HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlanning 032817 MinutesKAUAI PLANNING COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
March 28, 2017
The regular meeting of the Planning Commission of the County of Kauai was called to order by
Chair Keawe at 9:01 a.m., at the Lihu`e Civic Center, Mo`ikeha Building, in meeting room 2A -
2B. The following Commissioners were present:
Chair Kimo Keawe
Mr. Roy Ho
Mr. Wayne Katayama
Mr. Sean Mahoney
Absent and Excused:
Ms. Kanoe Ahuna
Ms. Donna Apisa
Ms. Glenda Nogami Streufert
The following staff members were present: Planning Department - Michael Dahilig, Leslie
Takasaki, Marie Williams, Alex Wong; Office of the County Attorney - Deputy County
Attorney Jodi Higuchi Sayegusa; Office of Boards and Commissions -- Administrator Jay
Furfaro, Commission Support Clerk Darcie Agaran
Discussion of the meeting, in effect, ensued:
CALL TO ORDER
Chair Keawe called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m.
ROLL CALL
Planning Director Michael Dahilig_ Commissioner Streufert. Vice Chair Ho.
Mr. Ho: Here.
Mr. Dahilig: Commissioner Ahuna. Commissioner Mahoney.
Mr. Mahoney: Here.
Mr. Dahilig: Commissioner Katayama.
Mr. Katayama: Here.
Mr. Dahilig: Commissioner Apisa. Chair Keawe.
Chair Keawe: Here.
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, you have four (4) members present.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Chair Keawe: Move on to the minutes. Oh, excuse me. Approval of the agenda.
Mr. Dahilia: Mr. Chair, the Department would recommend no changes at this time to the
agenda.
Chair Keawe: Can I have a motion?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to approve the agenda.
Mr. Katal Second.
Chair Keawe: It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? (Unanimous voice vote)
Motion carried 4:0.
MINUTES of the meeting(s) of the Planning Commission
Regular Meeting of February 28, 2017
Chair Keawe: Next item is approval of the minutes. We'll take them one at a time. The regular
meeting minutes of February 28, 2017.
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to approve February 28, 2017 minutes.
Mr. Ho: Second.
Chair Keawe: Moved and seconded. Any discussion? (None) All those in favor? (Unanimous
voice vote) Any opposed? (None) Motion carried 4:0. Thank you.
Contested Case Calendar of February 28, 2017
Chair Keawe: Contested Case Calendar of February 28, 2017.
Mr. Katayama: Move to accept.
Mr. Mahoney: Second.
Chair Keawe: It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? (Unanimous voice vote)
Motion carried 4:0. Okay.
RECEIPT OF ITEMS FOR THE RECORD
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, we do not ... we have testimony that has been submitted as part of Item
E, but we will circulate those as it comes in. Right now there's approximately a hundred pieces
of paper that we're duplicating, so when those come in, we'll distribute them to the
commissioners.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Dahilig: Other than that, we do not have any additional items for receipt of the record, Mr.
Chair.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
HEARINGS AND PUBLIC COMMENT
Continued Agency Hearing (NONE)
Mr. Dahilig: Item F. This is Continued Agency Hearing. We have none.
New Agency Hearing (NONE)
Mr. Dahilig: No new agency hearings this morning.
Continued Public Hearing (NONE)
Mr. Dahilig: No continued public hearings, but we do have one (1) new public hearing.
New Public ti�
Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-4: A bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 8 of the
Kauai County Code (1987), as amended, to establish a zoning designation appropriate
for any parcel encompassing a university or collegepus = County ofKaua `i.
Mr. Dahilig: This is Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-4. A bill for an ordinance amending Chapter
8 of the Kauai County Code, as amended, to establish a zoning designation appropriate for any
parcel encompassing a university or college campus. The applicant is the County of Kauai and
there's a Director's Report pertaining to this matter.
Mr. Chair, the Department would recommend opening the public hearing on this item at this
time.
Chair Keawe: We will open the public hearing on this item at this time.
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, the Department does not have anyone signed up to testify on Item F.4.a.
Given that, the Department would recommend making a final call for any testimony and then
closing the public hearing.
Chair Keawe: Is anybody in the audience here to testify on this particular zoning item? If not,
we'll close the hearing on this item?
Mr. Dahilig: Yep.
Chair Keawe: Do I have a motion to close?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to close the hearing.
Mr. Ho: Second.
Chair Keawe: It's been moved and seconded to close the hearing. All those in favor?
(Unanimous voice vote) Motion carried 4:0.
All remaining public testimony pursuant to HRS 92 (Sunshine Law)
Mr. Dahili&. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We're on Item F.S. This is all remaining public testimony
pursuant to FIRS 92. I do have a number of testifiers signed up for the General Plan item under
Item L.l.a. I would recommend, Mr. Chair, moving forward in the same manner that we did
previously where we'd make a call whether they'd like to testify now or later.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Dahili&. John Moore.
John Moore: Now.
Mr. Dahilig: Okay.
Mr. Moore: My name is John Moore. I'm the Director of the Hawaiian Sustainability
Foundation. I've been a Policy Analyst in writing for the last 30 years. I'm here today on behalf
of the Kauai Community Coalition to testify.
Number one, we asked the Planning Commission to ensure that our General Plan meets the
Aloha+ Challenge. The Mayor has already agreed and signed on to the Aloha+ Challenge and
the Aloha+ Committee is coming to Kauai in two (2) months to meet with members of the
Planning Department and Ben Sullivan with the Mayor's Office. We ask that we delay action on
the General Plan until we can meet with the Aloha-]- Community and incorporate the suggestions
and measures of the Aloha group into our General Plan.
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Number two, we ask the Planning Commission to set up an ongoing executive committee on the
quality of education on Kauai. We are very fortunate on this island to be blessed by brilliant,
wonderful people. Bill Arakaki, who's our Superintendent, and Helen Cox, who's the Chair [sic]
of KCC, are doing everything they can, but they need our support. They need to work with the
County, they need to work with the citizens, and collectively, we should come up with a plan
with them to make education a higher priority and higher quality on our island, including
graduate programs so our students don't have to leave the island to go off to college and people
from around the world can come to the island to go to college.
Number three, we ask the Planning Commission to ask the Planning Department to work with us
and KCC and other groups that are already working together on holding a vision summit and a
solutions lab. We feel that if we bring all the leaders of the State departments and PMRF and the
County departments, as well as concerned citizens together, then we can come up with a better
vision and solutions; practical, best practiced solutions for our island.
And finally, as I asked once before as the Director of the Subcommittee on Transportation, we
ask that the Planning Commission set up a transportation committee. Now, the Planning
Department mentioned that the County Council had set up a transportation committee at one time
that served that purpose, but they no longer meet; they haven't met for a very long time. We
have bridges that are ready to collapse, we have a backlog in Kapa`a which everyone knows
about, and with the added resorts that are scheduled to come online, we could have a complete
catastrophe in Kapa`a. So, in order to avoid catastrophe of bridges falling, as well as the
gridlock that would ensue when the resorts open up in Kapa`a, we ask that a transportation
committee made up of citizens, DOT, the State, PMRF... everybody work together to resolve this
as quickly as possible, and these suggestions be included in the General Plan. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Anne Walton. Testify now or later?
Anne Walton: I'll go later.
Mr. Dahilig: Okay. Leonard Peters.
Leonard Peters: Hi. Good morning. My name is Leonard Peters. I'm a father of seven (7) and
a grandfather of four (4) with one (1) on the way. I'm here on behalf of those seven (7) and the
kids that the ... the families that they are about to raise. I'm here to voice my opinion about
affordable housing. I'm encouraged by the new inventory of housing that is coming to Kauai,
but I want to let you know that $400,000 is not what I consider affordable for my kids and their
kids. I don't see that improving at all if we do nothing, and I'm here to voice my support of
affordable housing in that we need not make the mistake of not developing because we have
other issues with infrastructure. Projects like Hokua Place, I support because it will add more
inventory to our market in hopes of driving those prices down so that my kids and their kids can
live here on Kauai. You know, I wake up every morning, I walk outside my house, there's a
single mom with her daughters living in a tent because she has nowhere else to go. It's
expensive out there. It's expensive out there. We've offered our home. There are places too
full, so that's why I'm here; to support affordable housing and projects like Hokua Place. Thank
you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you very much.
Mr. Dahilig: William Chang.
Milton Chin: Aloha Kakahiaka. My name is Milton Ching. I submitted testimony to the
Commissioners this morning. I'm in support of Hokua Place. My testimony is very brief. I'm
here on behalf of those that cannot be here to speak for affordable housing. So I ask the
Honorable Commissioners to consider the proposal to the General Plan. Thank you very much
and mahalo.
Mr. Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Felicia Cowden.
Felicia Cowden: Aloha, I'm Felicia Cowden. Today I want to really speak in broad
brushstrokes. As you know, I've followed the General Plan pretty much through this whole
process and there's something I'm uncomfortable with. I want to say Kauai has a very polite
culture and the General Plan Update is almost too polite for an honest conversation. When I
really reflect on what's happening, we have two (2) main legs in our economy; both the visitor
industry and land development. At its present rate, it works together to drive out the residential
population off the island. The best paying jobs that we have replace the population and a decent
living is best earned in ways that exploit the island. So as people come on vacation, that's where
they go out to show which houses to buy and things like that, so then we get these new residents
that, basically, are non-residents; some might live here, most don't, but they are resented.
They've been invited over, sold something very expensive, and then not welcomed. I would say
that the north shore is Exhibit A in this problem. Our visitor industry no longer really provides a
downtime. February looked as busy as what July can often look like and rush hour traffic in
Hanalei can require more than 30 minutes to get from Hanalei up to Princeville, which is really
about 3 miles away. When I'm down there and around, about half the people on the street,
shops, and beaches don't even live here. So the houses which are mostly sold to people who are
from somewhere else, regardless of where they're born ... I wasn't born here; I'm not, not
recognizing that I'm part of the group that has come though I came as a worker 34 years ago.
Now we're selling houses to people who have to make their money from somewhere else and
they come. So when I look at the General Plan Update, it ignores the fact that, you know, our
thriving economy ... when we have a thriving economy here, it just functions like a conveyor belt
of pushing generational residents, especially, away.
Mr. Dahili&. Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Cowden: So on our current trajectory, we will be a west coast suburb for the rich and those
who wash their cars. And that's what it feels like, to the most part, on the north. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you for your testimony.
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Mr. Dahilig: Councilwoman Yukimura.
Chair Keawe: Councilwoman Yukimura.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura: Chair Keawe and members of the Commission, good
morning. Thank you for this opportunity to testify. I appreciate the opportunity to speak sooner
than later since my dad is in the hospital and I need to go over there. But I'm here, actually, on
his behalf, too. He's 96 years old and he's seen many, many changes to the island; some of them
good and some of them not so good. The whole purpose of the General Plan is so that we can
have good change and not really be inundated by bad change that is uncontrollable and that is not
serving the needs of our residents, and that's why that plan is so important and that's why I'm
here this morning, too. And I have to say, I'm seeing just the bare majority of the Planning
Commissioners here and I'm really sorry, I'm sure they have good excuses, but on such an
important subject, we really need full dialog.
You know, today's front page has a quote from Phil Fudge about two (2) people born ... everyday
on Kauai two (2) people are born and one (1) person moves to Kauai. Well, that doesn't ... and
that seems to confirm, you know, the thrust of the General Plan that it's more for internal growth
than for growth from the outside. But we're not talking about what is the net of, you know, how
many people born, how many people die, so what is the net of internal growth, and also, how
many stay here and how many leave. Because, as has been pointed out throughout this
discussion, most of the people who come in have the ability to stay here and are affecting those
who live here and are born here who cannot often afford to stay here. So that raises the
affordable housing question which has been very eloquently spoken of today and many, many
times, but the General Plan is not really addressing the affordable housing problem. It does not
address the fact that we can build housing — and I'm in favor of building housing — but in 10
years, they are at such a price that most people can't afford it. So what do we do with that
housing that we require of developers, but in 10 years it's in the market; 10, 20 years. And we're
backwards... going backwards instead of forward. There is not ... that is not addressed in the
General Plan. And I want to ask, how many of you have read through the whole General Plan?
Okay. Well, I really commend you because I haven't even read it completely through; partly
because I don't have time, but partly because it's not an easy thing to read through. It's very
disorganized. It's hard to discern
Mr. Dahili . Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Councilwoman Yukimura: —exactly what policy it is telling you, and if it's hard to read and
disorganized... I will finish up.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Councilwoman Yukimura: Even though I don't ... I mean, this kind of 3 -minute dialog is not
sufficient and that's why ... and when you try to read the whole thing, it's just such a big bite to
eat. We need to take one chunk, like growth management, and have a decent discussion about
that so you understand how the General Plan is actually addressing the issue, or not. So I beg
you to really think how to look at the process and what you need to do as Planning
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Commissioners so you're not just rubberstamping a plan, but you're actually sending something
to the Council that is really meaningful and gives good direction for the next 20 years to the
leaders and to the public.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Councilwoman Yukimura: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Jim Edmonds, now or later?
Jim Edmonds: Good morning and thank you. I'm Jim Edmonds. I'm an environmentalist.
Somehow, at the same time, I ended up also being a real estate broker and, dare I say it, a
developer. I could talk to you for at least 30 or 45 minutes on the benefits and the drawbacks of
the Hokua Subdivision, but in our business, we've chosen to focus almost all of our efforts on
helping local people find a home. We've also quickly learned that that ship has sailed; there are
no homes for them. We've also learned that the term "affordable housing" on this island has
become a sick joke. The next affordable houses that are going to be available after 14 years of
work will be nearly a half a million dollars. Half the people on this planet want to move to this
island now and most of them have more money than we do, so there are no reasonable places to
live on this island. I can tell you horror stories about the rents that are being charged in our
communities. So we've learned that the only way that we can truly help is to figure out how to
build, not affordable houses, but truly affordable houses. This is going to take some work, but
the problem is, if you start a large project now, as you guys know, it usually takes 5 to 20 years
before it actually comes to fruition. When I was born, there were two billion people on this
planet; right now we're heading toward eight billion people on this planet. When I was born,
there were 39,000 people on Kauai, and right now we're guessing 72,000 people, which means
we're actually doing pretty well in that frame. But as I understand it, only 7% of the land on this
island can be developed, and that's all in a narrow strip along one of the most beautiful coastlines
on the planet, so every tourist who comes here has such a hugely elevated value to the properties
that are here. And we only have one (1) road. Where have you ever been that there's one (1)
road? That's why we have terrible traffic. All of these issues will be solved over a period of
time. It just takes good money, planning, and time. You are here, everyone is in this room
because we all genuinely care about Kauai. We just have different opinions about how to solve
it. What I'm going to ask is that everyone in this room try to be open-minded for just a moment;
forget about the subdivision and just start to think about your island friends and neighbors. Our
local families love each other so much and that's what really touches our heart about being on
this island and in our home.
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Edmonds: But the multi -generational families that you know, are they being torn apart? Are
they being driven off the island?
Chair Keawe: Can you wrap up your testimony, please?
Mr. Edmonds: Is it really more important for you to fight a subdivision than it is to think about
the pain of your family friends? What we will do is we're working as a group of concerned
citizens with the people of Hokua, who own Hokua, and they've agreed to analyze the affordable
housing situation and we will work with them to try to help. And I am asking everyone to step
forward and try to help bring this subdivision to fruition, but with truly affordable housing.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Edmonds: Thank you. And I have a sheet of suggestions for people the way you can help
with affordable housing — if you want to ask me for a copy today.
Mr. Dahilig: Lee, if we could, maybe, get that from the gentleman.
Lee Steinmetz: We have it.
Mr. Dahilix Okay. Greg Allen, now or later?
GregALater.
Mr. Dahilig: Joanne Allen, now or later?
Joanne Allen: Now. My name is Joanne Allen of Wailua and I want to ... I brought a letter from
Jeanne Childs that I want to read for her regarding Hokua Place, Kapa`a.
This support is strongly stated for this project for the following reasons: one, Kauai really needs
housing. One of my children will be returning, one found housing on Oahu. I've been a realtor
for over 30 years and the biggest problem I have is finding affordable housing for my clients
who are locals and others who need to find property that they can afford; too often this is not
possible. Two, Hokua Place will be able to afford first-time apartments and houses. I expect it
to be like Puhi is now. Puhi is so important for these very specific reasons. Three, also for the
elderly. Hokua Place would be able to provide a project, perhaps, like Regency where our older
citizens can move into when they need support in later years; this is so very needed. Four, traffic
is a real problem in Kapa`a; however, Hokua Place has a traffic plan that benefits the immediate
area and alleviates traffic to the roundabout. Five, what better place to raise kids than a
residence near their school. Isn't that what was expected when the school was placed here? This
project is very much necessary and I sincerely hope that our County will see that since this is so
very needed, it will be passed and implemented ASAP. Thank you for your consideration to this
matter. Sincerely, Jeanne M. Childs.
This is just a sample of the testimony liokua Place has received. It's been my privilege to help
gather the written testimony that the community has sent to Hokua Place, and I just want to
publicly acknowledge those letters, which have been turned in to the Planning Department.
Hokua Place has received overwhelming support from the community living right in the Kapa`a
area. These are hardworking families who can't afford to breakaway to testify in the middle of
the work day, so I want to thank the Commission for your consideration and attention to their
letters. Thank you very much.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Bill Peterson, now or later?
Bill Peterson: Now. Good morning, members and thank you for allowing me to testify. My
name is Bill Peterson. I'm a resident of Kapa`a, and a frequent resident of the traffic circle and
some of the other places along the bypass trying to get into town. I did submit written testimony
which is fronted with this picture of the traffic at the traffic circle, which is a fairly common
occurrence. I do not oppose Hokua Place. I believe we do need sustainable housing, but as any
real estate agent and most of them have spoken this morning — will tell you, location, location,
location. The current location is not bad, but until you can solve the existing traffic issue, you're
just building yourself a big parking lot and it's not getting any better. My family has been here
for close to 40 years and we've seen the traffic go from the dog sitting in the middle of the road
waiting for a car to come by to what I can only call is a horrendous waiting system on the way
into town. The Kapa`a crawl has got nothing but worse. We really need your help in Kapa`a.
It's the center of the working population of this island and most of those people trying to get into
Uhu-e to work at jobs are spending more time on that road, now, than they are working that
maybe a slight exaggeration. (Laughter in background) I'm retired. I can choose when I go
into town. But if I had to show up like I used to at PMRF every morning, it would be very
difficult making that run every morning. Fortunately, I can do something about it for myself, but
I can't do it for my neighbors. In the meantime, we're running out of housing. So there's really
a couple of curves going on here: declining population of available housing, increasing
population, and a lack of infrastructure that is strangling our highways. It all needs to be
addressed. It can't be just kicked down the road hoping that we'll come up with a traffic solution
in time to have this stream of new residents coining in because we're looking at 800 units,
probably 2 cars per family unit, that's a minimum of 1,500 to 1,600 vehicles hitting that road
every morning. It's already unsustainable. So, I would appreciate if the Commission would take
that into their considerations because it's a difficult problem for everybody.
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Peterson: And even with the best of intentions on everybody's part, we need to come up
with better solutions. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Harvest Edmonds, now or later?
Harvest Edmonds: Now.
Mr. Dahilig: Ms. Edmonds, I notice that you're also signed up under Leilani Spencer.
Ms. Edmonds: Yes. She's here, but we weren't sure if she was going to be able to be here or
not, so—
Mr. Dahilig: Okay.
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Ms. Edmonds: Aloha. My name is Harvest Edmonds. My husband Jim and I own Emerald Isle
Properties, and have for many years. Our company's mission that we are very committed to -
is to provide truly affordable housing as soon as possible to help alleviate the current housing
crisis on Kauai. Though we are not in any way affiliated with Hokua, we believe that Hokua is
the avenue to bring much needed housing to our island as soon as possible. I feel a bit unsettled
giving my testimony today because I'm usually on the other side of issues regarding
development on Kauai. Do I think we need more resorts and timeshares on Kauai? Absolutely
not. Do I think we need some well-planned, truly affordable housing on Kauai? Absolutely. I
totally understand why many here do not want Hokua to go through. There are many unresolved
issues that need to be dealt with on the County- and State- level; the biggest one, of course, being
traffic. This is an issue that is being worked on and that needs to be resolved, whether or not
Hokua is built. But to me, the biggest crisis on Kauai right now is the lack of housing for our
children as they become adults and want their own homes; for the many families who have been
here for generations who have had to move to the mainland because there is not enough housing
and what there is, is too expensive; for so many people who have been born here or who have
lived here many years who cannot find a place to live. If Hokua is not kept on the General Plan,
we will have lost a great opportunity to have a location right next to a town center where truly
affordable housing can flourish. It is walkable, bikeable to markets, shops, beaches, restaurants,
a school, a farmers market, and much more. Where else on this island is there such a perfect
location? Really, where? I must say that I am not totally onboard with what the developers of
Hokua have planned for this land. My dream is to see a much higher percentage of affordable
homes and of different sizes and of mixed-use. There are many ways and there are examples
of this all over the country — to make the houses truly affordable, unlike Ho `oluana at Kohea
Loa, which is the Hanamd'ulu project where affordable starts at almost a half of a million
dollars. The developers are committed to being open to hearing ideas
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Edmonds: That are out of the box on how to make this project to better serve our
community. We must have more homes available that our local, Kauai residents can afford to
buy.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Greg Bloss, now or later?
Greg Bloss: Now. Good morning. Thank you for letting me give my testimony this morning.
I've never done this before. It feels like you're asking your future in-laws to marry their
daughter or something (laughter in background) sitting here. I also appreciate the fact that I've
been married 28 years. My wife and I have not agreed on everything over those 28 years and I
realize, in this room, there's going to be lots of people with different opinions, but I appreciate
the format where we can all come here and share our thoughts and our ideas, and hopefully give
you the information you need to guide and direct our growth into a way that's good for our
families. With that said ... I made some notes here. I'm over 50 now, so I have to wear glasses,
but the need for housing is not new news. I'm a real estate broker on this island; don't hold it
against me. My wife is a labor/delivery nurse; hopefully that balances out. (Laughter in
background) Also, childbirth educator and the lactation consultant, so that kind of brings me up
a couple notches, I think.
Anyways, I love working with local families. W'e're just closing a deal this Friday with a local
family that listed their house since they moved to Las Vegas for the very same reasons - the
affordability and worrying about their keiki and their kids being able to buy homes in the future.
And then another local family, fortunately, was able to buy it and it was great to be able to
facilitate and be a part of that. The traffic issues going in and out of all of our towns are also not
a new problem; neither of these are new problems. These have both been problems in the whole
14 years that I've been blessed to be able to live here on this island and raise my kids. But it
seems like what we have is the same old new news ... the old news and that is it seems that we
tend to ... and I know that we don't completely ignore it, but from the outside it kind of feels like
that because we don't see any real dramatic changes happening and creating affordable housing
and also addressing our traffic issues. This type of ..I don't want to say attitude, but this type of
way of addressing these issues is certainly not working. These problems are the problems they
were 14 years ago when I arrived on the island. It's just as well as they are today; problems
exist. Currently, we have many and I mean, seriously, many situations in Kapa`a where
people are paying $900 to $1,200 a month, not to rent a house, but to rent somebody's carport
that's been converted into a studio, to rent someone's shed, to rent someone's garage, to rent out
their ... part of their house that has been converted into illegal living. It's... basically we have
people living in a garage. I don't see that adding Hokua Place is going to add a tremendous
amount of traffic because I believe a lot of the people that are already driving their cars in and
out of Kapa`a will just now finally be able to afford to buy something that's actually nice and
safe and a great place that they can raise their kids, whereas now they're not really given that
affordability to do so. I also believe that it's smart growth, as you heard from the other
testimonies. Having the ability ... I mean, the concept -
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Chair Keawe: Wrap up your testimony, please.
Mr. Bloss: Okay. The concept of actually having sidewalks in a community where people can
walk around seems like a novel concept, but I think it's an exciting thing. And having a
community where you can walk to different things is a great opportunity. So anyways, I
appreciate the time and I wish you guys the best of luck in your process of thinking this through.
Have a great day and aloha.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Chris Bowman, now or later?
Chris Bowman: I'm going to testify for the Hokua as a positive. I moved here 15 years ago. I
got married into the Ragsac clan. I'm here representing my family in Anahola. Around the
kitchen table we talk a lot about (inaudible), the growth, but there needs to be growth, and this
seems like smart growth to me. My family and I have been in the construction industry because
1Z
we do support slow and controlled growth. This being centrally located, we already have a lot of
the infrastructure to take care of the place. I think it's the right thing to do. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Carl Imparato, now or later?
Carl Imparato: Aloha, Commissioners. My name is Carl Imparato and I'm speaking on behalf
of the Hanalei to Hd'ena Community Association. On January 31", the Board of Directors of the
Hanalei to Hd'ena Community Association submitted its comments regarding the January 2017
draft of the Kauai General Plan. On March 14`h, we provided additional testimony that clearly
shows that the Draft General Plan greatly understates both the current impacts of tourism and the
amount of tourism growth that Kauai faces over the life of the proposed General Plan. We've
already testified that ever-increasing growth and tourism is an existential threat to the character
of the 11analei, Wainiha, Hd'ena area and to the safety and quality of life of residents in the area.
Tourist traffic is overwhelming our roads and bridges, beaches and parks, commercial centers,
and neighborhoods. Expanding tourist activities and services are crowding out residence at
beaches and parks. Rapid evacuation of the tsunami hazard zone isn't possible due to the very
large and ever-increasing number of tourists and tourist vehicles west of Princeville. In short,
our infrastructure is not capable of handling unlimited tourism growth, the area's rural character
and quality of life are compromised by it, and safe evacuation of the tsunami zone is made
impossible by it. We requested that the Draft General Plan be revised to include actions to
protect the Hanalei, Wainiha, 11d'ena area, including resident only parking areas at parks,
beaches, and neighborhoods impacted by non-resident parking; priority access for residents to
campsites at crowded parks; and restricted tourist vehicle access on Kuhio Highway beyond
Princeville. But, Supplement Nos. 1 through 4 did nothing at all to address the problem of
overwhelming tourism growth, nor did Supplement Nos. 1 through 4 respond to our requests that
the Draft General Plan be revised to include policies to protect critical view plains, not encourage
additional growth in hazard evacuation areas, encourage the State to not expand commercial
activities at our parks and beaches, encourage the State to enforce existing regulations,
encourage the State to institute traffic calming measures in our communities, and to defer to local
communities' visions and desires regarding the nature and boundaries of our town centers,
neighborhood centers, Neighborhood General and Neighborhood Edge designations, parking
lots, multiple -use paths, and other local matters. As Supplement Nos. 1 through 4 have not
responded in any significant way to the concerns we raised, we, therefore, request that you, the
Planning Commission, take action to ensure that these concerns are addressed before you
contemplate any approval of the Draft General Plan.
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Imparato: I'll finish. We remain genuinely interested in working collaboratively with the
Planning Commission to ensure that the Final General Plan provides a meaningful set of policies
and actions to protect our communities. Thank you for consideration of these concerns.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
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Mr. Dahilig: Gabriela Taylor, now or later?
Gabriela Taylor: Now, please. Good morning. My name is Gabriela Taylor and I'm going to
mostly read this because I have a lot to say. Well over a hundred residents have already testified
in the past against the Hokua Place development and all I can say is anybody who lives in
Kapa`a does not — the ones that I know anyway and I've been here a long time -- does not support
the building of this; it's in the wrong place. Perhaps it could be successful someplace else, but
this is going to ruin our lifestyle.
Okay, first of all, everybody is talking about affordable housing. Well, have they looked at the
County affordable housing prices? I have, and I have a copy of it, which I've given to you here.
According to the County affordable housing prices, a two-bedroom condo for a family earning
$59,000 would pay $190,000 for the two-bedroom condo and a family making $36,900 a year
would pay $87,600. According to the Hokua Place EIS, the market multi -family units are
proposed to be sold in a range starting at $250,000 to $350,000; depending on the size and
location. So if you subtract the ... starting with $250,000, which Hokua Place is proposed for the
lowest one. you subtract $87,600 from that that means anyone who buys that is being
overcharged $162,400. And single houses will sell for $650,000 to $950,000; only mainlanders
can afford that. Kauai needs real affordable housing in the right place that's not going to ruin
our lifestyle. We have as many people have said — debilitating traffic, and I would say here, it
is driving us crazy. We have a major problem in Kapa`a and by adding a potential 250,000
vehicles from l4okua Place onto the bypass and Kuhio Highway, plus that from three (3)
permitted hotels; nobody's mentioned that. There's three (3) hotels going up in the Wailua
corridor. They've already started on one of them behind Longs, and then the Coco Palms and
the other one are going to be built. So the Kapa`a crawl will come to a standstill if ..and the
DOT doesn't really have big plans for expanding the roads.
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Chair Keawe: Could you wrap up your testimony, please?
Ms. Taylor: Okay. I'd just like to say ... also, it's affecting tourists. Tourists are writing to The
Garden Island saying they're not coming back with all the traffic going through Kapa`a. It's an
impact on the infrastructure; the water and the landfill capacities are full now. I would say, also,
up -zoning from Ag to Urban is not a good idea; we need to grow food, we need to have food
security on this island. It is extremely important as we go on with climate change.
Chair Keawe: Thank you for your testimony.
Ms. Taylor: Thank you very much.
Mr. Dahilig: Bruce Hart, now or later?
Bruce Hart: Now. Good morning, Commission. My name is Bruce Hart. I've lived here for 42
years; my mother lived here before that. I was homeless for 15 years, if that lends any credibility
to my testimony. For the last, approximately, 3 years, I've confronted this issue at the County
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Council. During that 3 years, I've attended at least 800'0 of all the Committee and Council
meetings, and I've heard just about every government agency on this island, and some of them
speak on the urgent need for housing. I don't think that any of you, or anybody in this room,
doesn't realize that we need housing, but I'm going to step outside the box for a moment and I'm
not going to blame this Commission or the government or put all the weight upon the
government's shoulders to provide affordable housing. The issue of affordable housing is not
one I can go into here. It has to do with inflation, a hidden (inaudible), and it's not a mystery
but, again, I can't go into it now. Everybody ought to look into the issue of inflation. I would
like to say that I've been familiar with Hokua Place when it was Kapa`a Highlands and that I do
believe that it will alleviate some of the problem. Will it solve everything? No. So in general, I
believe it's a good development; affordable housing. Again, it will alleviate some of the
problem. I also happen to know Mr. Allen and his family, and have known them for some time.
I know that he is a member of our community. He's raised his family here. He's a local
businessman. He's not an outsider and he's trying to do what he can to help with the problem
while still making a fair profit. There isn't anything wrong with that that I can see. If you take a
look at the amenities that Mr. Allen is offering, I don't know what else we could ask for. One of
the ones that's not commonly known is that Mr. Allen has offered land to this County for a new
Kapa`a police station. We all know that the Administration is looking for a good area for a
police station. He also offered land for a fire station. This is high ground. The police station
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Hart: And the fire station would be out of that area. There are other amenities he's offered,
also. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Taylor Reid.
Taylor Reid: Leilani Spencer is going to go in my spot because she has to leave and then I'm
going to speak.
Mr. Dahilig: You'll need to go now, ma'am, or we're going to skip you.
Ms. Reid: Good morning, Planning Commissioners and everyone here today. My name is
Taylor Kaluahine Reid. I was born and raised on the north shore. I'm a communications
graduate from UH. I moved back home with my real estate license with the intent of creating
opportunities for local families to find decent homes at an affordable price, but this past year has
been quite an education. I've come to find that there's no decent affordable housing for the
people of Kauai. And as statistics continue to show, we'll almost definitely be saying farewell
to more loved ones who can no longer pay $1,500 for rent for a garage with a stove. Also, stop
saying "affordable housing"; starting in the high $400,000's, to who? Affordable is defined as
when your housing cost is 30% of your income per year. And based on that, with the average
medium household income on Kauai at $63,000 a year, a truly affordable home for that family
would be something more like $225,000. I'm all about preservation and keeping the country,
country. It's true we don't need any more resorts or timeshares for our more affluent visitors.
0i
However, local people like myself, at 26 -year old woman who works two (2) jobs to afford rent,
let alone to afford life, I need something to change; we need something to change. There needs
to be development of truly affordable housing that offers much needed stability, shared
resources, and a strong network of neighborhood support. It is no easy task, and careful attention
needs to be paid to the initiation and planning of new housing to ensure that local needs and
housing conditions are fully assessed and deliberate on a basis of a clear vision. The creation of
sustainable communities requires the collaboration of a number of public and private agencies,
the establishment of integrated systems of management, and a delivery process which fully
engages with existing and future residents. And if successful, the outcome will be places to live,
which offer genuine choice and opportunity for Kauai families and individuals for generations
to come. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Leslee Doncosse or Darcosse.
Leslee Darcosse: Good morning. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to
Chair Keawe: Can you speak up, please? Pull the mic closer. Thank you.
Ms. Darcosse: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak here this morning. I'm going to
say a little different than what I wrote in my testimonial [sic], but I've been on the island (for) 40
years now and like the dog in the road, we had to wait `til the dog got up and moved off the
street before we drove by, so I understand traffic in Kapa`a. I live up in the Homesteads and one
of the things that happens is I take Olohena down to ... pass the middle school, and if I go in the
morning when there's ... and I have an appointment that I need to go to — I have my own business
on the island — and I time it wrong, then I'm sitting there where traffic is going into the school
even though that they've changed that road and improved that road. There's not a
middle... there's not a lane that separates ... a long enough lane so that through traffic can happen
while all these cars are trying to pull in in either direction and come out. So we sit there, just sit
there and wait, at least 10 minutes, and then we go down and we meet the rotary, and there's
already a long line of traffic that's going into the rotary, so my biggest concern is traffic. I
moved from the east coast where traffic ... you know, four (4) lanes of stopped traffic going into
the city, and I left there 40 years ago.
And I really question that this is affordable. I don't have all the details like some of the speakers
earlier, but I really do question that. I don't own a home. I've never been able to own a home
here. I love the beauty of the island and the rural-ness and the people. I rent those small places
that are within my price range, and I'm concerned that when the house that I'm in sells, what's
going to be available that's really affordable for me. So I really challenge you to, you know, to
be in integrity, to stand tall, and to really be in your place of wisdom in making the choices with
all the information that's given to you; choices that will make your family proud and will make
your ... the future generations proud. Thank you so much.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
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Mr. Dahilig: Glenn Mickens.
Glenn Mickens: Good morning, Commissioners. Thank you for hearing my testimony. My
name is Glenn Mickens. I strongly oppose the rezoning of this Ag land for commercial use.
Sure, we need low income housing, but as these people are pointing out, what is low income?
These people can't afford $250-; $300-; $400,000. Any common sense or an EA or EIS should
prove that this is not the place to put it. With a potential of 1,600 to 2,000 more vehicles coming
out of this development, they only have two (2) routes to go — Olohena to Kuhi6 Highway or to
the bypass to Kuhi6 Highway — and we all know what a traffic mess these roads can be now at
any time of the day. Hopefully the leadership and our Administration and within the Planning
Department led by Mike Dahilig, who I have a lot of respect for, will leave this area as Ag land
and for solar farming, which my friend Kurt Bosshard has done with some of this land; clean
energy that we all need. We need wider roads on Kauai and making use of our cane haul roads
like we did with the Kapa`a bypass. Vehicles are and will remain our major means of travel, so
we must plan for them; not for bikes, buses, and walking. And above all else, we desperately
need to put a moratorium on all future large-scale construction until the infrastructure is put in
place to handle it. We must change our modus operandi and stop "ready, fire, aiming", which
has caused the messes we are in today. We can start today by making sure that this area is not
rezoned. You know, the public sits here asking these same questions. All you people I know
can see these same things; you can see what has to happen. But we can't just keep on building,
building, building, without doing something for the infrastructure prior to that time. I know
some places in the past we've given out permits. The people that have these permits have been
paying taxes; the right of taking, I guess, you can't go in and say no. But any other future
construction, we should make sure that they come back in within 4 or 5 years if things have
changed, like there's 72,000 people on this island now. So we have to be able to go ahead and
monitor what's going on. And again, put the infrastructure in place. Don't do it then jam things
up, and we're in traffic messes up and down Kuhi6 Highway. Everybody says well that's State,
this is County; pointing the finger back and forth. This is one island. Let's get together with the
State and the County with our roads and fixing our infrastructure. Anyway, I hope in your
wisdom you'll see the people are highly against this development. Thank you very much.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Leilani Spencer.
Leilani Spencer: Aloha mai kakou. Mahalo nui loa for hearing the testimony this morning. I
thank you for calling me now because I have to run off to work. I work for UH and I do
nutrition education classes for low income families. I am born and raised in Hawaii and I'm a
Kapa`a resident. I've lived half a mile from Hokua Place for the past 25 years, so I'm intimately
familiar with the traffic flows; incidentally, there was none on my way in here today. Thanks to
the Planning Department's outreach, I've been able to see the progress in the General Plan
Update where I first became aware of Hokua Place, which seems to be a much-needed plan, and
was surprised that there were people strongly opposed. It seems that if we continue to say no at
any sign of growth or development, which is absolutely inevitable — not only here on Kauai, but
all over the country and world — then we will simply be unprepared for the future. If we continue
to say no, where will our people live? I'm not referring to the mainland transplants. I'm
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referring to our own Kauai people and their growing families. It's been very clearly stated by
the Planning Department and many other entities that we absolutely must face the housing crisis,
which is only going to grow and grow. It seems that there's a mentality of the old; the game is
locked and nobody else can play. In other words, I have my own piece of paradise, so now let's
stop any more growth because I got mine. Meantime, folks born and raised here many who go
back generations -- are locked out of homeownership, including myself. I've never owned a
home. I've rented all these years. Or even reasonable rents (are) unavailable due to the
incredibly high prices, high cost of living, low wages, and extremely limited inventory. Housing
instability causes a multitude of other problems in a community such as ours. I understand the
fears about traffic, sewage, water, and other infrastructure, but that will happen anyway, and
from the Hokua Place plan, solutions are being offered in the infrastructure issues. The County
has prioritized traffic solutions in the Kapa`a area and they have exciting plans on improving the
current issues. Also, we've all noticed that traffic fluctuates. We don't have a traffic problem all
the time. And by the way, what beachside resort have we ever seen that has no traffic? Sure, I'd
like to roll back the hands of time and revert to the days of only one traffic light between Kapa`a
and Hanalei, and when absolutely nothing was open after 8:00 p.m., but those days are gone. I
am certainly not in support of anymore development of hotels, timeshares, or high-end luxury
condos; there is no crisis for that. The real crisis right here and now and guaranteed to only get
worse - is the frightening lack of truly affordable housing. At this time, hardworking people
who have two plus jobs, including myself, are struggling to find stable housing. And where will
all our service people, tradespeople, and food service and hospitality people live? We must open
our minds -
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Spencer: -to increasing density to already existing towns, such as Lihu`e and Kapa`a, in
order to avoid sprawl and maintain green open space. The community, private sector, and
government must work together to improve these conditions for the health of the island. This
would be the time to say "yes" to Hokua to keep it in the GPU for the benefit of our hardworking
residents who need stable housing on our precious island home.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Ms. Spencer: Mahalo nui.
Mr. Dahilig: Greg Crowe, now or later?
Greg Crowe: Later.
Mr. Dahilig: Jason Hoyle, now or later?
Jason Hoyle: Now. Good morning. My name is Jason Hoyle. I've been on the island with my
family here for 10 years. I work at a local church, also in the tourism industry, and I have a
theater company that I just started, so I love giving back to the community. If anybody has ever
worked at a church before, you know you don't do that for the money. So it's kind of tough, but
we love it here. We ... circumstances beyond our control, we have had to move out of our place
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that was very affordable — that we have lived (in) for 7 years, and we, for the past 3 months, have
been looking for a new place to live. Well, there are places out there — they're not really
affordable, but you do what you have to do — and a lot of the places that we contacted to move
into, they are all for renting to us until they find out how many kids I have. As soon as they
know that I have four (4) kids, they're like oh no, we don't want to do that. Even if it's a three -
and four-bedroom house, they only want three (3) people in that house, so it's been really tough
to find a place to move into. Also, a lot of the places either are way beyond our affordability, or
also, there's such a long waiting list just to be on there. We've looked at Kalepa, we've looked
at a place in Koloa, Lihu`e Townhouses, and all kinds of different places, and most of those
places, there is a two-year waiting list, so it just makes it really, really tough. Luckily, by God's
grace, I'm supposed to be out by April Is' and I found a place last week. It's all the way up in
Wainiha; I think I said that right. So I work here in Lihu`e and, you know, it's kind of a drive
an hour every day, back and forth — but I am very fortunate to have found a place and it's such a
beautiful island. I will enjoy that drive every day, back and forth. But I just wanted to let
everybody know, you know, the situation, and I know my situation is just like many others here
on the island. We definitely need more housing for the locals. Thank you very much.
Chair Keawe: Thank you. We will take a short break at this time.
The Commission recessed this portion of the meeting at 10:01 a.m.
The Commission reconvened this portion of the meeting at 10:15 a.m.
Chair Keawe: We'll call the meeting back to order, please.
Mr. Dahilig: Beryl Blaich, now or later?
Beryl Blaich: Later, please.
Mr. Dahilig: Okay. Jeri Di Pietro, now or later?
Jeri Di Pietro: Later, please.
Mr. Dahili . Sandy Herndon.
Sandra Herndon: Good morning. Sandra Herndon for the record. Aloha, Chair and
Commissioners. My testimony is going to be a little bit different from what you'll receive later;
I did bring twelve (12) copies. But, in as much as one of the previous testifiers covered much of
the information that I wanted to share with you, I'm going to point to a couple of other things.
First of all, I appreciate and applaud your willingness to continue learning about this gargantuan
task of guiding our island's growth. You've taken on a big job in this in your capacity as
Planning Commission, and mahalo for hearing our testimonies and responding to our concerns.
These hearings have been going on for about two (2) years, and I know what you're hearing right
now is basically a snapshot of the feeling now, but if you go back for the last couple of years,
you'll see that there has been a consistent concern about this development going forward without
the infrastructure to support it. And the infrastructure ... I do recognize that the developer has
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offered to put some roads in to alleviate the traffic. Well, that needs to happen first because
otherwise you've got the cart before the horse. If that were to happen and if the balance of the
infrastructure was brought up to speed, so to speak, and if those houses truly are affordable, and
you've heard many people talk about how unaffordable (it is) for most of the average families or
the average families here, it does not ... this idea of this development does not support our vision
to assist in providing housing to the low and middle income families, and it certainly doesn't
provide hope to the houseless community. Unless Mr. Allen is planning on building HUD units,
not many of us would be able to live there. And I wonder how many more developments can be
built up in that area. Or, is this rezoning only to benefit Mr. Allen's development? If it- -
Mr. Dahilim: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Herndon: Okay, thank you.
Chair Keawe: Could you wrap up your testimony, please?
Ms. Herndon: Alright. We need ... I am opposed to the rezoning of the Ag lands to
Neighborhood Center General because we need the Ag lands to develop food to feed our families
here on this island. And in general, I think that you have the ability to step forward and make
some amazing decisions that really truly support all of the people of this island, and I thank you
for that.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Judy Dalton, now or later?
Judy Dalton: Aloha, Commissioners. My name is Judy Dalton. I just have a brief statement. I
strongly oppose Supplement No. 4's proposed changes to the Draft General Plan in regard to the
11okua Place project. Regardless of any positive attributes that the project might have,
(inaudible), traffic, and infrastructure problems mean that the project is clearly in the wrong
location. Kauai needs more affordable housing, but it should not settle for irresponsible and not
really affordable housing development that will cause more traffic and infrastructure problems.
Hokua Place is simply not the right place. Please do not change the January draft of the General
Plan's recommendations regarding development in that area. Thank you very much.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Ken Taylor, now or later? Just for the Commission's information, I did pass out
Mr. Taylor's written testimony.
Ken Taylor: Chair, members of the Council [sic], Ken Taylor. Before I get started, I'd just like
to tell each of you that back in '06 I got appointed to the CAC for the Kapa`a: Wailua
Development Plan Update. You haven't seen that come across for approval because after 10
years, for one reason or another, the County pulled the plug on the project, and I think you need
to ask why one of the larger planning areas, population -wise, doesn't have a community
development plan. Now I'd like to ... I passed out my comments. First, I believe Kapa`a Town
go]
should stay as a small town place type; concentrating any new development in and around the
existing development along the highway rather than up and around the middle school. The
housing area in Kapa`a Town is underutilized and with the right mix, could almost double the
population in Kapa`a Town. We must remember, also, that between Highway 580 Kuamoo
Road over to Kawaihau on the upper west side of (the) Wailua/Kapa`a planning area is a
potential for 4,000 housing units; no zoning change needed. This January, the County Council
passed, with a 7:0 vote, to second reading of Bill No. 2634, which became Ordinance No. 1008,
allowing multiple -family dwelling units in all residential zoned districts; this in itself will create
a tremendous amount of affordable housing. By keeping the hills west of Kapa`a Town in
Agriculture, this openness adds to the rural ambiance of Kapa`a Town, Wailua/Kapa`a planning
area, and Kauai in general. With what zoning and ordinance are in place now, I see no need to
change or to rezone any Ag land in the Wailua/Kapa`a planning area. Traffic is also another
reason that no rezoning should take place. And I'd just like to tell you, this is ... you probably
haven't see this but maybe you have, this was the community plan that was done in 1973;
adopted by Ordinance No. 254, still in place.
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Chair Keawe: Could you wrap up your testimony, please?
Mr. Tam One of the things that they laid out in here was the need for resolving the traffic
flow problem through Kapa`a. What we've gotten in 44 years is development, development,
development, and no added activity for taking care of the traffic problems that come with that
development.
Chair Keawe: Thank you for your testimony.
Mr. Taylor: I think it's important that we take time to dig ourselves out of this hole and not
move forward with any more development... rezoning until the traffic problems are resolved.
Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Elaine Valois.
Elaine Valois: Good morning. I'm strongly opposed to this project — this Hokua Project -- for all
the reasons... Can you hear me? For all the reasons that have been stated so far. But there is...I
strongly urge the Planning Commission to put on telescopes... see through telescopes rather than
microscopes, and see the future and the cost of overdevelopment and overpopulation and the
impoverishment of our `aina; more buildings, more people, more cars, more roads will not
enhance this beautiful island. There is a balance and there is a way for the people to live here
respectfully — I'm very respectful of the `aina — and that comes first; it is our mother. Without
the benefit of this beautiful island, we don't exist, or we can exist in impoverishment. I mean, a
way of life that is so different from what we could have. And there's also a monetary cost to the
overdevelopment in terms of what it does to the land. There is an expense there that they're now
researching about constant building and what it really does cost in the long run. It's
21
extraordinarily high. Yes, there is, and they are actually finding a way through computers to
assess this cost. And you would say, oh my God, you mean we're going to spend $2 billion, but
it's going to cost - 10 years from now - $10 billion in other ways. So yes, we need housing, but
again, I wish you would have a creative architect on your committee or invite him in, or her in, to
suggest how one can do that better. The traffic problems are, I believe ... and the need for
housing and so on, these are basically microscopic issues, not telescopic issues. But, they will
take care of themselves if you start from a distance view and then focus back into what's going
on right now. I plead with you to reconsider so much development all at once, also. This -
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Chair Keawe: Could you wrap up your testimony, please?
Ms. Herndon: Yes, I will. I don't want to see Kauai become little LA. That's all.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, those were all the individuals I have signed up to testify. The
Department would recommend making a final call for any testimony on any other agenda items
this morning.
Chair Keawe: One final call for any other agenda items.
Mr. Dahilig: And for those people that have elected to testify later, we'll call you after the
presentation from the Department.
Chair Keawe: Yeah, we still have the presentation of the Department, so ... alright.
Mr. Dahilig: Thank you, Mr. Chair.
CONSENT CALENDAR
Status Reports (NONE)
Director's Report(s) for Project(s) Scheduled for Agency Hearing on 4,11/ 17.
Class IV Zoning Permit Z -IV -2017-6 and Variance Permit V-2017-2 to deviate from the
minimum lot size requirement within the Agriculture (A) zoning district, pursuant to
Section 8-8-3(b) of the Kauai County Code (1987) as amended, involving a parcel
situated on the makai side of Kuhi6 l lighway in Kilauea, approx. 600 ft. north of the
Waiakalua Street/Kuhio Highway intersection and further identified as Tax Map Key (4)
5-1-005:132, and affecting a total area of 27,450 sq. ft. - Brian Lansing & David Camp,
Class IV Zoning Permit Z -IV -2017-7 and Variance Pen -nit V-2017-3 to deviate from the
lot length requirement within the Residential (R-4) zoning district, pursuant to Section 8-
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4.4(a)(3) of the Kauai County Code (1987) as amended, involving a parcel situated on
the southern side of Kuhio Highway in Hanama`ulu Town, approx. 350 ft. west of the
Laukona Street/Kuhio Highway intersection and immediately adjacent to property
identified as 4485 Laukona Street, Tax Map Key (4) 3-7-006:097, and affectinga otal.
area of 82,880 sq. ft. =Neil B. and Desiree A. Fa aran .
Special Management Area Use Permit SMA(U)-2017-1, Class IV Zoning Permit Z -IV -
2017 -8, and Use Permit U-2017-6 for construction of a farm dwelling unit and guest
cottage within the Seacliff Plantation Subdivision in Kilauea, involving a parcel situated
at the terminus of Pali Moana Place and immediately adjacent to property identified as
4101 Pali Moana Place, Tax Map Key (4) 5-2-004:095, and containing a total area of
5.476 acres - Nicholas F. Marvin Trust.
Mr. Dahilig: We are now on Item G. These are Consent Calendar items. We do not have any
status reports, but do have three (3) permits for scheduling for agency hearing on April 11, 2017.
This is Zoning Permit Z -IV -2017-6, Variance Permit V-2017-2 at TMK: (4) 5-1-005 Parcel 132,
applicants Brian Lansing and David Camp; Class IV Zoning Permit Z -IV -2017-7, Variance
Permit V-2017-3, this is at TMK: (4) 3-7-006 Parcel 097, applicants are Neil B. and Desiree A.
Fagarang; and Special Management Area Use Permit SMA(U)-2017-1, Class IV Zoning Permit
Z -IV -2017-8, and Use Permit U-2017-6 at TMK: (4) 5-2-004 Parcel 095, Nicholas Marvin Trust
is the applicant. These are the three (3) items and permits we have, and ask the Commission to
receive as part of its consent calendar for agency hearing on 04/11/2017.
Chair Keawe: Do I have a motion to receive?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to receive items.
Mr. Ho: Second.
Chair Keawe: It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? (None) All those in favor?
(Unanimous voice vote) Any opposed? (None) Motion carried 4:0. Thank you.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Mr. Dahilig. Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are on Item H, Executive Session. We do not have any
executive sessions for today.
GENERAL BUSINESS MATTERS
Mr. Dahilijg: No General Business Matters.
COMMUNICATION (For Action)
23
Mr. Dahilig: As well as Communications.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Subdivision
Mr. Dahilig: And we did not have a committee report today.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS (For Action)
Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-3 relating to updating the General Plan for the Countyoof
Kauai and technical amendments, related to the definition of Development Plan.
F learing continued 1/31-47, hearing closed and deferred 2128117, deferred 3114117.1
Mr. Dahilig: While Marie and her team get set up for the Unfinished Business on Item L — this
is Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-3 I just want to kind of lay out next steps for the Department.
Rather than hit the next meeting on April 11`h, what our intention is to do is to actually skip the
April 11 `h meeting on the General Plan item, so we're not going to be asking for any action today
on the General Plan document given the supplements that have come forward and still the need
for more discussion on them. Our intention is to either bring it back before the Commission on
April 251h or April 27`h, depending on whether we are able to obtain quorum for April 27`h. Our
intention is to have it during that week at some time.
In the interim, also, because we've gotten a lot of comments from individuals just wanting to talk
story about the plan and understand more about what's going on, what our intention is, is to
hold ... on April 10`h— this is a Monday. What we're intending to do is at Ila Coffee on Rice
Street, we want to do an event called "Coffee with Planners". This will be from 2:00 to 5:00 in
the afternoon. So, much of our community planning team, as well as some of our regulatory
planners, will be down at Ha Coffee with their mugs in hand and are available to talk about any
topics of present concern, even the General Plan. We don't want to limit it to General Plan
items, but we fully expect that that will be part of the discussion with some of our planners on a
one-on-one level. We won't be providing free lattes (laughter in background), but we will
encourage people to come and check out our Ha Coffee Bar down on Rice Street and we'll
be ... we'll have a number of our planners there just to talk story about any of your items and
we'll have the documents available there as well. So we'll be publicizing that over the next two
weeks and we'll be using that as partly a platform to listen some more on some of the items of
concern with the General Plan because I believe, as the Councilwoman had mentioned, you
know, some people do want to talk longer than three (3) minutes, and so we'll give them that
opportunity to do so as well. We'll report back to the Commission either on the 25`h or the 27ch
concerning some of the information we've gotten.
We are also just encouraging people to still submit testimony, still submit comments. We know
the timelines are a bit routine in ten -ns of weekly updates and weekly changes, but we believe
moving and announcing a date that's a month in advance, probably, will give people a little bit
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more time to kind of catch their breath, have a little bit of reflective time, and allow us to, also on
our end, digest a lot of information that has come in, especially with the Supplement No. 4.
Marie is going to go into it in a second, but you will notice that there are some noticeable
changes both in the spacial policy, as well as in the regulatory policy; some of which has already
been highlighted in the discussion that has come from the community in advance of the
Department's presentation. So, you know, I think ... we would suggest that the Commissioners
pay particular attention to some of the changes that are being proposed in this particular
supplement. So with that, I'll turn it over to Ms. Williams and we'll go from there.
Long Range Planner Marie Williams: Thank you, Director Dahilig, and good morning, members
of the Planning Commission. Today we have transmitted Supplement No. 4 to you, and as the
Planning Director said, we are not recommending approval today, but we wanted to ensure that
the public was aware of the changes and that testimony was invited and welcomed. Last time we
met there were some concerns on both the Commission's side and with the public that
having ... you know, we're now on Supplemental No. 4 and this is in addition to the original
Planning Director's report that there was some confusion about what was actually being
proposed. So to help clarify the process thus far, we have a short PowerPoint presentation for
you. You have copies of the PowerPoint presentation and we'll also have it available online at
plankauai.com.
Ms. Williams presented a PowerPoint presentation on Supplement No. 4 to the
Departmental Draft of the General Plan Update.
Ms. Williams: Do you have any questions?
Mr. Mahoney: No.
Ms. Williams: Okay, thank you.
Chair Keawe: Any questions, Commissioners, for our planner, Marie?
Mr. Mahoney: No.
Unidentified Speaker: Can the general public ask something?
Mr. Dahilig: Not yet.
Unidentified Speaker: I just want to know what this Neighborhood destination [sic] is; I mean
zoning. What is that exactly? That you talked about for the—
Chair Keawe: We don't want to get into a back and forth at this point. We'll give you an
opportunity.
Unidentified Speaker: No (inaudible). Is it a category for zoning, or what?
Chair Keawe: We'll get into it a little bit later.
25
Mr. Dahilig: I guess, Mr. Chair, given the presentation, if there are any questions concerning
some of the changes that were made, especially on some of the mapping changes ... and this is,
again, given the evolution of testimony that has come into our department -- in fact, if you want
to, maybe Mr. Chair, hold up the big packet of testimony to your right. So we've given each of
the Commissioners this
Chair Keawe: We just got this this morning.
Mr. Dahilig: So, you know, we are getting quite a volume of information still, and as you know,
this is an evolving process. Philosophically what has been the discussion behind the scenes with
our department, and between Marie and I, and our staff has been, again, the concern about
affordable housing and workforce housing, and in general, increase in the amount of product on
the island. Some of the mapping changes that you're seeing are in response to the desire to have
a diversity of product not simply centralized in the Lihu`e area, but also in some of our more
minor urban nodes, like Kapa`a and around the Port Allen area. So that's why you're seeing
some of the changes to the maps to reflect a little bit more diversity of product outside of the
areas, but also adjacent to more minor commercial and industrial nodes so that we are still
perpetuating a notion of interconnectivity versus having bedroom communities be created around
the island, so that's kind of the philosophy.
One of the other concerns that was brought up concerning the plan, again, was the performance
measures. Marie is going to be working on that and we'll be presenting those to the Commission
in later April to better kind of align things with a lot of things that are going on. Like anything
with a plan, time does not stand still when you're trying to put a handle on what to include in the
plan at any given time, so it is a moving target. You know, things like the Aloha+ Challenge is
something that came to fruition well after much of the community discussions have already
concluded, at least from our listening process. So things like that, we obviously want to provide
credence to, but at the same time, not stop all the presses and freeze things because if it's not one
thing, it'll be something else. And at that point, our predominant concern is that the information
that was generated through the technical advisory committee process is going to become stale.
I do want to remind the Commissioners that we are in 2017, so we are already creeping on to six
(6) years out from the US Census information that was introduced in 2011. So for us to be able
to provide the best recommendations on planning, it has to be based off of data and information
that is not stale. I will also comment that in between the past six (6) years since the 2011 census
that was released, we've already had a mid -decade old update from the US Census Bureau that's
called an American Community Survey, or ACS as we call it in the industry. Again, we can talk
and talk and talk as much as we want, but what we want, also, is people to make forward
progress on information that it does not, at the end of the day, become stale because we keep,
you know, messing around with things. But there are certain things that we believe are
appropriate for us to try to incorporate given the evolving dynamics of our community — things
like the Aloha+ Challenge, like Marie mentioned to try to incorporate that, but at the same
time, you know, our desire is not to freeze the process and have the information that the whole
plan is based off become stale because before you know it, we're going to be into the next census
period already.
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I will also mention that we are planning to the year 2035. When we started the process, it was a
20 -year horizon; now we're left at a 17 -year horizon at this point. So, it's a balance. I don't
want to give the impression that we're experts at being able to predict where the community
process will go. But I think it's a good balance for us right now to take a pause and to listen to
some of the things that are going on instead of hitting the next meeting and having everybody,
kind of, rush, rush, rush. We think having that one (1) month pause is probably a good—
Chair Keawe: Yeah. That was the whole idea of the pause. I remember everyone said, "Let's
take a pause, let's take a pause." We're taking a pause. We started this process in January and
so we're taking that pause. It doesn't mean that, by the time we get to April, we're going to be
ready to do something, but we need to have more input. You've been all saying, "we need more
input, we need more input." Well, this is an opportunity for you to provide that input in different
forums. So we want to make sure everybody understands why we're doing what we're doing.
Mr. Dahilig: So just, again, to reiterate, we're either looking at the Planning Commission
meeting on Tuesday, the 251h of April, or a special meeting on the 27`h. Let me just say, we just
need to be able to confirm quorum on the 27`h if we're able to have that. The reason why we're
trying to adjust around the 251h meeting is because we have Transient Vacation Rental contested
case hearings on that day, so you know, we all love those things. (Laughter in background)
Contested case hearings are some of our department's favorite items to handle, but (laughter in
background) it's a matter of (inaudible). So with that, I just wanted to provide that kind of
perspective from a 20,000 -foot view in terms of where we are on Supplement No. 4; that we are
essentially trying to pivot and be responsive to some of the diverse, affordable, workforce entry-
level housing product items that have been coming in through public testimony over the past
month or so, and also to address some of the concern that the product is being concentrated only
in Lihu`e versus out towards our minor nodes, and so the balance we're seeing again is to try to
open up some of those lands to ... that are adjacent — immediately adjacent to industrial or
commercial nodes, rather than, you know, providing sprawl that is, you know, not adjacent to
any industrial or commercial nodes, and we think that the two (2) map changes that Marie
outlined specifically address some of those future needs.
I will also ... I want to make clear that this does not presuppose that the development in these
areas is going to be immediate. What it does is it opens it up for Land Use Commission
discussion, which is a two- to three-year long process in of itself, along with zoning amendments
that'll run another, you know, year to two years, and then as well as zoning permitting. So the
real issue really looking at any type of in the ground development for these types of things is
close to, you know, 5 to 7 years out and that's just the reality. So there will be lots of other
opportunities to refine and discuss these items beyond what is being colored on the map as a
spacial policy. It does not entitle anybody to build. It entitles them to apply for the entitlements;
that's essentially what it is.
And to make clear that the items that are being proposed are also - just to address the
gentlewoman's question — are proposed in a manner to be consistent with some of our smart
growth principles; that's why you're seeing Neighborhood General versus Residential
Community being earmarked as the designations for those map changes. We strongly believe in
integrated uses versus something that is Euclidean and separate that relies on a vehicle of nature.
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So we believe that further discussion through a community planning process is going to be
required to make these areas a lot more compatible with the community desires of more entry-
level workforce affordable product, as well as things that are less reliant on vehicular means to
move around and conduct commerce and other types of transactions. I hope that provides some
clarity for the Commissioners.
If there's no other questions, Mr. Chair, there are five (5) individuals that have elected to testify
after the departmental presentation. We'll take them now?
Chair Keawe: Yes, let's take them now.
Mr. Dahilig: Okay. It would be Anne Walton, followed by Greg Allen, followed by Greg
Crowe.
Anne Walton: Good morning, Honorable Chairperson and Planning Commissioners. My naive
is Anne Walton. I thought the Planning Department was making great strides with each iteration
of the General Plan; however, having reviewed the Supplemental No. 4 to the Director's Report,
I now stand before you in a state of confusion. What happened to the statement on Page 4-39 of
the March 14, 2017 from two weeks ago Draft General Plan that states, "given the
community's sentiment after the map alternatives were presented publicly, the land use maps
have been adjusted to reflect the second alternative in which the Hokua Place site is assigned an
Agricultural land use designation rather than Urban Center. The community comments received
on the General Plan Discussion Draft support this direction." Suddenly what appears in
Supplemental No. 4 without any justification are the following recommendations from the
Planning Department: add a portion of Olohena Road near Kapa`a Town to the Neighborhood
Center General designation for Kapa`a Town; note that Olohena leads to the 11okua Place
property. Number two, Neighborhood Center: General apply to area around Kapa`a Middle
School; note, this is adjacent to the Hokua Place property. Number three, Kapa`a is proposed to
move from a small town designation to a large town, and the degree of change from Kapa`a has
been moved from incremental to transformational; no doubt to accommodate Hokua Place
development while further exasperating traffic and infrastructure problems. These proposed
changes represent a backdoor approach to up -zoning agricultural lands to Neighborhood
Center/General, aka a variation on urban; the exact alternative the Planning Department said the
public did not previously want. This is also inconsistent and/or contradictory with at least five
(5) policies in the General Plan; Policy No. 1 -Manage Growth to Preserve Rural Character,
Policy No. 8 -Address Wailua-Kapa`a Traffic, Policy No. 9 -Protect Kaua`i's Scenic Beauty, and
Policy No. 12 -Help Agricultural Lands Be Productive. If policy serves as our guidance, then
why is the Planning Department proposing to make these changes to accommodate the
development of Hokua Place, which does not even meet the most directed Policy No. 2, which
is to provide local housing - because nothing about Hokua Place meets our affordable housing
needs.
So the requested action that I'm making to the Planning Commission: reject the
recommendations in Supplemental No. 4 in regards to changes in, one, land use designations;
two, community designation; and three, degree of change for all for Kapa`a. Let's return to
where we were as of Supplemental No. 3 two weeks ago. The changes in Supplemental No. 4
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are not supported by any implicit or explicit state of rationale; at least it was not in Supplemental
No. 4. I would also like to suggest — as additional part of my testimony that's not in the written
testimony you've received — that I think it would be in the best interest of everybody—
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Walton: And particularly the General Plan to decouple Hokua Place and have separate
hearings on that from the General Plan. I have one other quick suggestion.
Chair Keawe: Quick. Quickly.
Ms. Walton: Aloha+ Challenge is a statewide commitment signed on to by our Mayor in 2014,
as well as the Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 69 to achieve six (6) interconnected
sustainability targets by 2030. These clear and reachable targets provide a framework to set
priorities, catalyze action, and track progress. During the last week of May of 2017, statewide
representatives will be converging on Kauai to work through the smart sustainable community
sector of the Aloha+ Challenge. My request to the Commission is right now is a great
opportunity for the Planning Department and Planning Commission to slow down the General
Plan Update and consider the Aloha+ Challenge framework that our Mayor has already signed
on to as an appropriate and much needed missing framework for the General Plan.
Chair Keawe: Thank you for your testimony.
Ms. Walton: You're welcome. Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Greg Allen, followed by Greg Crowe, followed by Beryl Blaich.
GregAllen: Greg Allen. Thank you, Planning Department and Commissioners, for your time.
Obviously we've heard a lot of testimony about traffic. I'm representing Hokua Place. We've
had a lot of people that are concerned about traffic; people that have places to live. We've heard
from a lot of people that don't have places to live that want a place to live, so there's obviously a
division. I just want to address some of the good things about Hokua Place.
Right now, people say do something about traffic. Ten years ago, we opened the gate on the
bypass road, which we own and we have never closed it. So for the last 10 years, because of
Hokua Place, the bypass road has been a permanent thoroughfare. Without it, traffic wouldn't be
20 minutes through the corridor or 15 (minutes), it would be an hour. We'll build a new road
through the project from the Kapa`a bypass to Olohena where the intersection will be improved
in cooperation with the County; that new road will alleviate traffic to the roundabout in front of
the school.
Hokua Place is going to build affordable units. When we first got this place, it was 50
gentlemen's estates. The County said please come in, we need housing. We went to PBR. They
said here's a plan for 450 houses. We went back in. They said it's Urban Center; we want up to
2,000. We got a letter saying 800 to 1,000. We went back to Planning. We came up with a plan
for 800; most of them townhouses, 683 of them townhouses. Now, this is a general plan. It's
29
not a specific plan. The specific plans are going to be ... are going to come back to you later.
They are going to come back to the County Council. You may say we want tiny houses, you
may say we want more one -bedroom units, I don't know what you'll say, but the general idea is
we have done a lot for traffic.
We have a well that we'll fill up the tank at Stable's Camp that's never been over half full. The
sewer system was built through Kapa`a with this subdivision in mind. The sewage takes five (5)
days to cross Kapa`a; that's why it stinks at Wailua. The infrastructure is there for the sewer.
We have the water. We have the roads. We are out of the flood zone. We support Kapa`a
Town. We're going to build bicycle and walking paths. We're going to do bulk bus tickets.
We're going to work with you to make sure units are affordable; that's our job. We're brothers
and sisters. We're not just haves and have nots. We have to solve the problem as a community.
Our kids need places to live. We build houses in front of our houses for our kids. It's not our
first choice, but it's the choice we make because we want our families to stay here. This is a
long desired location for housing. I appreciate the Planning Department recognizing that and
putting it back in as a recommendation. We know that the studies tell us by 2030 there will be a
need
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Allen: For 3,000 more houses in Kapa`a. This is a place to start working towards having
housing. Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Greg Crowe, followed by Beryl Blaich, followed by Jeri Di Pietro.
Greg Crowe: Good morning. Aloha and thank you all for your time and attention -
Chair Keawe: Can you pull up the mic a little closer, please?
Mr. Crowe: Sure. Is that better?
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Crowe: Good? Aloha and thank you all for your time and attention to the many issues in
this General Plan Update. Today I would like to ask this Planning Commission to consider
directing the Planning Department to walk the talk by picking at least one of the many great
goals in this General Plan Update Draft and give us an action plan to achieve that goal with
significant performance milestones to be achieved each year for the next 5 years, such that we
have achieved at least 50° o of complete ftilfillment of whichever goal is picked. When plans are
put into action, we get a reality check and we will find the devils in the details, as well as a few
angels. As a specific focus that combines several high priority goals in the General Plan Update
Draft, I strongly suggest affordable and sustainable farmworker housing as a demonstration of
walking the talk. The General Plan Update Draft has sustainability and resilience as goals, along
with affordable housing. The most fundamental of all components necessary for sustainability
9
and resilience are food and shelter; the essentials of life itself, as well as essential for
sustainability and resilience. At a neighborhood association meeting with the Mayor and his
staff a few months ago featuring the Mayor's Holo Holo 2020 Plan, a resident raised a question
about affordable farmworker housing. The Mayor asked Mike Dahilig to answer that question
and Mike quite openly and correctly pointed out that while we have a farmworker housing
ordinance, we know that ordinance's (inaudible) solution does not work and we need to do
something else. I ask that the Planning Commission give Mike and the Planning Department an
opportunity I think they will relish; a mandate to show, with a plan that can be implemented
within a year, how we all on Kauai can walk the talk with action that actually produces a
hundred or more new farmworker housing units in a manner that can be immediately replicated
around Kauai ten times over and thereby create affordable and sustainable housing for a
thousand farmworkers in the next 2 to 5 years. That would significantly move us toward
realizing several of our General Plan goals of affordable housing, sustainability, resilience, food
security, more ag-based economic activity, reduce traffic, (inaudible) environment, and the list of
other benefits from affordable and sustainable farmworker housing will pretty much include all
of the goals in our General Plan Update. Please do something better than the 2000 General Plan
that had affordable housing as a top priority, but resulted in, not only less affordable housing
stock available, but actually created an affordable housing crisis. We can do it here if we just
give the Planning Department the mandate and resources to let them walk the beautiful talk into
a beautiful, affordable, and sustainable quality of life for residents of Kauai starting with
farmworker housing. Please create a motion and direct Planning to do so. Thank you very much
for your time.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Beryl Blaich, followed by Jeri Di Pietro. Either one. You're the last two.
Jeri Di Pietro: Director, Lee said that it would be alright if I went... preceded Beryl Blaich with
the permission of the Commission. Our testimonies a little bit overlap so I didn't want to be
redundant. Is that alright? Okay.
Aloha, Commissioners and aloha, Director Dahilig. My name is Jeri Di Pietro. I'm on the board
of Malama Maha`ulepu and also the K61oa Community Association. On behalf of the Board of
Directors of Malama Maha`ulepu, we commend the Planning Department for spearheading the
formidable task of updating the General Plan. It was reassuring that Maha`uelepu was
recognized as a special place for South Kauai, designated as Natural on the future land use map,
and that many of the cultural resources within the Maha`ulepu ahupua`a were noted on the
Heritage Resource Map as well. It was, however, disappointing that the action plan for its
preservation is limited to the sole issue of access rather than permanent preservation options as
mentioned in the 2000 General Plan and subsequent resolutions passed by the County Council,
the State House, and the State Senate. In 2006, the National Parks Service conducted a
reconnaissance survey at the request of Senator Daniel K. Inouye. While considered
preliminary, it deemed Maha`ulepu naturally significant and suitable for protection because of its
natural and cultural resources. Malama Maha`ulepu continues to press for additional wording on
the Actions section on the Heritage Resources that state the prioritization, preservation of
Maha`ulepu where hiking, sustenance fishing, gathering, water sports continue with protection
31
and restoration of Native Hawaiian archaeology, including the Waiopili 11eiau, native plants and
animals; commence a facilitated multi-party exploration on how Maha`ulepu could permanently
be preserved through development right exchanges, sound shared management, and other
options. Rather than a visitor education resource, we would support collaborative educational
endeavors by the landowner and community groups, such as Malama Maha`ulepu, to enrich
school curriculum and offer project -based educational experiences. Open space is a true value,
not only for the tourists and not only because of Maha`ulepu's unique cultural importance, but to
continue long, local enjoyment, especially for the children; many who in K61oa don't get to
travel on summer vacations. This area is extremely important for their growth and space.
In addition, I'd also like to bring up the point that before Council now is a bill for review to
allow Additional Rental Units on lots. This bill does not include Koloa--
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Di Pietro: Because we do not have a regional sewage treatment plant, so that really does
need to be addressed; we can't continue without one.
Just one final thing, additionally, food security is ... it must be a priority with all the items
included in the plan. I highly recommend the addition of local community gardens. They don't
need to be large and sprawling, but maybe can start within our parks that exist.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
k1s. Di Pietro: Thank you very much.
Mr. Dahilig: Beryl Blaich.
Beryl Blaich: Aloha, Commissioners. I am Beryl Blaich. And thank you very much for the
pause. I am just wanting to follow-up because I'm also a board member of Malama Maha`ulepu
and to say that we have been saying, repeatedly, that we hope you'll ... that this plan will express
prioritization of preservation of that place, which other plans in the past have done.
And I want to speak specifically about one thing I think is very disappointing about this plan and
that is that there's a lot of attention to the idea that we need to preserve access, but you have to
think a little bit more broadly to understand that access can be great in many circumstances, but
it can also mean a tremendous change in the way people experience the natural world. So I need
you to think about Hd'ena where we have access and `Anini where we have access to the beach.
The beaches, of course, being wonderful and they're unfortunately ... sometimes they're getting
smaller, but these are accesses th-rough corridors of beautiful homes, and it means that the people
who go to these places feel almost like they are visitors in a different world. So there ... we need
to not just give up on the idea of preservation of open space, we need to double -down. We need
to do what the Big Island and '_Maui are so successfully doing, which is marshalling private and
public resources, using their open space money, and taking the risk and going for it, and not
being cowed by the reality of liability. We need to make an effort to address liability. So, thank
you so much. I hope that in the revision of the Heritage Resources we will come down more for
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really protecting some very special places, not just Maha`uelpu. There are so many on this
island. There are coastal (inaudible) that are undeveloped; Alekoko. So many important places
that we really need not just access to — but we need permanent protection of these areas for
people to experience and enjoy. Thank you very much. I sent you some comments regarding
Kilauea and I hope you'll look at those and talk about those in the future. Thank you so much
for your work.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, those are all the individuals I have signed up to testify. The Department
would recommend making a call to anybody who has not testified.
Chair Keawe: One last call. Anybody else wish to testify? Come up forward, please. Please
state your name.
Anna: Hello, everybody. My name is Anna. Thank you so much for gathering for this
important time, and I thank the Planning Department with all the work and the efficiency in how
quickly the commentary from the public has been taken and noted and moving forward with it. 1
understand that you all are volunteers and the community is also pretty much volunteering. As
far as the Planning Department, it might as well be a volunteer position with what I assume the
salary would be according to what the County Council's salary is. A lot of talk about what
affordable housing is has made me think that for a $650,000 home, which is stated to be an
affordable housing, you'd have to be making $120,000 or more a year and that's a high tax
bracket. I feel more according would be affordable for $100,000 for a townhome, or $300,000
for a single-family residence. If we grant a developer to do that for 700 0 of the units and those
homes are sold, then that would be the comparable price that other homes would be sold for and
real estate agents would have to take that into consideration because I feel that it is fiscally
irresponsible to have such an economic bubble on what the pricing has jumped to recently. And
it's just irresponsible in my opinion and in some ways, unethical for the reason that there has
been communities that have been overlooked. And I feel for the game to be fair, the playing
field needs to be even. In some ways, there's a need for reparations and a suggestion for that
would be any company or entity that has many acreage under their ownership, per se, can
use ... and they're profiteering from this, having all this land, they can use a portion of their
profits to help the communities that have been overlooked in highering [sic] their standard and
quality of life, and that could be something, maybe, talked about for the future in the 20 years.
Also, you know, places like Kukui`ula and Po`ipu that have so much acreage, and the seed
companies. I understand that people do want to help out the communities that they're in, so this
would be an opportunity to have everyone step up in that way. Also, I'd like to see an evening
out of what happens on the north shore to happen on the south shore, the east to the west. For
instance, the bike path on the east side should also happen on the west side along the coastline.
And just considering what is evened out throughout the island would be something really lovely
to see. There is a mention of the DLNR on the General Plan and I'd like—
Mr. Dahilig: Three (3) minutes, Mr. Chair.
Chair Keawe: Could you wrap up your testimony, please?
33
Anna: Yes. This is the last comment. Thank you. The way that the State and the County and
the community can interact with each other should be in a very transparent way, so there's a
question of do we need a special committee or an oversight council to help that transparency
between the workings of the State and the County and the community; just so that we're aware
of what the pipeline projects are and the budget and what can be allocated (inaudible). I
appreciate it.
Chair Keawe: Thank you.
Anna: Thank you so much.
Mr. Dahilig: I guess, Mr. Chair, given that, the Department would recommend deferring this
item either to the April 25`' or a special meeting on April 27`h, depending on quorum.
Chair Keawe: Okay. It would have to depend on quorum, so...
Mr. Dahi1w Yeah.
Chair Keawe: Can we have a motion to defer?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to defer to the 251h or 27`h, pending a quorum.
Chair Keawe: Second?
Mr. Ho: Second.
Chair Keawe: All those in favor?
Mr. Katayama: Chair, can I have a moment, please?
Chair Keawe: Yes.
Mr. Katayama: Just, sort of, my comment on the process, I think the Director stated it most
eloquently that this is really ... I view it as a land use plan for the future where you can have
meaningful and critical conversations on whether these areas really come to fruition. So I think,
you know, a lot of the comments from the public, I think, should be comprehended but also, it
should be put in context of that as actual actions take place on these designated areas and that
will have a ... sort of a more meaningful conversation with the current envirorunent at hand.
Again, we're looking at a 20 -year or 17 -year horizon (inaudible) the island of Kauai. And my
only comment here is very specific to agriculture and the challenge there is preventing urban
encroachment. I hope that the County, State can come up with a ... sort of a reward system that
land currently held in agriculture will be able to realize its development value somewhere else.
To me, a great example is the CIRI permit that we've been working on. Here we have Federal
lands with great value. Can you imagine if there was a mechanism that that value could be
swapped for agricultural land somewhere on island where the developer... the owner of the
34
agricultural land will trade his development rights for the CIRI property, and that way it
preserves agriculture in that area. And you know, we have some very confident developers on
island with huge tracks of land. So if the State, Federal, and County can work out this
mechanism, I think we can have an effective way of preserving Ag land because at this point,
preserving Ag land basically becomes a banking policy until the urbanization becomes
appropriate. And that is, to me, sort of a false sense of agriculture because you need to make the
investments, you need to maintain the agricultural infrastructure just as we spoke about how we
develop infrastructure for urbanization. So again, you know, I'm leaving that as a thought and
hopefully the Department and, you know, people wiser than myself could create these synthetic
vehicles to help preserve agriculture. Thank you, Chair.
Chair Keawe: Thank you, Mr. Katayama, for your eloquent comments as usual. Thank you very
much. We have a motion on the floor. All those in favor? (Unanimous voice vote) Any
opposed? (None) Motion carried 4:0.
We will take a break now and when we come back, we will take up the zoning amendment for a
university zone.
The Commission recessed this portion of the meeting at 11:17 a.m.
The Commission reconvened this portion of the meeting at 11:35 a.m.
Chair Keawe: We'll call the meeting back to order.
NEW BUSINESS
Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-4: A bill for an ordinance amending Chapter 8 of the
Kauai County Code (1987), as amended, to establish a zoning designation appropriate
for any parcel encompassing a university or college campus = County ofKaua `i.
Mr. Dahilig: Thank you, Mr. Chair. We are now on Item M, which is New Business for Action.
The only item we have today under the Hearings and Public Comment section is Zoning
Amendment ZA-2017-4. Again, this is the bill for an ordinance to amend Chapter 8 of the
Kauai County Code to establish a zoning designation appropriate for any parcel encompassing a
university or college campus.
This is ... the public hearing has been closed by the Commission just previously, and so Alex
Wong has been working with us on trying to develop this zone. Let me just give you a little bit
of a background in terms of what's going on beyond the measure before Alex gets into his
presentation. What is happening right now ... and in fact, it was last week in this room, the State
Land Use Commission was meeting on petitions by both the Island School as well as the
University of Hawaii Community Colleges to move the Puhi campuses into the Urban district
from Agriculture. And again, they haven't voted on a final Decision and Order, but it seems
very likely that, given the comments and discussion around the table, that the Commission is
inclined to grant their petition with some conditions. So you know, given that, what the next step
is for the colleges, as well as Island School, is that they will have to come in for zoning changes
35
at the County -level to align with, potentially, the new Urban designation. So knowing that we've
had this move towards this becoming an Urban area within the State jurisdiction, we looked at
our Zoning Code and right now, what tends to happen with schools or institutions is that we will
leave it as Residential, or we'll leave it in ... or in Agriculture and what will happen is you'll end
up with an overlay that designates it what's called S -TP, or Constraint District Public [sic]. And
that's where you see a lot of the petitions, almost from a piecemeal standpoint, come to the
Commission because the permitting process is not clear and our Euclidean form of zoning
doesn't quite fit what you would expect to see on a diverse university campus. So we took a
look at models across the State and we found — and Alex will get into this discussion when he
gets into the report — but we did find that Hawaii County does something similar to what we're
proposing here, and so to be prepared in advance of what will most likely occur from the State
Land Use Commission that when the University and Island School do want to come to the
Commission for a zoning amendment to meet the spacial policy requirements that we'll have
something in place that will best fit their particular unique usage. With that, Mr. Chair, if I could
ask Alex to provide the review and recommendations from the Department.
Chair Keawe: Yes. Go ahead, Alex.
Staff Planner Alex Wong: Mahalo, Mr. Chair. Aloha mai kakou.
Mr. Wong read the Summary, Project Description and Use, Applicant's
Reasons Justification Findings, and Agency Comments sections of the Director's Report
for the record (on file with the Planning Department).
Mr. Wong: At this time, that concludes my Director's Report. I'll be taking any questions
regarding the report. Mahalo.
Chair Keawe: Commissioners, any questions for our planner?
Mr. Dahilig: While you're thinking of questions, Commissioners, I did want to, I
guess... Chancellor Helen Cox from Kauai Community College did submit testimony to the
Commission. It's probably buried in this dense packet that you got today. But, you know,
Brandon Shimokawa_, who is the Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs — Administrative
Affairs, right? is in the audience and he can probably provide some discussion or comment or
some enlightenment because we've been working with his office in helping develop this
particular --
Chair Keawe: Could you come forward, sir? We understand that you have been working with
the Planning Department. Can you give us, from your perspective, a little bit of background and
how we got to this point?
Brandon Shimokawa: Like Mr. Dahilig said, my name is Brandon Shimokawa. We've been
working with the Planning Department initially on the State Land Use Designation, as Mr.
Dahilig explained, and, I guess, in going through that process over several ... over the past 5 or 6
years, the Planning Department brought up an idea of this University zoning, which fit in well
krei
with our long-term development plans which supports our goals and mission. So we were very
open to hearing their proposal for the University zoning and are fully in support of it.
Chair Keawe: Mr. Ho.
Mr. Ho: You are creating a new zoning category for him? For the university?
Chair Keawe: Yes.
Mr. Dahilig: Pretty much; yes. You know, if you look at the zoning table — if you turn to Page
51 of the PDF — you'll see at the top, which is the Table of Uses. You'll see at the top of the
Table of Uses all the different categories and types of zoning we already have, so you'll notice
we have Residential, Resort, Commercial, Industrial, Ag, and Open. So if you're trying to
integrate something that is a university campus which is unique in its own operation and yet, at
the same time, also very large in scale — if you look at it comparatively to many of the other
neighborhoods on the island, the KCC campus combined with the Island School campus
encompasses areas larger than Isenberg, or Molokoa, you know? So these are pretty substantial
areas. And what universities have at the heart of their mission is of course teaching, but also
creating environments for learning and innovation. And what you're seeing as the Table of Uses
requires, many of these in one bucket don't really fit into Residential, or don't fit into Resort, or
don't fit into these other categories. So to answer your question, Commissioner, in effect, yes,
that's what we're trying to do is create almost a mixed zone for this type of usage. As you see
from the recommendations, what we are saying is that it should only be applied to these
accredited institutions versus something that is just widely used around the island. So we think
that this probably... from a better planning approach for the university, as well as the
consequential net effects to providing better and higher education services on the island that this
zoning will help them achieve their mission of being able to provide the public infrastructure
necessary to support their mission.
Mr. Ho: Reading that chart, the "P" means "permit", "U" is "use"?
Mr. Dahilig: Yes. So you'll notice that the delineation between what is outright permitted and
then items that would require some scrutiny by the Planning Commission, and namely
it's ... you'll see that the Residential items would require some type of usage permit with the
Planning Commission. We think that's still an appropriate level of scrutiny, but we still included
it as a use versus something that would require a variance or a special permit; that's where we
were trying to delineate that. The other thing, too, that I would suggest that you look at is
Section 8-2.4(w)(5) and that says "Bars". So I want to allay any concerns that the campus is
going to turn into Van Wilder's (laughter in background), you know, kind of situation. Jodi and
I were classmates in law school and she has a lot of stories about what that experience did entail
(laughter in background), and so we don't necessarily want to have bars be outright permitted,
but what you do see as outright permitted are things like offices and classrooms, laboratories,
food services, minor retail like bookstores and gift shops, solar energy facilities, botanical
gardens, you know, things that would support their research infrastructure. KCC actually brings
in a substantial amount of extramural grants based off of their areas of specialty in Native
Hawaiian, I guess, culture and teaching, as well as the fact that we are in a setting like this. As
37
well as, you know, the campus also does support many of the distance learning functions for the
UI I West Oahu campus, the UH Manoa campus, and also some of the research enterprises that
come out of those baccalaureate institutions. So you know, it's not just limited to the
Community College mission that Brandon is acutely familiar with, but it also encompasses a lot
of what the university system brings into the campus via the other campuses that engage in that
higher level of extramural research. We think there's an adequate balance here that we're not
short-circuiting public input in areas that would require the public input like the dormitories, like
the bars, and those types of things, but at the same time, provide for more efficient permitting for
the campus and integrated usage for things that normally would be allowed on a campus and you
would expect to be on a university campus.
Mr. Ho: This would be a blanket permit for them? They can ... once the Board of Regents
approves it, it's a go.
Mr. Dahilig: Well, they would have to come forward with zoning permits, but it wouldn't be use
permits, it would be over-the-counter permits essentially.
Chair Keawe: Mr. Katayama.
Mr. Katayama: Thank you, Chair. Brandon, in terms of accreditation, right now the community
college is accredited for 2 -year programs.
Mr. Shimokawa: That's correct.
Mr. Katayama: What happens in the process if you were to go to a 4 -year program? In terms of
accreditation.
Mr. Shimokawa: I'm not familiar with what the different requirements are of WASC versus
ACCJC. Maui College, if you're familiar with that, recently - within the last, I think, 2 or 3
years - turned into a 4 -year ... or, got accredited for several of their 4 -year programs. We
currently don't have any plans to follow them in that regard, but if we did, you know, we would
just change the accrediting body that does our accreditation. I don't ... you know, operationally,
obviously it would change how we, you know ... our 4 -year programs would be run differently
than our 2 -year programs because they're longer. From an accreditation standpoint, it's just a
different body that performs the reviews, but many of the standards are similar.
Mr. Katayama: Well, I guess, the reason for my question is that based on the ordinance as
written, it comprehends the current situation, but hopefully it's universal enough to allow for
expansion. Now, does that create sort of a limbo where you transform from a 2 -year campus to a
4 -year campus that. ..you don't get accreditation right away, right? Don't you have to, sort of,
prove that your credentials are in order?
Mr. Shimokawa: I'm not sure what the process is to transform to a 4 -year. I would imagine that
your granted some kind of, you know, interim accreditation contingent upon subsequent visits
and evaluations.
38
Mr. Dahilig: Maybe if I can jump in on... The accrediting bodies, as Brandon is describing -
WASC is meant for the baccalaureate institutions and ACCJC does those that are 2 years, or
junior colleges. They are both affiliated with each other so that the whole western region of
states uses these accrediting bodies to verify the academic rigor and sufficiency of the academic
program. Kauai Community College is eligible to have one (1) baccalaureate degree without
moving accreditation bodies. So what they can do is provide an applied bachelor's in one (1)
degree discipline or another.
Mr. Katal Well, they have nursing, don't they?
Mr. Dahilig: They have ... so that's a potential for instance. If the college believes that migrating
into a baccalaureate granting program for nursing, let's say, they could, in effect - if you look
here under the Table of Uses - build more laboratories or build more lecture halls to
accommodate that. The function, as you see on Maui, is not ... the campus, physically, has not
evolved much since they've transferred from the 2 -year to the 4 -year. But once they hit a second
baccalaureate degree, then they have to move accreditation bodies over to WASC, and that's
what's happened in Maui College's situation so that's why you notice the moniker is no longer
"Maui Community College"; it's called "Maui College". So that does leave the possibility for
that migration. I think in terms of the Table of Usages [sic], the primary change in whether you
go 2 -year to 4 -year is really the curriculum versus the physical infrastructure, and I think when
you look at what's encompassed here, it's largely still what would be demanded of a 4 -year
institution.
Mr. Katayama: Well, the question really is, is the ordinance flexible enough to allow for that
transformation? Because you don't want to stifle the college because, to me, a lot of these
activities really go to a 4 -year college where you need faculty with more credentials or higher
credentials, and basically, you need to import and provide accommodations, as well as for
students. So as written, does the ordinance allow flexibility for the college to migrate to a 4 -
year, or better, institution?
Mr. Dahilig: I believe so; yes. It does. And just one added item that in Alex's research, as I
mentioned earlier, some of the usages were lifted directly from Hawaii County's Code, and as
you are familiar, Hawaii County does have the UH Hilo campus, which is a 4 -year -
Mr. Katal But they were already there.
Mr. Dahilig: Yes.
Mr. Katal So the timing was okay.
Mr. Dahilig: Right. So the ... but this table of usages does overlay the land use because this,
actually, was added as a new land use district for the UH Hilo campus up in Waiakea, also. It
was meant to also accommodate those at a doctoral granting institution, like UH Hilo, and so this
list of usages comes from that language that UH Hilo would be applied for as well.
39
Mr. Katayama: Well, I think as long as you don't surrender your accreditation as you migrate
because then any kind of expansion becomes prohibitive because you're not meeting the
standards as set for making yourself available for this benefit.
Mr. Dahilig: Right.
Mr. Shimokawa: I believe that's the case. '4'L'e wouldn't relinquish our 2 -year accreditation.
Mr. Katayama: Until you got your 4( -year).
Mr. Shimokawa: Right, right.
Chair Keawe: Brandon, what's the inhibitor from going from 2- to 4-? Is it cost and budget? Or
is it just a strategic plan that you need to get there and make sure you have enough funding? Or
is it population; students? I mean, you're marketing education, right?
Mr. Shimokawa: Right. I don't ... I wouldn't necessarily look at it as an inhibitor. It's just, you
know, how can the college meet the needs of the island? If...you know, right now we have what
is called a University Center, so a lot of our students who want to continue on past their
Associate's Degrees and pursue Bachelor's or even Master's Degrees, they can do so through
distance learning — taking online courses through the other 4 -year universities; West Oahu,
Manoa. or Hilo. So if... and right now, the number of students that are enrolled in those 4 -year
or Master programs, it's a few hundred at the most, so the need just isn't there right now at this
point. If things were to change in the future or if...yeah, I guess if the needs of the island change
and warrant, you know, having more on -island 4 -year programs, then we would obviously
explore that.
Mr. Katal Chair?
Chair Keawe: Yes, go ahead.
Mr. Katayama: Thank you. Would this change positively impact your ability to recruit faculty?
Mr. Shimokawa: I don't believe the zoning change, in and of itself, will affect our ability to
recruit and attract faculty. If we develop additional facilities and infrastructure — which would be
allowed under this zoning -- that would potentially attract, you know, more students or more
faculty. For example, if we had on -campus housing.
Mr. Katayama: Well, I guess that's where the central question... If you had the ability to have
faculty housing, wouldn't that help your recruitment for faculty?
Mr. Shimokawa: Probably. It may. You know, as you mentioned, a lot of the faculty do come
in from off -island and, you know, the housing market, as you guys are well aware of, on the
island is what it is. (Laughter in background)
40
Chair Keawe: What housing market? (Laughter in background) So, I guess, on a long-term
basis, Brandon, the college will continue to maintain its current strategy in meeting the needs of
the island based on, obviously, population and enrollment, and then make adjustments as we go
forward. Have there been any trends or studies done as far as the rate of growth over the last,
let's say, 10 years?
Mr. Shimokawa: Sure. Yes. We look at enrollment closely, and over the last 10 years, it's sort
of done a ... it peaked up 3/4 years ago at the height of the recession and then has gradually come
back down. We're still above our historical... you know, maybe for the last 25 years, the max
enrollment has been about a thousand students; headcount -wise, not full-time equivalent but just
bodies on campus has been about a thousand. In within the last 5 to 7 years, we've crossed that
threshold. And as the economy turned south and more people looked for other opportunities to
find jobs and increase their skills, we hit our peak enrollment of 1,500 headcount and then it's
gradually gone down as more people returned to the workforce. But if the economy, you know,
dips again, we would expect to see our enrollment go up.
From a strategic planning standpoint, the last strategic plan we did was in 1999. We're currently
revising that now, but that strategic plan was based on a growth and full buildout of the campus
to support 3,000 full-time equivalent students, which would be something like maybe 4,500
headcount equivalent, you know, so at least triple, if not quadruple, our size. Those estimates
have been revised down given, you know, the population of the island, and you know, the
average age of the island is older, you know, versus college -aged students, or traditionally
college -aged students. So, we've revised that and our current draft long-range development plan,
which, hopefully, will be finalized later this year, has a buildout of 1,500 full-time equivalent
which roughly translates to about 3,000 headcount, so still, you know, two to three times what
our current enrollment is.
Chair Keawe: Right. And we have to find houses for all those people, right? (Laughter)
Mr. Shimokawa: That's right. Yeah, so ... which is what this University zoning would help
accommodate.
Chair Keawe: (Laughter) Good. Thank you. Any other questions for Brandon? Thank you.
Mr. Shimokawa: Thank you.
Chair Keawe: Any further questions for Alex, our planner?
Mr. Katayama: Chair?
Chair Keawe: Yes.
Mr. Katal Was there any consideration to expanding or just... expanding it to other
accredited institutions?
41
Mr. Dahilig: I think ... you know, I will say that what's clear from the report is that our intention
is not to have it apply to, let's say, like high schools or, you know, elementary schools; I mean,
this is something beyond your typical educational institutions. I think, you know, the reason why
we're including, in the discussion, something like, let's say, Island School into this is because of
its adjacency to the campus, as well as the fact that as a private institution of learning, they can
provide more diversity of experiences, such as ... like you see on the Big Island with Hawaii
Preparatory Academy and their donning program over there. I guess, historically, many of the
institutions in Honolulu that were private high school institutions used to have dorming for
neighbor island students and as time has gone on, they've eliminated those programs; most
recently ... Mid Pacific Institute used to have a dorming program, but they eliminated that as
such. So whether that makes sense for a program like Island School is a potential, so we want to
leave that door open, but also looking at what KCC can provide; I think that was mainly what
was in mind in the development of the ordinance. So we're not looking at, you know, minor
research enterprises on five (5) acres types of situations not developing a campus. We're looking
at a true campus type of situation.
Mr. Katayama: How does this ordinance avail itself to an Island School or Kamehameha School
or other institution that, sort of, wants to be a full-service?
Mr. Dahilig: So what would happen is they would have to come in for a zoning change. This
does not color anything in on a snap. What this does is just establish the opportunity for a
landowner to come in and say okay, I want the spacial policy on the map to be colored UNV.
So, you know, right off the bat there will probably be, if not at least one, two (2) entities that
would come before the Planning Commission and ultimately to the Council to ask for this
zoning should they get the LUC change. But into the future, you know, it still does not preclude,
let's say, a school system like Kamehameha Schools from coming in and saying okay, we want
to develop private school campus on Kauai. It's the only county that does not have a campus,
so that's something that is a potential as well. We think the flexibility for education, which, in
my mind, is a clean industry, right? It provides clean jobs for everybody and heightens the
intellectual capacity of a community, I think, is always a win-win type of situation and great to
have on the island if we can handle.
Mr. Katayama: I think, for that reason, if you provide more opportunity through this ordinance,
the island should be better off.
Chair Keawe: I had a question, Mike. So does this zoning... currently in this University zone,
the assumption being that it would be the KCC campus, wherever that boundary is, including
Island School, what about the Hawaiian charter school, the New Century School? Are they all
within that area?
Mr. Dahilig: Yes. So this goes on both the west and east side of the ... this would. In terms of
what the land use petition is right now in front of the college, it goes on both sides of Nawiliwili
Stream, so that would include the charter schools that are currently there along the stream area.
But again, I would leave it up to ... it's probably up to the ... if this gets passed, it's up to the
landowner to come in and actually ask for the zoning area, but my presumption would probably
42
be that the college would look at their whole campus as being zoned this versus something that is
given the current campus proper right now.
Chair Keawe: Yeah, you're not going to piecemeal here and there. I mean, it's the whole --
Mr. Dahilig: That would be my presumption.
Chair Keawe: Okay. Any other questions for Alex, the planner? Are we ready to make a
decision on this?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, I would move to approve Zoning Amendment ZA-2017-4.
Mr. Katayama: Second.
Chair Keawe: It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion on this item? If
not...Alex? Okay, we'll take a short pause.
The Commission recessed this portion of the meeting at 12:07 p.m.
The Commission reconvened this portion of the meeting at 12:11 p.m.
Chair Keawe: Alright. Can we reconvene? We'll turn the floor over to Mr. Dahilig.
Mr. Dahilig: Mr. Chair, my sincerest apologies. There was probably a mix-up in
communication with my staff and my understanding of where the ordinance was in presentation
to the Planning Commission. I was misinformed and that's my responsibility to make sure that
you guys are kept in the loop. At this juncture, and as much as I would love to jump at the
prospect of having a "yes" vote on this, we want to make sure that the bill is as clean as possible
before it gets over to the Council, so there are a couple items that my deputy has pointed out to
me, as well as my regulatory chief, that we need to take one more look at before we pull the
trigger on it. So, you know, it's a ... in effect, I would love to have the kumbaya moment here
(laughter in background), but, I guess, prudence will prevail better if we are able to have the right
product before we send it over to the Council. So with that, Mr. Chair, I wouldn't ... you may
want to refer to the attorney, but I would request a deferral for one (1) meeting. But whether or
not the motion dies or not is another question, but I would ask that the item be deferred one (1)
meeting.
Chair Keawe: Can we defer it?
Mr. Mahoney: Could I withdraw my motion?
Deputy County Attorney Jodi Higuchi SayeQusa: Yes, you can withdraw the motion, the second,
and you can move from there.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Katal Withdraw the second.
43
Chair Keawe: (Inaudible), withdraw the second. Alright.
Mr. Dahilig: Again, my apologies, Commissioners.
Chair Keawe: Mike, you guys never screw up. (Laughter in background) It's okay. (Laughter
in background) Okay. Mr. Mahoney.
Mr. Mahoney: Yes. I would like to withdraw my motion.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Katayama: Withdraw the second.
Chair Keawe: Alright. So this is off the table and we will defer to a future meeting.
Mr. Dahilig: I guess a request to defer to the next meeting.
Chair Keawe: Alright. Can we get a motion?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, I'd like to move to defer to the next meeting.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Katal Second.
Chair Keawe: Second. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor? (Unanimous voice
vote) Any opposed? No. That's it. Motion carries 4:0. Okay. Is that the end?
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Topics for Future Meetings
The following scheduled Planning Commission meeting will be held at 9:00 a.m., or
shortly thereafter at the Lihu`e Civic Center, Mo`ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A-213,
4444 Rice Street, Lihu`e, Kauai, Hawaii 96766 on Tuesday, April 11, 2017.
Mr. Dahilig. Well, Mr. Chair, just a couple things. We will get the topics for the future
meetings circulated to you via email; we don't have those available at this moment. We do have
the three (3) permits at the next meeting.
Chair Keawe: Okay.
Mr. Dahilig: And I guess I do have one other announcement and that is today is Commissioner
Katayama's last meeting.
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Chair Keawe: I understand and I was just going to turn the floor over to Commissioner
Katayama. But go ahead, Mike. Do you want to go first?
Mr. Dahili&. Well, you know, I will say this. It's ... talking like an old person, but I— (Laughter
in background)
Mr. Mahoney: Easy.
Mr. Dahilig: Wayne is the last Commissioner sitting around the table that hired me permanently
6 years ago, so I hope that over the past 6 years, he hasn't regretted that decision. (Laughter in
background) But it's been a real pleasure to work with you and the level of passion and care that
you have for both the island, the agriculture industry, and as well as just this community in
general. I have never walked away from a discussion with you, Wayne, where I've said "I got
it" because it has always been a great mental challenge that you've always forced us to look at
the Rubik's cube a different way and to never just be satisfied with the work product. You have
always been pushing us, even up `til this morning in my office at the last minute when (it's) your
last meeting; we're still talking about policy, we're still talking about how can we make things
better. And that's the culture that, you know, I hope I can still continue to impart based on that
leadership that you've given to our department as an example, and to that, you know, we're
eternally grateful. I think we've become a better department and a better operation because of
your leadership, once as Chair, but also as you've continued to be involved in everything from
operational guidance, human resource guidance, as well as even things regarding just general
policies. So, you will be sorely missed, but I'm sure you're not going to run away. I'm still
going to get calls. (Laughter in background) We just want to present you with a lei. We'll be
doing a more formal mahalo for you at a later date, but we just wanted to, again, present you a lei
and mahalo for everything. (Applause)
Chair Keawe: Mr. Katayama.
Mr. Katayama: Thank you, Chair. Yeah, some of us have to live with our past sins. (Laughter
in background) However, I really... at this last meeting, I need to have some thank you's. First
of all, to the public which ... you know, they come out and provide, to me, valuable input in
gauging the temperature, and also a wide range of perspective as we go through the different
processes; not just the GP, but even through the permitting process as well. So I really
appreciate that because I know how hard it is to come in and testify, take the time out of their
busy schedules. Secondly, I would like to thank the Director and the Deputies, and the
Department Heads, and the members of the Planning Department themselves because, really,
they've taken commissioners that don't know even where the doorknob is to the Department,
have educated us through a very complex matrix of how the system works and how to view it on
an equitable and fair basis. Really, the challenge does not come with any preconceived notions,
but to look at what the best outcome is for the community. So, you know, in terms of the 6 -year
process, you know, everyone in the Department has educated me personally, so I would like to
thank them, including the County Attorneys as well that have sat in these seats and really have
schooled me on ... and given me insight. And as I leave my chair here, I feel pretty good about
where the Department stands from a perspective of the culture and the intellectual capital it has
to really form a, to me, a balance between the economy, the environment, and the culture to
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maintain what we like about Kauai. You know, if we weren't concerned, we wouldn't be here.
I think they have done a great job in transforming themselves from a regulatory and a planning
agency and adding on enforcement as well. And over the last 6 years, what I have noticed from
every person in the department is they've continued to get better; they've never stopped learning.
I think that's important. As Mike said, the culture that he has embedded, I think it's healthy and
I think it's ready and able to cope with making Kauai a better place for everybody; balancing
the three (3) spears that we need. So, thank you very much. The smile is really a frown, but
hard to judge the difference. So anyway, thank you very much everybody. Thank you, Chair.
Chair Keawe: Thank you. (Applause) Well, as fellow commissioners, we all hope to
achieve... you've set the bar real high, so we hope to be able to achieve the level of expertise that
you currently have, and we thank you very much for your service.
If there's nothing else on the agenda, move for adjournment?
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, I'd just like to add my personal thanks to Commissioner Katayama for his
leadership and comments. It was always a ... he was a great mentor to all of us on the
Commission and I personally want to thank him for all his time; how he's helped me, personally,
and the rest of the Commission.
Chair Keawe: Mr. Ho.
Mr. Ho: Yeah. I still carry some of his wisdom with me and I hope he can see it when I make a
decision (laughter in background) if it's right or wrong.
ADJOURNMENT
Chair Keawe: Okay. If there's no further business, I'll entertain a motion to adjourn.
Mr. Mahoney: Chair, move to adjourn.
Mr. Ho: Second.
Chair Keawe: All those in favor? (Unanimous voice vote) Motion carried 4:0. Thank you.
Chair Keawe adjourned the meeting at 12:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
Jarcie Agaran,
Commission Support Clerk
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( ) Approved as circulated (add date of meeting approval)
( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of meeting.
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