PD Recommendation Report (PL-SPP-2023-000060)

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BMakuaLaniSPP.3.20.2024 COUNTY OF IIAWAI`I PLANNING DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION MAKUA LANI CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (FORMERLY KONA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY) AMENDMENT TO SPECIAL PERMIT NO. 549 (PL-SPP-2023-000060) Upon careful review of the request against the guidelines for granting an amendment, the Planning Director recommends that the proposed amendments to Special Permit No. 549 be approved by the Planning Commission. Since this recommendation is made without the benefit of public testimony, the Director reserves the right to modify and/or alter this recommendation based upon additional information presented at the public hearing. This approval recommendation is based on the following findings: The applicant is requesting an amendment to Special Permit No. 549 (SPP 549), which allowed the establishment of a church and primary school facilities and related improvements, to include the following: • Amend Condition No. 9 of SPP 549 to allow an increase in the maximum enrollment from 180 to 210 students. The condition currently states "The primary school shall be limited to an enrollment of 180 students. • Add the adjacent 1.916-acre property, TMK (3) 7-4-006:046 (Parcel 46)to the permit area, for educational uses, thereby increasing the permit area to a total of approximately 7.003 acres. • Construct a 960-square foot modular building on Parcel 46 to accommodate 2 new elementary school classrooms. • Construct a 225-square foot bathroom building and new septic system on Parcel 46 to serve the new classrooms. The applicant was recently gifted the ownership of Parcel 46 and would like to use it for educational purposes, together with the existing primary school campus on TMK (3) 7-4-006:037 (Parcel 37), originally permitted under SPP 549. The request to increase the maximum enrollment is due to an increase in demand and to accommodate the return of 5th graders to the school campus. Over the past two years the school shifted 5th graders to the Makua Lani High School campus so that total enrollment did not exceed the maximum -1-