02-17-2010, 04:26 AM
This is an all too typical conundrum for community facilities in Puna. The County does not provide enough buildings and programs to meet the demand from the community, and when local organizations do so themselves, they run afoul of the zoning (and sometimes other) regulations. We have seen this with Kalani, more than one charter school, and now SPACE. Getting a Special Use Permit in SPACE's instance was apparently only a temporary fix. Hindsight being 20-20, it might have been smart to have tried to get the permit modified as activities and facilities were added in excess of its original parameters. At least alternatives could have been considered in advance of the investment in funds and hard work that went into the expansion.
Everyone I know who has experienced the offerings at SPACE has been positive (or even thrilled) about it, but living next to a growing attraction can create issues for the quiet type of homeowner. The neighbor or neighbors who complained may have moved into their homes anticipating a certain level of activity at SPACE only to see it expand beyond what they feel they can tolerate. Not having been there myself, I'm not saying that the complaints are justified or not. It could be that there are other issues or an attitude problem on someone's part.
What I do know is that we need zoning revisions to allow for the appropriate location of facilities like SPACE, Kalani, and the hopefully growing number of charter schools that the community needs. The reason so many organizations like these end up with zoning violations is the simple fact that there is nowhere legally zoned for them to locate where they would be able to effectively accomplish their purposes.
The Puna Community Development Plan, if properly implemented, will go a long way toward solving this problem. It might be necessary to "grandfather" (with reasonable restrictions) some existing facilities while creating well-planned set of locations for future ones.
Cheers,
Jerry
Everyone I know who has experienced the offerings at SPACE has been positive (or even thrilled) about it, but living next to a growing attraction can create issues for the quiet type of homeowner. The neighbor or neighbors who complained may have moved into their homes anticipating a certain level of activity at SPACE only to see it expand beyond what they feel they can tolerate. Not having been there myself, I'm not saying that the complaints are justified or not. It could be that there are other issues or an attitude problem on someone's part.
What I do know is that we need zoning revisions to allow for the appropriate location of facilities like SPACE, Kalani, and the hopefully growing number of charter schools that the community needs. The reason so many organizations like these end up with zoning violations is the simple fact that there is nowhere legally zoned for them to locate where they would be able to effectively accomplish their purposes.
The Puna Community Development Plan, if properly implemented, will go a long way toward solving this problem. It might be necessary to "grandfather" (with reasonable restrictions) some existing facilities while creating well-planned set of locations for future ones.
Cheers,
Jerry