HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-08-13.PCDP.ACMinutes.FINALHarry Kim
Mayor
County of Hawaii
PLANNING DEPARTMENT
PUNA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Aupuni Center • 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 • Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Phone (808) 961-8288 • Fax (808) 961-8742
Monday, August 13, 2018
Meeting Minutes
Michael Yee
Director
Daryn Arai
Deputy Director
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Larry Brown called the Puna Community Development Plan (PCDP) Action Committee (AC) to
order at 5:01 p.m. in the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility.
ROLL CALL
Action Committee Members Present: Larry Brown (Chair), Leila Kealoha (Vice), Michael Bernard,
Frances Brewer, Dan Domizio, Mark Hinshaw, Brent Norris, Susan Osborne
Action Committee Members Absent -Excused: Yumi Kawano
Staff: Michael Yee, Planning Director, April Surprenant, Long Range Division Manager, CoH Planners -
Keiko Mercado and Eric Cook
Members of the public: 18
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA: NONE
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. Committee Member, Mark Hinshaw, thanked Strato's New York Pizzeria and Kaleo's Restaurant
for providing food for the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS:
Community member, John Olson, provided testimony on business item #1.
Mr. Olson stated that he did not believe the County had a good plan for disaster response
when the eruption event occurred and that the County needs to create a better disaster
response plan for the next time an eruption event occurs.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Committee Member Susan Osborne moved to approve the minutes of the July 5, 2018, meeting os
submitted. Second by Committee Member Don Domizio. The motion to approve the minutes os
submitted passed with 8 votes aye, 0 votes nay.
BUSINESS:
Kilauea Eruption Recovery Efforts: Planning Department Staff gave a presentation with an
update on recovery efforts and an overview of the proposed legislative package. Ms. Mercado
provided a brief overview of the content of the presentation.
Planning Director Yee provided an overview of the impacts caused by the eruption event
including homes destroyed, jobs lost, destroyed or inaccessible parcels of land, and economic
Hawai `i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Page 1
loss. He outlined the continued response and recovery efforts including sources of aid and
funding from State programs, presidential declaration of emergency, FEMA, SBA and many
others. Mr. Yee explained the structure of the response efforts, and clarified that there are
multiple task forces focusing on different areas of recovery including housing, tourism, and
businesses.
Director Yee explained that the recovery need is much greater than the County can handle
alone so the County is currently collaborating with the necessary entities to address the full
recovery need. He explained that State, Federal, County and Nonprofit funding are each a piece
of the entire recovery funding pool.
Director Yee addressed the special state legislative ask stating that the recovery team is
working on evaluating the total need for recovery funding. He explained the 6 recovery support
functions that would be managed under a redevelopment agency. These recovery support
functions include community planning, natural and cultural resources, economic development,
housing, health and social services, and infrastructure. He explained that the county is seeking
to fund a redevelopment agency though the state legislative ask and outlined the need for said
redevelopment agency. Director Yee talked through the 6 recovery support functions, what
actions for each function are currently in progress, and the desired long term outcomes.
Committee Member Domizio asked what would be mitigated with the mitigation grant.
Director Yee replied that those funds would be used to prevent the possible risk of further
losses.
Director Yee stated that one of the first priorities is to get people out of the shelters and into
more permanent housing situations. He outlined the case management system being utilized to
track displaced persons and help them find housing. County of Hawai'i Department of Research
and Development is also working on establishing a lava viewing area and securing grant money
to help with economic recovery and business development.
He ended the presentation by outlining the next steps in the recovery process which included:
finalization of the legislative package and the request for a special legislative session, further
analysis of the different funding mechanisms and possible splits, a draft resolution for a
redevelopment agency, and working with County Council and State Legislature on
policy/statute amendments as needed.
Following the presentation Director Yee opened the discussion to the Action Committee for
questions. The following questions were asked and answered during this portion of the
meeting:
Q: Will there be a new redevelopment agency formed separate from the existing one that the
County currently has or will they be combined?
A: There is chance that there will be two separate redevelopment agencies unless there is a
stipulation set forth that the County can only have one at a time, in which case the two would
be melded and managed as one agency.
Q: Does redevelopment include Puna Geothermal Venture?
A: No, it does not.
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Q: Is there a possibility of Puna Geothermal Venture reopening?
A: The owner still holds permits to operate and may continue to utilize those permits if they so
choose.
Q: Are agencies other than Planning involved with and working on recovery efforts?
A: There is a recovery team that consists of staff from several County agencies including but not
limited to Planning, Research and Development, Corporation Counsel, and the Mayor's Office.
Q: Is there a level of priority set for different aspects such as housing, infrastructure, etc.?
A: The need for recovery has not been presented in the legislative ask as a prioritized list, but
rather a comprehensive list of all the recovery needs.
Q: Why would the County create a new subdivision rather than spend the money to infill
existing subdivisions?
A: Building a new subdivision is an idea that is on the table but it is not the most favored
option.
Q: Will the County receive a lump sum of funding or will the State decide how funds are
allocated and where?
[This answer below was not provided during the meeting but is being included in the meeting minutes to provide clarity]
A: It is too soon to know how the funding will be distributed because it is still unknown what
funding the County would receive.
Q: Has the recovery team taken into consideration the creation of village and town centers?
A: Yes, there has been consideration for providing some infrastructure to key strategic areas,
but the appropriate locations still need to be determined.
Q: Who decides if progress moves forward or comes to a halt on the Pahoa Regional Town
Center Master Plan?
A: The Pahoa Regional Town Center Master Plan was paused when the eruption event began.
Recently there has been more interest in moving forward on the Pahoa plan. The Pahoa plan is
being considered but there are no guarantees that the plan will move forward currently.
Q: Is the County hiring a recovery consultant and will it be an internal or external position and
does the position already exist?
A: There may not be a need for a recovery consultant if a redevelopment agency is formed. It
would take a while to get the redevelopment agency going if one is formed so a recovery
consultant could assist during the time that the redevelopment agency is coming together.
Q: How long will it take to establish a redevelopment agency?
A: It would ideally take about 4-6 months to establish a redevelopment agency.
Q: Is it possible that the redevelopment agency could also manage the Pahoa Master Plan?
A: Yes, it is a possible option for the redevelopment agency to manage the Pahoa Master Plan.
At this time, Chair Brown opened the question and answer session up to the members of the
public.
Q: Will the community be involved in the creation of the redevelopment agency, and will the
community get to vote on who sits on the redevelopment agency.
A: Community input will be taken into consideration, but the public will not be able to vote on
who will sit as members on the redevelopment agency.
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Q: Can we get preapproved building plans for tiny homes, like the ones that are being used for
transitional housing currently, so that we can begin building them as a source for transitional
housing for those displaced by the eruption event?
A: Tiny homes are already allowed with the current zoning and permitting guidelines. The tiny
homes are required to have sewer, water, and kitchen hook-ups which the temporary units
currently being used do not. The plans for these units will not be permitted for the public to get
as they are intended to be temporary and will no longer be in use after they have served their
purpose. Having multiple tiny homes on one parcel is also not an option because then it would
technically qualify as a subdivision. It was also clarified that the Planning Department has code
to allow for mobile homes, but the Department of Public Works does not have code to allow
for mobile homes.
Q: Is the County planning to abandon the existing subdivisions?
A: The County cannot just abandon subdivisions but the County can choose not to invest
additional infrastructure in existing subdivisions. The County is considering every option when
it comes to recovery planning.
Q: Many people from Puna have had to relocate to other districts. Has there been any
consideration for expanding infrastructure in the districts where people have relocated?
A: The data is still being collected through FEMA and the Office of Housing to assess and
evaluate the relocation needs of evacuees to determine where to best spend resources and
improve infrastructure.
Q: Many people in Pahoa are calling for a lava viewing area as soon as possible. What is the
County's opinion on the creation of a lava viewing area in Pahoa?
A: The Department of Research and Development has been tasked with assessing the options
for lava viewing sites, and have been working on potential sites. An initial site was chosen but
then later rejected. The search continues for a suitable and safe location for a lava viewing site.
Q: What specific jobs were lost that were included in the 900 reported jobs lost?
A: The job losses were self-reported and we do not have accurate data on what specific jobs
were lost at this point in time.
Q: Who determines when the public will be allowed access to Pohoiki Beach again?
A: The Mayor has the final call over decisions of that type.
Q: How can we make it possible for people to live in mobile homes?
A: There will not be any way to have a permitted mobile home until the Department of Public
Works decides they want to move forward on mobile homes and make some code
amendments to make that possible.
This concluded the question and answer portion of the meeting. Use the following link to view
the presentation in its entirety:
http://records.hawaiicounty.gov/weblink/DocView.aspx?dbid=1&id=95806&page=1
Due to September 4" immediately following a long holiday weekend, Chair Brown suggested
that the next Puna CDP Action Committee meeting be moved from September 4" to
September 11th
Without objection from the Action Committee, the next Puna CDP Action Committee meeting
was rescheduled from September 4th to September 11th
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AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING: (September 11, 2018)
1. Continued update on recovery efforts.
2. Increasing the reach into the community and getting the public more involved in the CDP
process. [Committee Member Brent Norris]
3. Discussion of economic and health care opportunities through hemp and medical use cannabis.
[Committee Member Brent Norris]
4. Update on the CERS subcommittee.
ADJOURNMENT: Chair Brown adjourned the meeting at 6:41 p.m.
All Action Committee information can be viewed and downloaded from our website:
http://www.hawa iicountycdp.info/puna-cdp/implementation/puna-cdp-action-committee
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