HomeMy WebLinkAboutCDP Planning ProcessPLANNING PROCESS
INITIATION OF THE PLANNING PROCESS
Pursuant to Section 15.1 of the Hawai'i County General Plan, the Planning Director or Council may
initiate a Community Development Plan. In fiscal year 2009-2010, the County Council appropriated
funding for the Hamakua CDP, and the Planning Director initiated the CDP planning process in
September 2009.
STEERING COMMITTEE
Pursuant to Section 15.1 of the Hawai'i County General Plan, each Community Development Plan shall
have a steering committee composed of volunteer members appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by
the County Council. The members shall be broadly representative of the affected communities. The
steering committee shall work in conjunction with the Planning Department and with any professional
consultants hired to assist in the preparation of the plan.
The Hamakua CDP Steering Committee was confirmed in 2010. The principal roles of the Steering
Committee included:
• Help tailor the planning process to the unique characteristics of Hamakua and its stakeholders
• Promote the planning process within various sectors of the community to maximize participation
while maintaining a neutral, approachable posture in the community
• Monitor the development of the CDP to ensure that the best interests of the Hamakua region as a
whole are incorporated
• Recommend approval of the CDP.
More information about the Hamakua CDP Steering Committee is available here:
http://www.hawaiicountvcdp.info/hamakua-cdp/steering-committee.
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
The Hamakua CDP is the product of years of collaborative community, consultant, and County work. It is
firmly grounded in the community's objectives and has been vetted by community stakeholders at each
step.
The project timeline illustrates the CDP phases and steps, and can be viewed here:
http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/1/doc/92599/Pagel.aspx, and a 5 -minute CDP orientation
video can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/161253400.
The Hamakua CDP was developed in three stages. Each stage was driven by extensive community input
and concluded with a clear decision by the CDP Steering Committee.
During the first stage, thousands of "talk story' and survey comments from community members were
used to identify core community values and a vision of what they'd like to see in Hamakua in 2030, as
summarized in Section 1.7 of the CDP. At the end of that stage, the Steering Committee affirmed a
Values and Visions Statement that then served as a compass point guiding the planning process.
Next, a detailed profile of the community (Appendix 3) was developed based on community knowledge
and expertise as well as existing data, reports, and studies. Section 1.6 of the CDP summarizes the
community assets and challenges identified in the profile. That stage concluded when the Steering
Committee integrated the Values and Vision Statement with the Community Profile to develop the
thirteen Community Objectives that the CDP is designed to achieve (listed in Section 1.8.1 of the CDP).
In the third stage, extensive research was conducted to identify the range of strategies that could be
used to achieve the Community Objectives. From those strategies, a combination of policies and actions
was identified that, when implemented together, will realize the community's vision for the future.
Those strategies were compiled into the preliminary "working draft" of the CDP. The Hamakua CDP
Steering Committee reviewed that draft, discussed it, and made recommendations for revisions.
Next, the broader community and stakeholders had the same opportunity, and the Steering Committee
used that input to make further revisions before it was satisfied that the CDP truly reflects community
preferences. On December 19, 2016, the CDP Steering Committee made its final recommendations for
CDP revisions and adoption.
AGENCY COMMENTS
To initiate the CDP review and adoption process, the Planning Director issued a memo requesting
comment from a wide range of County, State, and Federal agencies on March 15, 2017:
County of Hawai'i Agencies: Aging; Civil Defense; Corporation Counsel; Fire; Environmental Management;
Finance; Fire; Housing and Community Development; Office of the Mayor; Mass Transit; Office of the
Mayor; Parks and Recreation; Planning: Administrative Permits Division, Planning Division; Police;
Public Works; Research and Development; Water Supply
State of Hawai'i Agencies: Accounting and General Services; Agriculture; Civil Defense; Education;
Economic Development & Tourism: Planning; Land Use Commission; Hawai'i Community College;
Health; Historic Preservation Division (SHPD); Hawai'i Tourism Authority; Human Services: Public
Housing Authority; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; Office of Planning; Office of the Governor; Hawaiian
Home Lands; Health; Human Services; Labor & Industrial Relations: Workforce Development Division;
Land & Natural Resources; Representative Mark Nakashima; Senator Lorraine Inouye; Transportation;
UH Sea Grant; University of Hawai'i; UHH Office of Mauna Kea Management
Federal Agencies: Agriculture (USDA); Army Corps of Engineers; Bureau of Land & Natural Resources;
Department of Defense; Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); Fish & Wildlife Service; National
Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); National Park Service/Ala Kahakai national historic
Trail Superintendent; Representative Tulsi Gabbard; Senator Brian Schatz; Senator Mazie Hirono
Private Organizations: Bishop Estate; Kamehameha Schools, Hawai'i Electric Light Company; Hawaiian
Telcom; Oceanic Time Warner Cable
Comments were also received from stakeholders with an interest in the shoreline setback policy during
this phase.
PLANNING DIRECTOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS
After reviewing the comments, the CDP Project Team and Planning Director saw additional
opportunities for strengthening the CDP and subsequently recommended revisions to the CDP.
The comments and subsequent revisions to the CDP based on the feedback received during the Agency
Review period can be summarized into the following categories:
■ Non -substantive: These include typographical errors, formatting inconsistencies, recommendations
for clarifying language that did not change the intent or purpose of the strategy, and expressions of
support for CDP strategies;
■ Substantive: Differences in interpretation or opinion about CDP strategies, recommended revisions
based on changes in statute/code since the CDP was drafted, recommended changes based on
further analysis of existing statute/code;
■ Lack of understanding: These include feedback that expressed a misunderstanding of CDP strategy
or its application, lack of familiarity with CDP strategies and their inter -relationships, confusion
about the relationship of the CDP and the GP, a lack of understanding about the rationale behind
CDP strategies, or a lack of understanding about the jurisdiction of the CDP and/or the Planning
Department.
A version of the CDP with a list of revisions in the 'track changes' format can be viewed here:
http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/DocView.aspx?dbid=l&id=92193&page=1&cr=1.
FINAL STEERING COMMITTEE REVIEW
In February 2018, the Steering Committee reconvened to review the Planning Director's Recommended
CDP. During the meeting, the Steering Committee and members of the community reviewed the
revisions together and were able to ask the Planning Team questions and provide feedback on the
revisions. During that meeting and in follow-up conversations with committee members, the majority of
the Steering Committee supported moving the revised Recommended Hamakua CDP forward in the
adoption process.
The draft minutes for this meeting can be viewed here:
http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/Weblink/l/doc/92298/Pagel.aspx.
All the meeting materials for that meeting can be found here:
http://www.hawaiicountycdp.info/hamakua-cdp/meeting-records-and-information/2018-meetings