10-05-2014, 07:32 AM
KH, I'm actually agreeing with you, albeit in a very roundabout sort of way... but the line is really wide and fuzzy.
If everything is correctly zoned ag (for any number of reasons) and everyone is fine with driving to commercial centers, then SPACE should never have been allowed, much less granted any SUP and/or extension of time to comply.
That said, these decisions should really be left to the community, with the extent of any "non-ag" or "borderline-commercial" activities negotiated as a function of that community.
SPACE did lots of good things; I'm sure most Seaview residents "didn't really mind" as long as SPACE was being a good neighbor, but soured on it once things got out of control. I think most people would be happy to have a school and a farmers' market (case in point: I miss mine) ... live music venue, not so much.
It's unfortunate that both sides felt the need to escalate their issues above and beyond County's control. This could be seen either as "abuse of the system" or as "getting the right tool for the job", but in any case, there was no real need for the State to get involved in a local land-use issue between neighbors in a community, whether by requiring County rulemaking via SB2274, or by persecuting people with a DLNR investigation.
SB2274 was an interesting idea that might have been useful elsewhere on the island; it might be better implemented as a zoning type (E for Experiment, 20-acre minimum) where the change-of-zone process would force most of the other "right things" to happen for those possibly affected. In any case we'll never know how SB2274 might have turned out, which is unfortunate, because we need to start thinking out of the box. The lava flow is a workable problem compared to a major shipping interruption or a sudden doubling in the price of gas...
I maintain that the ag zoning is incorrect for high-density subdivisions. Upzoning to proper R is probably overkill, offered more as "food for thought" -- and some people do seem to insist on their residential norms. Perhaps this should be regulated from the other way around, by limiting the scope of allowable Ag uses to a minimum lot size (a few already are, most aren't).
There's plenty of blame to go around ... but spreading it won't solve anything.
If everything is correctly zoned ag (for any number of reasons) and everyone is fine with driving to commercial centers, then SPACE should never have been allowed, much less granted any SUP and/or extension of time to comply.
That said, these decisions should really be left to the community, with the extent of any "non-ag" or "borderline-commercial" activities negotiated as a function of that community.
SPACE did lots of good things; I'm sure most Seaview residents "didn't really mind" as long as SPACE was being a good neighbor, but soured on it once things got out of control. I think most people would be happy to have a school and a farmers' market (case in point: I miss mine) ... live music venue, not so much.
It's unfortunate that both sides felt the need to escalate their issues above and beyond County's control. This could be seen either as "abuse of the system" or as "getting the right tool for the job", but in any case, there was no real need for the State to get involved in a local land-use issue between neighbors in a community, whether by requiring County rulemaking via SB2274, or by persecuting people with a DLNR investigation.
SB2274 was an interesting idea that might have been useful elsewhere on the island; it might be better implemented as a zoning type (E for Experiment, 20-acre minimum) where the change-of-zone process would force most of the other "right things" to happen for those possibly affected. In any case we'll never know how SB2274 might have turned out, which is unfortunate, because we need to start thinking out of the box. The lava flow is a workable problem compared to a major shipping interruption or a sudden doubling in the price of gas...
I maintain that the ag zoning is incorrect for high-density subdivisions. Upzoning to proper R is probably overkill, offered more as "food for thought" -- and some people do seem to insist on their residential norms. Perhaps this should be regulated from the other way around, by limiting the scope of allowable Ag uses to a minimum lot size (a few already are, most aren't).
There's plenty of blame to go around ... but spreading it won't solve anything.