PD RECOMMENDATION REPORT (PL-SPP-2022-000011)

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ASIAA-PL-SPP-2022-000011-04-10-22 COUNTY OF HAWAII PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION ACADEMIA SINICA INSTITUTE OF ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATION (PL-SPP-2022-000011) Upon review of the request against the guidelines for granting a Special Permit,the Deputy Planning Director recommends that the request for the temporary operation of an array of satellite dishes to conduct research on Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) on an approximately 0.5-acre portion of a larger 21.80-acre property in the State Land Use Agricultural District be denied by the Planning Commission. Since this recommendation is made without the benefit of public testimony, the Deputy Planning Director reserves the right to modify and/or alter this recommendation based upon additional information presented at the public hearing. This denial recommendation is based on the following findings: The applicant is requesting a Special Permit to allow the following uses on a 0.5- acre portion of a 5-acre lease area within a larger 21.80-acre property: ■ Ten (10)temporary commercial TV satellite dishes (20 feet in diameter)with a six (6) foot aluminum post with a reception capacity of 400-800 Mega Hertz (MHz). ■ A gravel driveway approximately 100 feet in length and 20 feet in width. ■ One (1) Catchment tank of at least 4,000 gallons capacity for fire suppression at the north end of the property. ■ One (1) Port-a-potty. ■ Two (2) Storage Containers each at 40 feet long, 8 feet wide and 8 feet-6 inches tall. ■ A small solar power array or rechargeable batteries. ■ The proposed use will be temporary,comprised of a five(5)year lease with the option to extend the lease another five (5)years. The grounds for approving a Special Permit are based on Rule 6-7 in the Planning Commission Rules. It states that the Planning Commission shall not approve a Special Permit unless it is found that the proposed use: (a)is an unusual and reasonable use of land situated within the Agricultural District, and (b) the proposed use would promote the -1-