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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSD 1-28-14 Minutes [DRAFT]KAUAI PLANNING COMMISSION WORKSHOP January 28, 2014 The workshop meeting of the Planning Commission of the County of Kauai was called to order by Vice Chair Anderson at 9:23 a.m., at the Ld►u`e Civic Center, Mo`ikeha Building, in meeting room 2A -2B. The following Commissioners were present: Ms. Angela Anderson Ms. Amy Mendonca Mr. Herman Texeira Mr. John Isobe Mr. Hartwell Blake (9:31 a.m.) Mr. Jan Kimura (9:38 a.m.) Absent/Excused: Mr. Wayne Katayama The following staff members were present: Planning Department — Michael Dahilig, Marie Williams, Lee Steinmetz, Leslie Takasaki; Office of Boards and Commissions — Cherisse Zaima; Deputy County Attorney Ian Jung Discussion of the meeting, in effect, ensued: CALL TO ORDER Vice Chair Anderson called the meeting to order at 9:23 a.m. ROLL CALL Director Michael Dahilig noted that there were four Commissioners present. APPROVAL OF AGENDA On the motion by Herman Texeira and seconded by Amy Mendonca to approve the agenda as amended, the motion carried by unanimous voice vote. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD On the motion by Herman Texeira and seconded by Amy Mendonca to close the public comment period, the motion carried by unanimous voice vote. Update on complete Streets Policy and Kauai Multimodal Land Transportation Plan Implementation Efforts Mr. Dahilig noted that Lee Steinmetz, Marie Williams, Lyle Tabata, and Ka'aina Hull will be presenting the County's efforts on the Complete Streets implementation at the Smart Growth Conference in Denver. Long Range Planner Marie Williams and Transportation Planner Lee Steinmetz provided a Powerpoint presentation of the update. (On file) Mr. Blake commented that he noticed the proposed location for the bike lanes are not at the shoulder of the road, but more in the middle of the street, and asked if there would be any public education on how to utilize those lanes. Mr. Steinmetz explained the reason the lanes are placed there are due to the right turn lanes, noting its safer for bicyclists to be next to the through lane, rather than have a car cross through the bike lane to make a right turn. The bike lanes on the highways would primarily be for very experienced cyclists who are comfortable riding on the highway, and will not be used by beginning cyclists or families out for a casual ride. He acknowledged that the Department should work with the State Highways Division to provide an educational component for drivers to help them understand that they must be aware of cyclists. Mr. Steinmetz commented that they must design different bicycle facilities for different uses, using the example of the shared use bike path as being a great facility for younger, or less experienced cyclists; commute cyclists, or experienced cyclists will want to utilize the main roads. In reference to the long range desire to encourage more bicycle use, and less vehicle travel, Mr. Texeira commented the population: needs to be more centralized, and have people live new their workplace. He feels that would be the quickest way to decrease vehicle use. Ms. Williams replied that is the reason the Complete Streets plan has a strong land -use component, noting what Mr. Texeira is describing is the Smart Growth concept which focuses on more compact, dense towns that support a live- work -play environment. She noted that the Multi- modal Plan consultant found that most of our trips are primarily short distances of approximately a half mile that could be walked or biked, Mr. Texeira asked when the centralization process would take place, stating that developers are already coming before the Commission to which Ms. Williams replied the foundation has already been laid out in the existing General Plan for the LShu`e area, and the Department is moving forward with implementing that through the Liltu`e Community Plan. Mr. Texeira pointed out that private sector companies such as Grove Farm and other large landowners will be an important component, and asked how they are included in this process. Ms. Williams replied that those landowners are a part of the citizen working groups for the Lmu`e Community Plan, and the South Kauai Community Plan; once the General Plan process begins, they will have a critical role to play in the advisory committee. Mr. Texeira commented that the aging population, the senior citizens of Kaua` i, would be encouraged to relocate to Lihu`e as they would be closer to facilities such as the hospital. He Page 12 further noted that in addition to our current aging population, many retirees are moving to Kaua` i; he feels having that population in LYhu`e should be part of what the Department is trying to accomplish. Mr. Isobe stated he feels the Department is headed in the right direction, but would like a better understanding of how everything will come together. He stated for example should the median strips be included it would require maintenance of the trees, as well as striping of lanes, and asked how the County would grow its workforce to provide that. He also asked how Complete Streets would be implemented in conjunction with the community plans, or the General Plan, noting that what is in the plan now, may not be applicable years down the road when a developer may finally plan to build. How is that being laid out for the general public to understand what will be happening 2, S, or 10 years from now. Mr. Steinmetz replied the Department is working with Public Works on discussing the maintenance aspects, noting different streets may have different strategies. He stated for example that the recently developed portion of the bike path on Papaloa Road behind Kintaro's passes several resorts, and bas a parkway strip. For that particular area, though it was installed by the County, each resort is taking care of maintaining the frontage of their property; there are use agreements with each resort. They may use a similar approach in the Po`ipu area, noting that resorts are able to provide much more beautiful maintenance than the County can, and already have available staff there. He would like to work out those types of agreements during the design process so they know how they will be maintained before actual construction. For areas like Rice Street where they do not have the same benefit, the Department may have to look into establishing landscape improvement districts where the business, or property owners, create a landscape district to address that; whether it is contracted out or taken care of by the County is something to be determined. The maintenance strategies would be dependent on the location, and the Department would look into ways to accomplish that. All design factors for future maintenance implications are being considered. Mr. Steinmetz stated that some of the costs for sidewalks and bike lanes can be taken care of by developers as part of their project. Mr. Isobe stated he agrees for certain things the developer should be responsible, but he has some difficulty with regularly transferring these costs to developers because the cost of development in Hawaii is already very high, and adding additional costs would only serve to raise the cost of real estate and development on Kauai. This would contribute to socio- economic problems where a certain level of income would be required to work and live here; a ripple- effect would ensue, leading to a larger and larger gap between the haves and have nots. Mr. Dahilig stated that these types of improvements tend to increase attractiveness and value, which would be a benefit to certain business areas. Though the intent is not to stack up numerous costs, in certain cases where a developer would have to build a road anyway to comply with DOT requirements, the Department may recommend changes to conform to Complete Streets. That would essentially minimize the amount of Complete Street add -ons, which would decrease costs to the developer. Using the Lihu`e area plan as an example, Mr. Dahilig explained the County could put in the initial investment, but have some type of business improvement district which recognizes the value of those improvements, then have the Page 13 business /property owners take the lead in maintaining those improvements to ensure a healthy, attractive area. Mr. Isobe commented he thinks the Complete Streets plan is a great concept, but he is looking at the totality of how development is done on the island. He stated he thinks improvement districts are great, but expressed his concern for the small mom and pop businesses who now have to pay for both the cost of running their business, and maintenance of the area, which adds to their cost of operations that, in turn, increases their sales costs. Using Waikiki as an example, Mr. Isobe stated you no longer see small, local businesses there anymore; it's just not feasible among the high -end designer stores. He expressed his concern that businesses that are currently in Lihu `e town today, may not exist anymore if they go down this road, Ms. Mendonca commented throughout the years, many high end businesses have come in, noting when Kukui`ula first opened, there were many high -end art galleries with pictures selling for thousands of dollars. In contrast, the Hanapepa Art Night event consists of shops that sell artwork for a few hundred dollars that are just as pretty. She noted that people look forward to that event, and surmised it is because visitors come to Kaua` i not looking for what they can see on the mainland, but the quaintness of what Kaua` is shops have to offer. Ms. Mendonca stated that tourists she has interacted with on the South Shore has mentioned time and again that they do not want Kauai to be so commercialized like some other islands, and as the new developments come up, have asked what happened to. the little mom and pop stores where they could casually walk in and talk story. While they should move forward, they must remain controlled, and reserved. Mr. Dahilig stated that the general intent is to create a safe destination that encourages foot traffic along these corridors, which is what contributes to quaint business areas like Hanapepe; there are not a lot of vehicles speeding by. There is currently not a lot of commercial enterprises along Rice Street because it is a very busy, fast - moving street. Creating a more walkable destination would augment the revenue as it would make the town a destination area, which more people will have a desire to discover, Mr. Steinmetz commented that they are looking at the incredible things they currently have, and look at ways to build upon that. Each place will be looked at individually, and will incorporate context - sensitive design aspects. They have to address ways to maintain competitiveness in. the world tourism market while keeping the unique character of each area. Ms. Mendonca stated she.feels it adds to the concept of the plan, pointing out that different towns have their own uniqueness, which encourages more visitors to go to different towns. Mr. Dahilig noted that the upcoming presentation on the General Plan Technical Study should offer another angle on how everything comes together. General Plan Technical Study: Socio- economic Analysis & Forecast Presentation Page 14 . Jim Dannemiller of SMS, an Oahu based firm, provided a Powerpoint presentation on the General Plan Update. (On file) In response to Mr. Texeira's question, Mr. Dannemiller explained that anyone who is not a visitor is considered a resident, though there are slightly different variations of that; he is using the census version which states at least five months of the year. For most of the counties, as long as one has a driver's license, address, and pay taxes to the State at least once, that is considered a resident. Mr. Texeira noted the resident population has changed dramatically in the last 20 years, and he is unsure of what the resident population really is as far as people who were born and raised here as opposed to people that have arrived in the last five months. That has shifted dramatically, and describing the resident population is where they should start. Ms. Anderson asked if there were any records on the birth rate on Kauai to which Mr. Dannemiller replied birth rates have been higher than Oahu, but have been falling. Death rates are falling as well. Mr. Kimura asked if the island would be able to handle the predicted future population, expressing his concern that the more houses we build, the more agriculture land we will lose. Mr. Dannemiller commented that there is a lot of agriculture land, and he is unsure that anyone will plan to build there. Mr. Kimura commented that everyone is selling their agriculture land for development. Mr. Isobe asked for clarification that the population increase shown, factors in the people that are leaving as well as dying, which means the population is growing in spite of those factors to which Mr. Dannemiller replied yes. Mr. Blake asked whether the population numbers take into account the military to which Mr. Dannemiller replied no, noting the military presence on Kauai is made up of two pieces, one of which is the barracks population who are not considered residents, yet anyone working on the base but lives outside, whether civilian or military, is counted. Mr. Texeira asked if they have projected the demographic of the In- migration population to which Mr. Dannemiller stated no, it is a very difficult thing to do, but based on past data the in- migration population consists of mostly aged 35 — 55. Mr. Kimura stated much of the younger population who were born and raised here are now having children; they do not necessarily think about family planning for the future, and will likely remain on the island. Mr. Kimura stated considering local mindset and education, and that a large percentage of Kaua`i's population will not be able to afford to send their children to college, he feels the projected population shown in the slide should be doubled. Ms. Anderson stated that is a very important issue that is specific to Kauai as Kauai has the highest teen pregnancy rate within the nation; however, she feels it is a larger issue that involves education on teen pregnancy prevention, and things outside this discussion. Mr. Kimura stated he understands that, but asked what they can do to prepare for the future as far as Page 15 development, knowing there will be a big population boom; how will they be able to house all these people. Mr. Jung asked the Commission to allow Mr. Dannemiller to go through his presentation, and the sociological issues that it addresses can be debated afterward. He noted that this study is prepping for those issues as part of the General Plan. (The meeting recessed at 11:19 due to technical difficulties with the projector.) (The meeting resumed at 11:25.) Mr. Texeira asked which demographic is migrating out to which Mr. Dannemiller stated he is not certain, but two groups that are discussed are young people seeking opportunity and education, and those who recently arrived but left because it did not work out for them. There was discussion on in- migration, and where the majority of immigrants are coming from. (Some portions of presentation and related questions were inaudible due to additional talking and background noise) Mr. Kimura asked whether the areas of the island showing little to no increase in planning areas are due to residents being against growth to which Mr. Dannemiller stated that may be one of the many reasons why. Other reasons would be regulations placed by the Planning Commission as well as the State Land Use Commission. Ms. Anderson stated there was discussion on having L-lhu`e as the centralized location; however, she noted the population density is actually in the Kapa`a/Kawaihau area to which Mr. Dannemiller stated there are more people there, but pointed out it is a bigger area. Mr. Texeira asked whether the population growth in each area has been tied into the projected subdivisions proposed on Kauai as he feels there is a direct correlation. Mr. Dannemiller replied no, but stated he has been doing the State's housing studies since 1992, and the least reliable variable he has ever used in any research has been proposed development;. it either happens or it doesn't. Looking at what has happened in the past has been a more reliable indicator. Ms. Anderson asked if `Ohara units or ADUs counted as separate housing units to which Mr. Dannemiller replied yes, if they are separate, though he is unsure how exactly the census is counting them. In response to Mr. Texeira and Mr. Kimura, Mr. Dannemiller clarified that the growth rate he was discussing was what percentage of more jobs they have every year. Mr. Isobe asked to clarify, based on the Wage and Salary graph, that in 2035 there will be about 35,000 wage and salary jobs, with the growth rate at less than 1% to which Mr. Page 16 Dannemiller replied yes. Mr. Isobe asked what the population will be in 2035 to which Mr. Dannemiller replied approximately between 85,000 and 90,000. Mr. Isobe stated if that's the case, the majority of that population will not be working. (Some portions of presentation and related questions were inaudible due to additional talking and background noise) Mr. Kimura reminded the Commission that they were running out of time, and requested that the Commissioners hold their questions until the end of the presentation. Mr. Kimura stated he will be making changes to the agenda over lunch. (Some portions of presentation and related questions were inaudible due to additional talking and background noise) In response to Mr. Isobe, Mr. Dannemiller explained the visitor unit growth, rates. (The remainder of the presentation and related questions were inaudible due to additional talking and background noise) Mr. Dahilig stated the Commission has a task group on long range plans that could continue to discuss what was presented relative to the urgency and spatial issues. Mr. Dahilig distributed the Department's budget goals for the current and previous year for the Commission's review and comment. Planning Commission Education: Tips regarding meeting management This item was deferred to the February 25, 2014 meeting. EXECUTIVE SESSION Pursuant to Hawai'i Revised Statutes 92-5(a)(2 and 4), the purpose of this executive session is to discuss matters pertaining to the evaluation of the Planning Director. This session pertains to the Planning Director's evaluation where consideration of matters affecting privacy will be involved. Further, to consult with legal counsel reggdingpowers, duties, privileges and/or liabilities of the Planning Commission as it relates to the evaluation of the Planning Director. This item was deferred to the February 25, 2014 meeting. Discussion on additional future workshop topics There was no discussion on additional future workshop topics. Page 17 ADJOURNMENT Chair Kimura adjourned the meeting at 12:08 p.m. Respectfully submitted by: lQ4!/ Cherisse Zaima Commission Support Clerk Page 18