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Second set of answers to public questions asked at Puna CDP kick-off meetings
CDP Funding
Q: Has the CDP received any funding to date?
A: The County Council approved County funding for CDPs in 2005. $150,000
has been earmarked for the Puna CDP. The Planning Department has
requested additional County funding of $100,000 for the Puna CDP. It is
estimated that $250,000 is needed to properly complete the Puna CDP .
Q: Who is paying for all of this?
A: CDPs are being paid for out of County funds.
Q: What funding will the government provide to support implementation of the
people’s true intent?
A: Once the CDP is finished and adopted by ordinance, it will become a document
on which funding decisions will be based. Action recommendations contained
within the adopted CDP will receive priority. Not all of the action
recommendations will require governmental funding. Some may involve
changes in governmental policies and codes. Others may require public and
private partnerships, private grant funding, and/or help of community
volunteers.
Q: How do we integrate State funding (and Federal) with County funding to
implement the Puna CDP?
A: It depends on what is being implemented. For example, if the implementation
action involves planning, engineering, and construction of a new highway,
Federal, State, and County funding may be required. Each agency brings with
it their own set of regulations and legal requirements, and the “integration” and
coordination can be complex and time-consuming.
The CDP Process
Q: What was the reason to kick start this planning process?
A: The four “kick-off” meetings were held to help spread the word that a
significant, community-based planning process has begun for Puna. Getting
the word out in a large, spread out, rural area like Puna requires special effort.
Q: Why is the community input phase so short?
A: Community input will be received throughout the process in different venues:
large and small group meetings, workshops, focus groups, and the Steering
Committee. The small group meetings that are being held in March-April-May
are only the beginning. Future workshops and focus group discussions will
also give people a chance to interact with each other and give feedback and
input to the planners. Another round of small group meetings may be held later
in the process, budget permitting. Surveys and questionnaires are another
means of obtaining community input, budget permitting. Additional funding for
the Puna CDP will hopefully be received.
Q: If the community needs more time getting input from the community in the small
group meeting phase will we be able to extend the timeline or do we have to be
done by the end of May?
and
Q: Why not more district meetings past April 2006?
A: Numerous requests have already been made to extend the time for small
group meetings. Consequently, we are extending the current small group
meeting phase by about 3 - 4 weeks.
Q: Do the facilitators address concurrency, basic planning statistics and funding
mechanisms?
A: The facilitators are community members who are trained in helping meetings
to be productive and to “stay on track.” They faithfully record the ideas that
result from group discussions, make sure that everyone has a chance to
contribute their ideas, and are supposed to remain neutral in group meetings.
Theirs is a critical contribution to the CDP process. However, the role of the
facilitators is not to “address concurrency, basic planning statistics, and
funding mechanisms.” The consultant, Plan Pacific, is already researching
basic statistics and will be exploring concurrency and funding mechanisms.
Q: How do people who aren’t here tonight get involved and participate in the small
meetings?
A: We find that word-of-mouth between friends, neighbors, and families is the
most effective way to involve people. We will do what we can to publicize the
small group meetings through newspapers and other media, but we need
people to help spread the word, volunteer to host and organize small group
meetings, and participate whatever way they can. Call the Puna Hotline at
(808) 935-3975 or email Puna@hawaiiislandplan.com to participate in small
group meetings!
Q: What guarantee do we have that individual community will have their input
incorporated into the plan?
A: During the selection of members for the Steering Committee, one of the
criteria will be to have representatives from different geographical areas of the
District. Further, it is up to each community to participate in the meetings and
workshops so that their specific concerns and ideas can be acknowledged and
addressed.
Q: Are each group types being heard?
A: The small group meetings are intended to reach out to as many “group types” as
will get involved. People will be heard to the extent that they choose to
participate.
Q: How can a “second home” owner be involved if we’re only here 2 months out of
each year?
A: When you are planning to be on the island, you can check the website for public
meeting schedules. The following website is updated on a regular basis and has
current information on the status of the CDP process:
www.hawaiiislandplan.com/puna.asp.
Q: Will there be a Puna plan office in Pahoa?
A: That would be ideal. However, there is no County funding available to
support such an office in Pahoa. We are open to private-public partnerships
that could result in a shared office space staffed by community volunteers, but
until such arrangements can be made, information related to the CDP will be
available in the public libraries and on the website.
Q: How about accommodating transportation for the disabled to the planning
meetings?
A: We do not have funds for transportation costs. However, all meeting locations
are handicapped- accessible.
Q: What if people with very opposing views have points to discuss – who decides
which idea will go through?
A: Good question! All ideas are considered, but consensus is built by discussing
differing points of view and arriving at agreements that the majority of the
community feels they can “live with.” The ideas that seem to have broad
consensus will be the ones to “go through.” The ideas over which no
agreement can be reached are set-aside for further dialogue with the
community. Certain issues may be too controversial to be decidedly addressed
in the CDP.
Q: Who will be responsible to insure that the timeline is adhered to? Meetings held
as scheduled to meet 2007 final plan for adoption?
A: The Planning Department is responsible for overseeing the completion of the
CDP. The consultant, Plan Pacific, is working under contract to the Planning
Department, and they are working within the same time frame. Time extensions
are possible in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Q: As an integral part of Puna, how does an obscure subdivision (Tiki Gardens)
keep from falling through the cracks if and when these plans go into effect?
A: It is important for all landowners and residents in Puna to keep informed and
involved in the CDP process to make sure that their ideas and desires are heard
and reflected in the plan. This is why there is such an emphasis on public
outreach throughout the CDP process.
Q: How can neighborhoods within the Puna district be allowed to have unique and
local guidelines in the regional plan? To meet local, specific in Volcano in
contrast to needs of Paradise Park?
A: This is an important concern that we recognize and share. We will seek the
input and guidance of the Steering Committee in helping to make sure that
local, community-level needs and concerns are not lost in regional planning.
Clearly there are needs and concerns that affect the region as a whole, such as
emergency bypasses, alternate routes, public transit, and solid waste
management, while there are more localized decisions to be made regarding
land uses, such as whether village centers are desired and where.
Q: You call us “communities” but in fact we have no rights of self determination,
so how do you prevent input from other areas, such as Mauna Loa Estates to
influence what happens in HPP?
A: Similar to the previous question, this question expresses the concern that
people who don’t live in a particular community could influence what is
decided for that community. The CDP process will need to distinguish between
decisions that should be made at a local community level from those decisions
that have regional and/or island wide implications.
Q: How do smaller communities (Mt. View, Glenwood) fit to larger, already
planned areas like Volcano?
A: The residents of Volcano probably don’t think their area is “already
planned.” Through the small group meetings that are presently being
conducted, the CDP process is providing opportunities for residents of
smaller communities such as Mt. View and Glenwood to get together and
discuss their visions for a desirable future for their immediate surroundings
as well as for the region as a whole. The small group meetings are designed
to encourage discussion that will lead to the development of a vision for a
preferred future.
Q: Please define “village.” Can’t plan it if it is not stated what it is and what will it
contain?
A: A “village” in the simplest sense is a small grouping of houses in a country
area that is smaller than a town and may or may not have a formally organized
community association or system of self-governance. Previous planning efforts
in Puna use terms such as “traditional small towns,” “rural town districts,”
“new towns,”and “village centers,” but these terms are described rather than
defined. The village center or town center is a flexible concept rather than a
strict definition that describes a small, centrally located center that provides
services to nearby residential areas. It can contain conveniences such as a
grocery store, gas station, hardware store, restaurant, perhaps a medical clinic,
recreation center and sports facilities, or other possible businesses and
facilities. The concept involves bringing work and play opportunities closer to
people’s homes, making it more possible for people to walk and bicycle,
reducing commuting times and dependency on the automobile.
Q: Why are you already using terms like “Village Locations” if this plan is not yet
formed and the community is supposed to provide critical input on what the
residents of Puna want?
and
Q: Are the previous plans automatically accepted?
A: The term, “village center,” is used in several previous planning initiatives in
Puna. Many citizen volunteers contributed to those previous planning efforts.
It is important to use the CDP process to re-examine what has been
recommended in the past and to determine if community consensus presently
exists for those recommendations. We are not assuming anything.
Q: Who would be reviewing the draft plans?
A: There will be a public review period for the Draft CDP. The Steering
Committee (whose meetings shall be open to the public) will be reviewing
interim work products even before the Draft CDP is completed. The Final
CDP is forwarded to the Planning Commission after the Steering Committee
has reviewed it (in public meetings) and recommended its approval.
Q: What connection, if any, will there be between this process and the planning
department’s infrastructure/public facilities needs assessment project?
A: The “Infrastructure and Public Facility Needs Assessment Project” is
required prior to the adoption of an Impact Fee Ordinance. Impact fees would
be used to pay for infrastructure and public facilities that are needed to
accommodate new development. The CDP process can identify projects that
may qualify for this source of funding.
Q: How does the State Planning Code HRS 226 fit into the county plan?
A: HRS Chapter 226, deals with planning on a statewide basis. Among other
requirements, it mandates county general plans and their contents. The
Hawai`i County General Plan which was revised in 2005 in turn allows the
Planning Director or Council to initiate CDPs.
Q: What part does the State play in the CDP?
A: Relevant state agencies will be consulted when there are issues involving state
jurisdiction, such as the State Department of Transportation regarding
Highways 11 and 130.
Q: Will we be informed of government development plans already approved?
A: The more people are informed, the better they can participate in the planning
process. Future CDP workshops and meetings will provide opportunities for
people to learn about land uses that have already been approved, developments
that are being proposed for the future, as well as what current county zoning
and State Land Use District Classifications allow.
Q: Is this plan to be a pro-development plan? An anti-development plan? Or
somewhere in between?
A: Input from the communities and stakeholders will determine the direction and
type of growth recommended in the plan.
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