HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-07-19 KCDP Minutes DraftHarry Kim
Mayor
County of Hawaii
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
KONA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone (808) 961-8288 • Fax (808) 961-8742
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
DRAFT Meeting Minutes
CALL TO ORDER
Michael Yee
Director
Daryn Arai
Deputy Director
Action Committee Chair Barbara DeFranco called the Kona Community Development Plan (Kona
CDP) Action Committee (AC) to order at 2:02 p.m. in the West Hawaii Civic Center Planning
Department Conference Room.
KONA CDP AC MEMBER AND STAFF INTRODUCTION
Action Committee Members Present: Barbara DeFranco (Chair), Charles Young (Vice -Chair),
Arnold Rabin, Douglas Payne, Hiram Rivera, Janice Palma-Glennie, Kari Kimura, and Shirley David.
Action Committee Members Absent -Excused: Shane Palacat-Nelsen.
Planning Department Staff: Keola Childs, Kona CDP Planner, and Heather Bartlett, Planner.
Members of the public: Twelve.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: None
STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC REGARDING ITEMS ON AGENDA: Two members of the public
provided comment at the beginning of the meeting.
1. Steven Birchfield, representing himself, commented on Agenda Item 2. He suggested that
the Action Committee should consider the creation of a "sensitivity subcommittee"
which would use accurate data about the condition of the local economy to aid the
Action Committee in making informed planning decisions. He suggested using current
year data and comparing it to past year data to try to better understand what factors are
causing changes and therefore better determine what planning decisions might be most
appropriate. Mr. Birchfield also made reference to the Missler lawsuit to draw a
correlation between the potential roadblocks the legal issues create for government
agencies and a decrease in development for the Hawaii County.
He stated that in 2005, 2800 new housing units were developed, while in 2015 there
were only 851, and that in 2005 there were 18,000 SNAP Welfare recipients on the island
while in 2014 that number jumped to 45,000 (or about 25% of the population). Mr.
Birchfield expressed concern about these perceived roadblocks in development on the
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island and wanted to know if the Action Committee had an overarching stance against
development which influences its decision making. He suggested that it could be
productive for the Action Committee to consider the statistics, in separation from
politics, while making decisions.
Chair DeFranco assured him and others present that the Action committee does not
strive to stop development but rather to encourage conscious development in areas
deemed to best serve the community.
2. Nancy Pisicchio, representing the Mayor's Office, first addressed Mr. Birchfield's
comments about the Missler case. She explained that the County is trying to decipher the
ramifications of the lawsuit and will be informing the Action Committee as appropriate
when information becomes better understood. She stated that there should be no need
for the Action Committee to form a special subcommittee to address the issues because,
as a matter of proper discourse, the Action Committee should be one of the first parties
to be informed.
She then asked which Action Committee members will be taking the lead on two Action
Committee priorities: the Alii Parkway, and the Kailua Village Redevelopment Plan. Ms.
Pisicchio was informed that Committee Member Young and Committee Member Palacat-
Nelsen are the subcommittee members for the Alii Parkway project. Committee Member
Palacat-Nelsen is also the chair of the Kailua Village Redevelopment plan subcommittee.
Ms. Pisicchio explained that she is currently working with the State -formed Transit
Oriented Development (TOD) Interagency Council. This Council is tasked with
development of a multi -modal transportation plan that could tie-in to the Kailua Village
Redevelopment Plan. She would like to increase collaboration between the TOD Council
and the Action Committee. The benefit of collaboration could be the potential for
obtaining funding through the State Legislature for multimodal transit planning. She
presented the CDP's call for preparation of a Kailua Village Redevelopment Plan at the
last Transit Oriented Development Interagency Council meeting to gauge interest in
considering multimodal transportation for Kailua-Kona as one of the projects the TOD
Council would recommend funding.
RECOGNITION OF OUTGOING ACTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Chair DeFranco, on behalf of the Action Committee recognized three outgoing Action Committee
members: Gregory G. Ogin (who was not present), J. Curtis Tyler, and George "Keoki" Schattauer
for their great contributions to the community over the years they served on the Action
Committee and provided them each with Certificates of Appreciation signed by Mayor Harry
Kim.
ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS
1. Minutes of the June 21, 2017 AC meeting.
Charles Young moved to approve the minutes of June 21, 2017 meeting os submitted. Second
by Committee Member Kimura.
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Committee Member Rabin said that he did not feel that the June 21, 2017 minutes as
submitted accurately described the conversation that took place and were not explicit
enough to portray the Action Committee conversation. A discussion took place following his
statement in which the Action Committee agreed that the minutes need to include
summaries of the public testimonies that took place as well as further deliberation of points
and opinions of Action Committee members.
Committee member Young withdrew his motion.
Committee Member Kimura moved to defer approval of the June 21, 2017 minutes to a
future date and after revision. Second by Committee Member Rabin. The motion passed
unanimously.
Draft minutes of the June 21, 2017 Action Committee meeting can be viewed and downloaded here:
http://records.co.hawaii.hi.us/webIink/l/doc/89079/Pagel.aspx
BUSINESS:
1. Open Space, Open Space Network Objectives, Formation of Investigatory Subcommittee.
Mr. Childs distributed handouts to the Action Committee listing quotes where Open Space
objectives are described in the Kona CDP as a reference. Mr. Childs emphasized the
importance of Open Space in regards to developing compact walkable communities.
Chair DeFranco asked Committee Members how they would like to proceed with the
formation of an Open Space Subcommittee. Mr. Childs offered the suggestion that perhaps
as an investigatory subcommittee the best course of action would be to first discuss what the
specific purpose of this subcommittee would be and what information they would hope to
bring back to the Action Committee.
A Committee member brought up that there was previously a subcommittee devoted to the
concept of Open Space and requested a recap on what that subcommittee accomplished.
Committee Member Kimura, who was a member of the previous Open Space Subcommittee,
responded by describing their work on reviewing data layers in GIS software. These layers
included mapping where State vs. County land is located, as well as mapping locations of
archeological sites. The Subcommittee was interested in mapping natural waterways but was
not able to get access to GIS flood data. The Subcommittee never got to the stage of taking
action on their findings but instead had opened communication with various public and
private stakeholders and had begun building a network of interest. The Action Committee
was reminded that the goal of the past subcommittee was not to actively map out areas of
open space but to gather data on the factors involved in preparation for potentially mapping
these areas in the future.
A Committee Member stated that they felt the Action Committee needs more information
and guidance from the County regarding open space. They stated the Action Committee is
not fully aware of what they have the power to do as far as open space is concerned and why
that is important to understand in order to come up with an objective. A discussion took
place regarding who should be responsible for mapping out open space. Mr. Childs
suggested that the Planning Department could provide the GIS data support they need.
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Action Committee members expressed two concerns: releasing sensitive information like
archeological sites, and the County taking over Action Committee responsibilities, siting past
issues with the Planning Department pulling technical support for other purposes. A
Committee Member suggested the potential to add a layer that shows land that is proposed
to be purchased by the County.
A Committee Member suggested waiting to find out more information about the Open Space
GIS mapping before deciding upon an objective for this potential subcommittee.
A Committee Member requested advanced notice of what layers will be presented so that
Action Committee members can better prepare for the presentation or suggest additional
layers prior.
Committee Member Kimura brought up nongovernmental community organizations such as
PATH which may also have valuable data not available to the county when considering these
maps. Mr. Childs suggested direct collaboration between Committee Member Kimura and
the assigned Planning Department GIS Planner to incorporate these findings.
Mr. Childs noted his understanding that the Planning Department currently interprets the
CDP as stating the minimum size of a TOD rezoning (into a "Project District" zoning district) is
80 acres. However, he noted that the CDP states the minimum size of a TOD is 80 acres plus
a "density transfer area" surrounding the TOD "core areas". He urged the Action Committee
to standardize the method of sizing of the required greenbelt area (density transfer area) to
ensure that these areas can be properly designated in a TOD rezoning action by the County.
A discussion took place about the general shape of a TOD and how that shape can be
constrained depending on how strict the rule is for a green -belt. A Committee Member
stated that the topography of the island may demand variance in the shape of a green -belt,
perhaps making them unfeasible. Chair DeFranco stated that it is possible to develop the
language to properly reflect variance of TOD node shape in the CDP.
A Committee Member asked if the Action Committee would consider the idea of establishing
urban areas as a percentage of the total development. Mr. Childs responded that a mandate
such as that would have to come first through research made by an Open Space
Subcommittee. A follow-up question asked if it would be possible to use the method of
utilizing Planned Unit Developments (PUD) in the urban district to establish high density
areas. A discussion followed regarding the infeasibility of trying to establish what would need
to be a county wide rezoning project in order to accomplish that.
A community member brought up their desire to see more conversation about ecologically
important areas having priority status for being preserved as greenbelt areas.
A member of the public shared his opinion that the CDP does not actually mandate the use
of TOD project district rezonings but rather suggests it as a potential method of planning the
urban district. He said that CDP recommends this to be done through incentivizing
developers.
A conversation followed regarding utilizing the process of Transfer of Development Rights to
achieve the goal of establishing greenbelt in specific areas.
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Committee Member Palmo-Glennie moved to ask the County Planning Department to provide
the Action Committee with o presentation on the GIS data layers that may be relevant to
planning an open space network for Kona. Second by Committee Member Kimura. The motion
passed unanimously.
2. Consideration of establishing additional investigatory subcommittees.
Chair DeFranco asked Committee members if there was a desire to form additional
investigatory subcommittees.
Discussion on a potential Community Outreach Subcommittee ensued. Mr. Childs informed
Action Committee members about the limitation of Sunshine Law on the viability of hosting a
Facebook page. The concern was raised about the difficulty involved with keeping up with
community comments while doing outreach. It was the general consensus that the Action
Committee lacks the manpower to appropriately respond to too many public participants in
an online forum. The Action Committee explored the idea of seeking outside help to take on
such a project. A discussion followed about the possibility to having outside, unaffiliated
groups do videography of Action Committee members for use as an outreach tool.
The Action Committee was reminded about the idea of individual members liaising with
other community groups rather than forming a subcommittee for the sake of convenience
and efficiency, as liaising is not subject to the strictures of the Sunshine Law if no more than
two Committee Members are interacting with any one community group and each other in
such respect. It was suggested to ask the Planning Department to present to the Action
Committee about the ways to liaise without conflicting with the Sunshine Law.
A discussion took place regarding the formation of a subcommittee or liaison group in order
to do more community outreach and in particular manage a Facebook page. Planning staff
reminded those present that Sunshine Laws prohibit any Action Committee member from
representing the rest of the Action Committee, especially on Social Media platforms. The
Action Committee was informed that other CDPs have had their own Facebook pages which
have previously been administered by the Planning Department. It was further discussed that
although the Facebook pages existed in the past, the feasibility of continuing a presence on
social media is something that must be looked into by the Planning Department.
Committee Member Rabin moved for the County to create a Facebook page for the Kona
Action Committee that would solicit input from the general public. Second by Committee
Member Palma-Glennie.
The Action Committee was reminded that public input is already considered through the
process of vetting the Kona CDP.
The Action Committee discussed the possibility of using Facebook as a means to just
broadcast meeting reminders instead of a forum for discussion.
A Committee Member expressed his concern that in responding to social media discussion,
the Action Committee may be setting itself up to spend too much time vetting public input
and will not have the time to focus on important issues concerning the district. He was also
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concerned about potential conflicts of interest when gaining input from large pools of
individuals.
A Committee Member expressed her opinion that a website, if it is formatted properly,
provides an adequate way for community members to be informed. She went on to say that
connecting with other community groups through liaison group reporting would be a much
more effective way of pooling together and understanding public opinion.
A community member brought up the idea of using the local newspaper as an alternative
way of distributing information to the public.
A discussion took place about the ambiguities within the CDP and why its interpretation
requires continual public input.
A Member of the public, Carol Ignacio, introduced herself to the Action Committee as the
Government and Community Affairs Manager for the Blue Zones Project; she made an offer
to the Action Committee to host a community meeting to explain what the Kona CDP is to
the public.
Committee Member Rabin amended his previous motion to state: ask the Planning
Department to comment to the Action Committee on the feasibility of using social media as a
means to improve public participation for the CDP. Second by Committee Member Palma-
Glennie. The motion passed 4 in favor and 3 opposed.
Committee Member Rabin then moved to create an investigatory subcommittee to expand
public transportation to include small busses or vans so that there is more availability for the
youth, especially in South Kona, to get to activities such as surf and sports. Second by
Committee Member Palma-Glennie.
A discussion followed to clarify the agenda for this potential subcommittee.
Committee Member Rabin stated that this alternative transportation would be a
means of increasing mass transit systems in South Kona and would not have to just
include youth.
The Action Committee considered the stated motions' relevance to the CDP. A
reference was made to Chapter 4.1 "Goals, Objectives, Policies & Actions" (page 4-
21) where Action TRAIN 5.1b states: "Commence shuttle service using mini -vans and
small bases (i.e. Handi-Van)." It was also mentioned that this would be covered
whenever multi -modal transportation is mentioned in the CDP
Council Member Karen Eoff informed those present that improving public transit
system is an important issue for the county. She said County Council Members have
just recently been updated on the status of the public transportation system for
Hawaii County and that it will be a priority in the next CIP cycle.
It was decided upon by the Action Committee to wait to hear more about the status
of the Mass Transit Plan before deciding a plan of action on this issue.
A vote was taken to table the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
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SUB -COMMITTEE REPORTS: None.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. The next Kona CDP meeting is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, August 16, 2017 at
the West Hawaii Civic Center - Building B, Department of Liquor Control Conference
Room.
2. Mr. Childs briefly spoke to the legal issues involving the Missler case that the County is
currently addressing. He informed the Action Committee that the County is in the
process now of finding the best course of action to address the issue and that he cannot
state any opinions on behalf of the County at this present time. He noted it may be a
topic the Planning Department could address at a Kona Action Committee meeting at a
future point in time.
AGENDA FOR THE NEXT MEETING:
1. Committee Member Rabin suggested additional topics of discussion for discussion in the
future. These included adding Ahupua'a signs along the highway, expansion of water
resources to South Kona to support agriculture in that area, the facilitation of community
gardens, getting rid of Roundup as a pesticide on roadways, and increasing solar
infrastructure in the district.
2. Committee Member Rivera suggested an item for the agenda to look at the plan for the
Action Committee for the next year, to gain a better sense of direction. A reference was
made to the letter written in 2016 by then Action Committee Chair Rivera to the Director
regarding how the Action Committee should move forward through three actions ["items"]
Lines 160 — 165 of the April 271h 2016 minutes:
"The three items include;
1) Providing guidance to the Department if there is a question with whether or not a
proposed project, or specific component thereof, is consistent with the applicable section
of the KCDP,
2) Providing guidance if there is a disagreement with respect to the applicability of the
KCDP between the Department and a developer, and
3) Providing guidance with respect to interpretation of any applicable Goal, Objective
and/or Policy."
A Committee Member responded that the context of this referenced letter was that the
Kona CDP may not have been understood as an ordinance to the Planning Director at the
time and may therefore be an item to revisit under a different understanding of legal
parameters.
3. Discussion about the potential Blue Zones presentation mentioned earlier.
4. Expansion of the conversation about social media outreach.
ADJOURNMENT: Chair DeFranco adjourned the meeting at 4:48pm.
All Action Committee information can be viewed and downloaded from our website:
http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/north-and-south-kona-cdp
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