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Third set of answers to public questions asked at Puna CDP kick-off meetings
Steering Committee
Q: Would it be more representative if the community decides who will
represent their community as a steering committee? I.e. have applicants
get signatures from residents, rather than having the county check
ambiguous references.
and
Q: Who selects members of Steering Committees? Can local communities have
a say in who represents their community? Or will the county select
“rubber stamp” members?
A: A review committee comprised of residents of the Puna District has been
formed by the Planning Department. This committee will review all
applications and make recommendations to the Planning Director.
Background checks are being conducted of all applicants. The applicants will
be reviewed with the goal of assembling a Steering Committee that will be
representative of the diverse interests and perspectives of Puna’s residents. It is
important to form a Steering Committee as soon as possible so that the
committee can begin its work. The Planning Director will provide a list of
candidates to the Mayor for his review. As required in the General Plan, the
Mayor appoints the Steering Committee members who must be confirmed by the
County Council after several meetings open to the public. This entire process
takes months to complete, and it is hoped that the committee will be formed
sometime in June before the next series of subdistrict workshops.
The General Plan Elements
Natural Resources and Shoreline
Q: What has already been done to coastline public lands in Puna for parks and
ocean access?
A: In addition to the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park coastal lands in Puna,
there are a small number of public parks along the Puna coastline utilizing
public lands, such as MacKenzie State Recreation Area, Ahalanui, Isaac Hale,
and Kahakai County Parks, and the Waiopae Tidepools State Marine Life
Conservation District. Needs for more parks and accesses to the ocean should
be addressed in the Puna CDP. Specific locations for future parks and ocean
accesses can also be recommended. Land ownership, safety, maintenance, and
protection of natural and cultural resources are among the concerns that will
need to be considered.
Public Facilities
Q: Are there any future developments for a new Pahoa gym?
A: The future plan for a new County Parks & Recreation gym is to have it located
on the same parcel that has been Executive Ordered to the County by the
State. The new Pahoa Fire Station and Police Station will be at the same
location. Conceptual plans also include ball fields, a pavilion, and comfort
station. The Department of Education also has plans and State funding for a
new Pahoa gym next to the school.
Q: Does Puna have a youth recreational center or plan to have one?
A: The County recognizes the deficiency of recreational facilities in the Puna
district. Accordingly, the County is in the process of initiating a master
planning effort to create a community center complex in Pahoa on County
owned land that includes the existing pool, ball field, and old fire station. The
community and interested community organizations will be involved in the
planning effort such as the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA, Bay Clinic, Friends of
the Library, Mainstreet Pahoa, to name a few. The intention is to create a
multi-purpose community complex to serve not only youth recreational but also
cultural and social service needs.
Public Utilities
Q: How come the Director of Dept. of Water is not part of the team?
A: The Director of the Dept. of Water will be consulted as water concerns come
up, just as other directors of other County agencies (such as the Directors of
Public Works, Parks and Recreation, and Environmental Management) will
need to be consulted as needed. State and federal agencies will also be
consulted, as needed (such as the State Departments of Transportation,
Education and Health, and the Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park).
Q: Will Ainaloa/Tiki Gardens have county water and post box?
A: The County Department of Water Supply does not have plans currently to
develop county water systems in the Ainaloa/Tiki Gardens area. Postal service
is the responsibility of the federal U.S. Postal Service, and the county is
unaware of federal plans to expand postal service into those subdivisions.
Q: What is planned on the water development plan?
A: The previous planning study on water development focused only on the Central
Puna area (Volcano to Hawaiian Paradise Park). The purpose of the plan was
to formulate an overall concept for the backbone water infrastructure. This
overall concept was necessary to coordinate the many separate water projects
proposed by individual developers and/or community associations. It was never
the intent for the Department of Water Supply (DWS) to develop this water
system, but rather for DWS to provide technical assistance. The Community
Development Plan needs to expand the examination of potable water needs
throughout the Puna planning area and propose ways to finance this system.
Transportation
Q: What is the status of alternative roadway from Puna to Hilo?
A: The Puna Makai Alternate Route (PMAR) needs further study and community
discussions. No alignment for the alternate route has been determined.
Q: Is the shoulder lane by Pohaku Circle going to be open every day all day?
A: When the shoulder lane addition is completed from Shower Drive to the Kea`au
Bypass (Hilo-bound side only), it will be open every day all day.
Q: Is there a plan for expansion of route 130 to 4 lanes from HPP to Keaau?
A: The State is planning to proceed with the environmental studies for expansion
of Highway 130 from two to four lanes, from the end of the Kea`au Bypass to
Pahoa.
Q: Why can’t a second major road be above 41st avenue where there is no
housing?
A: While it’s true there are fewer developed lots in that area, the major drawback
to locating a second major road in that location is that it would add to the travel
distance for the commuter by being located further away from the population
that is commuting to Hilo. While land acquisition might cost less there, it may
not be an attractive alternative to Highway 130 for the majority of commuters.
Q: Are there plans to turn “Railroad” into an escape route? Who is
responsible for main access roads in HPP? County or HPP?
A: The Railroad Right-of-Way would need to be acquired. It is more suitable as a
pedestrian and bicycle trail in its present condition and would need to be
improved before it could be used as an emergency, vehicular escape route.
Hawaiian Paradise Parks’ roads are privately owned and the responsibility of
Hawaiian Paradise Park landowners.
Q: Does the county have plans to create bus shelters where people can wait out
of the rain while waiting for the Hele-on bus? Who is responsible for this?
A: The County’s Transit Agency has plans on establishing bus stops throughout
the island. They are currently working with an architect to design the bus
shelters.
Q: How much will the community development plan include public
transportation solutions to the traffic congestion?
A: Public Transportation is an important component in the overall effort to
reduce traffic congestion. The CDP offers the opportunity to get more
specific about solutions to traffic congestion that include public
transportation, pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as improvements to the
highway system.
Q: What is the purpose for widening Paradise Drive? Will it include a bike
and pedestrian path?
A: The widening of Paradise Drive is a privately funded and managed project of
the Hawaiian Paradise Park Owners Association. These questions need to be
addressed by the HPPOA which has a website:
http://www.hawaiianparadisepark.org/
Q: How can we improve undeclared roads that were paved in the 50’s?
A: Roads are particularly challenging. It is important to determine who owns the
road and whether it is under any governmental jurisdiction. Answering those
questions helps to reveal where the funding would need to come from for road
improvements and what standards for road improvement may be required.
The County Department of Public Works is presently asking the islandwide
community to help them with an inventory of the “Roads in Limbo” which are
roads that are publicly owned but neither the state nor the county is
maintaining them.
Communication
Q: We (Police) need communication down in lower Puna (Kalapana, Pohoiki,
etc.) and this is an immediate safety issue. How soon can we hope to have
some problems alleviated?
A: Unfortunately, the communication capability went down due to a technical
problem with the radio equipment on the tower in lower Puna. The Police
Department is working on obtaining replacement equipment. They consider
this high priority and hope to have the power restored within a short period of
time. In order to avoid an officer safety issue, the Puna District officers have
been responding to calls in lower Puna in pairs.
Sewage
Q: Is there a waste water treatment plant planned?
A: According to the Department of Environmental Management, none are
planned for Puna District.
The CDP Process
Q: How will this plan address concurrency for public infrastructure?
A: We hope that the CDP leads to a process to encourage investment in public
infrastructure that occurs along with the growth of the area. The plan could
include concurrency policies that can be agreed upon. Actual implementation
of concurrency for public infrastructure will require the County to:
1. Inventory existing infrastructure and capacity;
2. Assess deficiency to serve existing development;
3. Project future growth and demand;
4. Estimate costs to remedy existing deficiency and meet future growth
demands;
5. Recommend a financing plan that attempts to match who benefits to
who pays; and
6. Implement a financing plan that would account for future development.
In some localities, concurrency is used as a regulatory tool that limits rezoning
or new subdivisions until adequate public infrastructure has been built. In
Puna, however, most development will be the construction of homes on lots by
individual owners in subdivisions already approved, so it will be difficult to use
concurrency effectively as a regulatory tool.
Implementation
Q: Is the CDP intending to implement the General Plan? If so, what happens if
the community’s wants and needs contradict the General Plan? Who
decides?
and
Q: Once the CDP is adopted as “ordinance,” can it be modified? If so, how can
it be modified?
A: The General Plan states: “In the process of creating the Community
Development Plan, it may be determined that the General Plan should be
amended. The Planning Director or County Council may initiate amendments
to the General Plan, and the steering committee may recommend amendments,
that would be enacted at the same time as the Community Development Plan, or
as a follow-up to the Community Development Plan. If there is a direct conflict
between the Community Development Plan and the General Plan, the General
Plan shall be controlling.” Once the CDP is adopted as an ordinance, the
procedures for subsequently amending the CDP would follow the same
procedures required for amending ordinances. The full text of the General
Plan can be found at http://www.hawaii-county.com/la/gp/2005/main.html.
Land Use
Q: How does Enterprise Zone fit into CDP? Perhaps into mix use to alleviate
auto dependency?
A: Don’t understand the second question. Being that areas within Puna District
are among the officially designated Enterprize Zones of Hawai`i Island, the
CDP offers the opportunity to identify and promote action recommendations for
economic stimulation that would utilize and perhaps strengthen the existing EZ
program in Puna.
Q: What is the status of Geothermal Direct Use to promote agriculture and
jobs?
A: The County of Hawai'i is in the process of studying the feasibility of direct
(non-electric) uses of geothermal heat in the Kapoho/Pohoiki area of Puna.
The goal of this study is to take the first steps to develop a geothermal enterprise
park that will benefit the community. The feasibility study is scheduled to be
completed by February 2007. Information regarding geothermal direct use
applications is available on-line at the following web sites:
US Department of Energy - www.eere.energy.gov/geothermal
DBEDT - http://www.hawaii.gov/dbebt/info/energy/renewable/geothermal
Oregon Institute of Technology - http://geoheat.oit.edu
Regulatory Issues
Q: Why aren’t the planning rules enforced? Example: many of my neighbors
are subdividing but aren’t required to improve the road ways, they get a
variance subdivide and sell. The population increase the private roads get all
busted up. I have to sell out lots of my own money to repair.
A: Subdivision variance applications are reviewed and approved by the Planning
Department according to Chapter 23 Division 2 of the Hawai`i County Code.
To read what the code says about subdivision variance criteria and
requirements go to
http://www.hawaii-county.com/countycode/main.html#countycode. If your
neighbors have successfully obtained variances that allow them to subdivide
and sell their properties, they have succeeded in using the variance process
provided in County law. The variance application requires that all neighbors
within 300 feet of the perimeter boundary of the subject property be notified by
mail that a variance is being applied for, when the Planning director will
consider the application, and the deadline for the director’s receipt of written
comments on the application. Additionally, the Code requires posting of a sign
on the subject property, notifying the public of the nature of the variance
application. Further, if there are objections to the director’s written decision,
any person can file an appeal to the Board of Appeals within thirty days of the
director’s written decision. Procedures for filing appeals to the Board of
Appeals are outlined at http://www.hawaii-county.com/planning/rules.htm
under Board of Appeals Rules of Practice and Procedure.
General Inquiries
Q: What are we doing to promote self-sufficiency and sustainability? If a
global pandemic strikes (such as mutated form of bird flu) Hawaii will run
out of food in six days.
A: The State of Hawaii established a Hawaii 2050 task force to review the Hawaii
state plan and other fundamental components of community planning, and to
develop recommendations on creating the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan.
The Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan will define and implement state goals,
objectives, policies, and priority guidelines for sustainable island development.
Russell Kokubun, Senator from Hawai`i Island, is the chair of the task force.
Q: Where will faith based organizations that serve the community with food
pantries fit in to the plan?
A: At this time, it is not clear whether there is a need for faith-based organizations
to be specifically mentioned in the plan.
Q: My property is land locked by the county, what do I do?
A: It is difficult to answer this question without knowing all the circumstances.
For questions about specific properties, call the Planning Department at 961-
8288, have the Tax Map Key number to the property handy, and ask to speak to
a staff person who can help with this type of question. Alternatively, stop by the
Hilo Planning Office at 101 Pauahi Street, to determine how to begin the
process of figuring out what can be done.
Q: Can lava zones be mitigated or changed for insurance purposes?
A: Volcano Hazard Zones are determined by the U.S. Geological Survey agency
which bases its determinations on extensive, scientifically collected data. It is
hard to imagine how natural phenomena, such as lava inundation zones
could ever be “mitigated” by humans. Insurance companies are held
financially accountable for the properties that they insure, and it is in their
interests to rely on scientifically determined information.
Q: Can CC&R’s be affected/changed?
A: Conditions, Covenants and Restrictions (CC&Rs) are private covenants
recorded with the State Bureau of Conveyances. Check with an attorney
regarding the procedures for changing CC&Rs.
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