HomeMy WebLinkAboutIndividual Comment - F. Daniel -Hawai'i County General Plan Comprehensive Update,Public Input Forum Follow-upFrom: Faye Daniel [mailto:fdaniel2553@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, January 06, 2017 6:49 PM
To: General Plan
Subject: Re: Hawai'i County General Plan Comprehensive Update Public Input Follow-Up
Mahalo,
My question was initiated by property on Alii drive makai of the Kahaluu Beach area where I sat through a
development hearing on a plan for resident condos and single family homes. The motion was tabled with a
promise to lower the density and provide low cost housing.. that plan could have been stopped initially if the
developers were told, "no" and it could have been a closed issue based on an historic/cultural designation. As
it is I imagine they will come back with more ' mitigation' plans.. low cost housing is a farce on any island and
none of those will be built until a project's total buildout will make it financially feasible ;. Ingress and egress
are contingent upon an extension of something called the Alii Parkway...another historically rich area with
many sensitive artifacts..and another farce similar to a 'low cost housing' proposal.
Why can't we include a designation similar to the one (preservation of ag lands) recently adopted by the
Kohala Develop Plan that prohibits the development of certain areas?
Thanks for taking time to reply to my question.
On Fri, Jan 6, 2017 at 1:50 PM General Plan <generalplan@hawaiicounty.gov> wrote:
Aloha Faye,
County General Plan Public Input
Forums back on August 2016. We apologize for the delay, but we have noted that you had a few specific
questions and though senior
planner Ron Whitmore did attempt to contact you back in November, he wasn’t able to connect with you.
Your question was:
Why isn’t cultural/historical addressed in the plan as an important element? Development allowed on these
sites is a travesty.
Response:
Protecting and preserving Cultural/Historical resources and sites is a priority of the General Plan and will be
addressed in various sections of the plan. The August 2016 General Plan Public Input Forums had a specific
focus, and the forum did not represent all the elements that will be covered in the General Plan. The Public
Input Forums focused on engaging the public on development scenario planning, with the intent of visually
displaying alternatives on how to direct future growth and development. Since a fundamental objective of
directing growth involves protecting important resources, such as cultural/historic resources, there were
certain parameters built into the modeling program that would not direct development/growth in certain
areas, such as known cultural/historic sites, conservation areas, and areas considered to be high lava hazard
zones. We continue to fine-tune the modeling program to ensure we are providing enough criteria and
information for planners and the community to engage in meaningful discussion on where best to direct
development, and to ensure the scenario modeling is protecting the appropriate areas.
Also, one of the County planners working on the General Plan Team is a planner focused on cultural resources
who works with the County Cultural Resource Commission. This planner is working on addressing
cultural/historic elements for the Plan. When a draft
of the updated General Plan is ready for review, the Cultural Resource Commission will review it and make
recommendations, as will the various State and private entities tasked with protecting cultural resources. The
draft General Plan will also be available for community comment.
We appreciate your input and welcome your continued participation in the General Plan Comprehensive
Update process. Please let me know if you have further questions or concerns.
Thank you,
LeAna
Leana B. Gloor
County of Hawai`i Planning Department
(808) 961-8308
.