. Motion failed with 4 votes aye and 2 votes nay. Discussion continued between Action Committee members. Susie moved to accept the guidelines and recommend the three parent organizations to the Planning Director. Second by Leila. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Larry moved that he be tasked with the responsibility of drafting a transmittal letter to the Planning Director, recommending the three organizations accepting the responsibility of forming and managing the Pāhoa Design Review Committee. Second by Frank. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. PRTCPS meets at 8:00am on the first Monday of every month at Luquins Restaurant in Pāhoa. Communication Nos. 2016-9 & 2016-12 can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/77194/Page1.aspx http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/78449/Page1.aspx Page 3 7. Communication No. 2016-10: Draft Letter to Planning Director Requesting Information on the Pāhoa Regional Town Center Plan & Wastewater Treatment Study: Public Testimony: Michelle David testified that she is happy to see that nothing has moved forward regarding the wastewater treatment center in Pāhoa. She would like to see more creative solutions being investigated and encourages more discussion on Village Centers instead of focusing on growing Pāhoa. Why not keep Pāhoa the way it is and put money into the Neighborhood/ Village Centers that would help keep people off the road and give them the opportunity to have provisions in their own communities. Leila moved to accept Communication No. 2016-10. Second by Susan. Action Committee members discussed the draft letter to the Planning Director addressing the Planning Consultant for the Pāhoa Regional Town Center Plan & Wastewater treatment Study. While most members agreed that the letter should be sent, Hans cautioned that the tone of the letter is strong and may be inappropriate. Motion passed with 6 votes aye and 0 votes nay. Communication No. 2016-10 can be viewed and downloaded from the following website: http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/weblink/1/doc/78408/Page1.aspx 8. Puna Regional Library: Frank wanted to get the Puna Regional Library on everyone’s radar and see if the AC can take a stance in its support on a location - both Kea‘au and Pāhoa are suggested sites. After extensive discussion, it was decided that Frank would draft an invitation to the consultant to see if they would be willing to attend an AC meeting. This draft letter will be on the July 12, 2016 agenda for AC discussion. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: 9. Public Access, Open Space & Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) Nominations: The Action Committee discussed timelines and best practices in submitting PONC nominations and support letters from the AC. AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: (July 12, 2016) 1. CERS Update 2. VLRPS Update 3. MTS Update 4. MVPS Update 5. PRTCPS Update 6. Budget Subcommittee 7. Puna Regional Library Consultant Request 8. PONC Letter from Frank, Leila, and Farris 9. PD Response to PRTCPS Letter ADJOURNMENT: The Chair, without objection, adjourned the meeting at 5:36 p.m. All Action Committee information can be viewed and downloaded from our website: http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/puna-cdp/implementation/puna-cdp-action-committee Page 4