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Home My WebLink AboutCOR-16-108157 �'J • f''4s\y '1u16 OCT 21 A(9 ? 20 - • /mu.. 7L�A11\�i��.l•I 11-I ,'� 111 TNT OUN1,Y OF HAWAII • .. KAMEHAMEHA SCHOOLS -� October 21, 2016 1 Brad Kurokawa, Chair Hamakua Community Development Plan Steering Committee County of Hawaii, Planning Department _. 101 Pauahi Street,Suite 3 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Subject: Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide(LUPAG) map for TMK Nos.327-003-024 and 327-003-025; Pahoehoe,South Hilo, Hawaii On behalf of Kamehameha Schools (KS), I am submitting testimony on the Pauka'a Map Adjustments. This written testimony is a follow up to our verbal testimony submitted at both your September 10, 2016 and September 28, 2016 Steering Committee meetings. As verbalized by Mr. Ron Whitmore of the County of Hawai'i Planning Department at your September 28, 2016 meeting, KS again asks both the Planning Department and the steering committee to confirm that any future proposal to develop clustered farm-worker housing and other support infrastructure would not be prevented should the LUPAG designation be changed from its current Low Density Urban (LDU)to Important Ag Land. KS owns 293,065 acres of land on Hawai'i Island, 160,935 acres of which are zoned for agricultural use. Of that acreage, approximately 40,000 acres are in the CDP planning area: Hilo (7,230 acres) and Hamakua (32,150 acres). KS humbly requests that the Hamakua Community Development Plan (CDP)Steering Committee leave the current Low Density Urban (LDU) Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG ) map designation in place for TMK Nos. 327-003-024 and 327-003-025. These parcels comprise approximately 49 acres, or iust one-tenth of a percent of our land in Hilo and Hamakua. Please consider that KS is not seeking any requests for our remaining 39,950 acres in the region. Promoting and supporting agriculture production in the Hilo and Hamakua districts are a high priority for KS. Our lands at Pahoehoe (shown on your Pauka'a map and in our attached exhibit) are some of our most heavily invested agricultural lands on the island. Over the last 8-10 years KS has invested approximately$700,000 in critical infrastructure to support agriculture at Pahoehoe, which in turn modernizes and supports agribusiness in the larger region. Infrastructure upgrades include: 895 KAUHIULA ROAD,HILO,HAWAI'I 96720 TELEPHONE(808)982-0830 FAX(8o8)982-0845 Founded and Endowed by the Legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop 108157 • 2 • Rehabilitation of our Pahoehoe water system to provide gravity fed irrigation to 9 farms; • A complete repaving of our main farm road; • Installation of security measures: boundary survey, perimeter fencing, new gate system; • Additionally, KS is close to completing a $600,000 post-harvest facility at'Alae that will support our Pahoehoe farmers. Our intentions are clear: $1,300,000+invested in agriculture infrastructure shows KS is committed to agriculture, committed to our communities and committed to sustainability and a thriving Iglu' for our beneficiaries. The TMKs that the Committee proposes to re-designate are at the 'base' of our Pahoehoe ahupua'a. These two parcels are key to providing ongoing infrastructure support to the 650+ acres of usable agricultural lands mauka of the highway(TMKS 327-002-002, 327-002-010, 327- 003-022 and 327-003-023). To put this in to the perspective of 10-20 acre farms, these lands could support 30-60 small farms. Just one of many critical issues KS (as well as others outside of KS) has identified is the need for farm-worker housing. The post-sugar era spurred land speculation on former sugar lands, making it increasingly expensive for farm workers to find reasonably priced housing. As many know, KS acquired approximately 30,000 acres of former Hamakua Sugar Company land as the plantation went out of business. Additionally, KS also took back our Hilo lands formerly in sugar and consciously decided to keep those lands in agricultural production. As recognized by the Department of Agriculture's 2015 Statewide Agricultural Land Use Baseline: "KS is a long-term landowner and has not sought to sell any of the lands they acquired in Hamakua in the last 20 years." This long-term view has enabled KS to commit to agriculture; however, it also requires KS to anticipate and plan for future support infrastructure to ensure agriculture's success. In response to the increasing demand for farm-worker housing, KS would like to keep its options open for developing a pilot agribusiness model that would include clustered farm-worker housing (and other support infrastructure) as a key component to make it both affordable for farm workers to find housing and increase their quality of life by making that housing available in close proximity to their farms. KS is envisioning at some point in the future that Pahoehoe could be a prime place for a pilot agribusiness model of this kind. Pahoehoe is close to other KS farm lands,the KS post-harvest facility, and is in close proximity to market, port and other services that farmers and their families require. To be clear, this 50 acres (or one-tenth of a percent of KS land in the CDP district)would be a mix of agricultural support facilities as well as productive agriculture. The returns that would be realized as part of this pilot project's success would not focus simply on rents from the farm-worker housing, but it would be more dependent on the value of the KS land leases,the productivity of our lands at Pahoehoe (and along the coast), and most importantly the quality of life for our Iahui and community. 3 I believe there is a misunderstanding that our current agricultural zoning (underlying the LUPAG) would allow KS to pursue this farm-worker housing pilot project or any other support infrastructure required in the future for our Pahoehoe lands. As KS understands it, the current agricultural zoning allows for ONE farm dwelling with the possibility of an additional farm dwelling unit. This will not come close to meeting the demands of farm worker housing for 650+ acres of land. In conclusion,we ask that you consider our intentions, our track record in Hilo and Hamakua, and the very small acreage in relation to our larger landholdings and support our request to leave the current Low Density Urban (LDU) Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG ) map designation in place for TMK Nos. 327-003-024 and 327-003-025. Should you have any questions I can be reached at 982-0833 or maharman@ksbe.edu. Mahalo, .rahrizei7.0 4,./77,4",z2 Marissa Harman, Director Asset Management—Hawai'i Island Community Engagement& Resources cc: Duane Kanuha, Director, County of Hawaii Planning Department Leanne Gloor, Planner, County of Hawaii Planning Department Farrah-Marie Gomes Vice Chair, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Glenn Carvalho, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Scott Enright, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Lorraine Mendoza, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Jason Moniz, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Craig Neff, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Ka'iulani Pahi'o, Member, Hamakua CDP Steering Committee Enclosure: Map of KS Agricultural land at Pahoehoe, South Hilo, Hawaii a c m J N 0 0 L U l6 t N E CI) L N E d Y Ci) 0 J ❑ Z o -71 sT Q � EH > Q 2E0O m°o ' �,.. • 145c 12 H b Nc ;3- p¢. E O:? " d O. 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