01-14-2007, 03:26 PM
This posting contains color coded notes which are not viewable here. If you want a full copy sent to you directly - contact me. Rob Tucker
Village Centers/Design Districts
"....I felt, perhaps more keenly than ever before, just what it meant to be a villager--someone whose welfare is of interest (sometimes of unwelcome interest) to one's neighbors--but always to matter. It was a warming thought--to be part of a small, living community, 'members of one another', so closely linked by ties of kinship, work and the parish boundaries, that the supposed unhappiness of one elderly woman affected all."
From Village Diary, by Miss Read
INTRODUCTION
The most commented theme subcategory in the 3394 ideas gathered at the first 130 small group meetings was "Community Center - Village Center" (205 ideas). The Puna CDP summarized community input in this subcategory as follows: " Puna residents would like to see more community centers that are walkable with park, schools and locally owned shops to provide the basic needs and services for the participant without having to drive long distance in an automobile. Participants expressed the need for more community based economic development by having small village centers that stay true to Puna's uniqueness and creating more gathering places for residents to interact, shop, work, learn and play". The concept of "Village Centers" is the primary focus of this report.
Many participants stated their wish to guide commercial development to preserve the character and history of the affected community. The "Design district" guidelines concept is a method to achieve their wish and is a secondary focus of this report.
I. GOALS ("Desired outcomes"
A. Report Goal #1: To encourage and support communities in our rapidly growing Puna region that wish to enhance existing or establish new village centers (VCs) and gathering places where residents can obtain basic goods and services without needing to travel long distances. Communities will continue to grow. In the process, neighbors can take initiative to address their distinct desires, and preserve and enhance the character of their community by having a voice in the village centers form of commercial development. The alternative is accepting what developers independently decide.
B. Report Goal #2: To encourage and support communities in Puna to seek ways to guide development and preservation of structures and settings that is environmentally responsible and reflective of Hawaiian history and culture. Design planning is an established tool for "smart growth"; therefore design district processes should be available to interested community associations wishing to achieve a common vision.
II. OBJECTIVES ("How to meet goals"
A. Objective #1: Communities will begin to consider supporting creating village centers with scope and size suitable for their immediate and surroundings areas. County planning resources will facilitate community efforts to achieve thoughtful commercial planning results. Currently the County of Hawaii General Plan, Land Use Commercial Development (14.3.4 Standards) does provide descriptions of three basic types of village centers with general parameters as an initial reference point:
There are three basic types of shopping centers:
(a) Neighborhood Centers
• Provide: Convenience goods, e.g., foods, drugs, and personal services.
• Major Shops: Supermarket and/or drug store.
• Number of Shops: 5 to 15.
• Acreage: 5 to 10 acres.
• Approximate Market: 3,000 people.
(b) Community Centers
• Provide: Convenience goods, plus "soft line" items, such as clothing, and "hard
line" items, such as hardware and small appliances.
• Major Shops: Variety or junior department store.
• Number of Shops: 20 to 40.
• Acreage: 10 to 30 acres.
• Approximate Market: 15,000 people.
© Regional Centers
• Provide: Full range of merchandise and services.
• Major Shops: Full size department store.
• Number of Shops: 40.
• Acreage: over 30 acres.
• Approximate Market: 50,000 people.
B. Objective #2: There will be Puna-wide encouragement and support via county development with community input of cohesive design district processes and guidelines.
C. Objective #3. Communities will consider their own community cultural, social and economic history when deciding whether to pursue design district status and guidelines.
III. RECOMMENDATIONS (how to start or finish an objective, such as a policy, project, justifications, sources of information)
A. Recommendation #1: County Council should effect a moratorium on all subdividing and any rezoning that would allow development until the Puna Community Development Plan is completed. Special permit requests should be subject to public notice and review, affected community associations acceptance, and approval by the (to be created) Puna Makai/Mauka Communities Council.
B. Recommendation #2: Communities should first consider the following general criteria and situations as they pertain to their area when exploring village center possibilities:
Set back off highway
Acreage based on population density
Enterprise zone
Access to water, sewer, electric
Roads (into & out of)
Hazards awareness
Proximity to historic/established community areas
Sufficient municipal parking
Ecological, agriculture and archaeological considerations
Impact on community quality of life
C. Recommendation #3: Communities should consider a list of village center "people focused" possible attributes when exploring village center possibilities in their areas. A list of attributes has been compiled and suggestions as to each attribute's suitability for each type of village centers are offered below:
1. Neighborhood Village Center (NVC) - Example: Kurtistown
a. 5-10 acres
b. 3,000 population
c. 5-15 shops such as convenience (prefer Mom & Pop type), food, drugs, personal services
VC Possible Attributes:
Community Flavor- mandatory vs. 7-11 strip mall type flavor
Meeting space/community center- in every neighborhood desired
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance
meetings like central post office box location, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilion mandatory
Design District-Maybe too small to institute Design District, on the other hand, Volcano Village good example of where it could work
Farmer’s Market-may be of too big a scale to have in NVC but a few stores w/ outside product stands should be allowed
General Store-may be too big for NVC but small mom & pops more desirable, depends what you mean by General Store
Banking-NVC may be too small to support small bank branch but at least one ATM should definitely be provided in NVC
Food-NVC should definitely make provisions for small food establishments such as small mom & pop type like BBQ Chix shops but no major fast food establishments such as Taco Bells should be allowed in NVCs
Green centers- like a small neighborhood park where you could have neighborhood BBQ and covered gathering space should be part of every NVC
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be an attribute of any village center regardless of size; the most important subattribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in NVC but should be allowed in neighborhoods as long as they meet the normal, “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every NVC by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- may not be appropriate except for live/work units above small shops in NVC
Medical facilities- like a few small doctor/dentist offices should be allowed within NVC
Cultural opportunities- may be more appropriate in large village centers but small neighborhood coffee shop could be venue for cultural opportunities within NVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/larger parking lot in ancillary locations should be part of NVC such as in Honomu
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of NVC so that commuters could also have easy access to neighborhood stores and services
County, State & other public services -may be of too small scale to have in every NVC
Public restrooms- not necessary to provide in every neighborhood but nice if they are as part of park
Live/work concept -like plantation villages should definitely be part of neighborhood village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every neighborhood village center
Education centers/opportunities- would be nice in every neighborhood but may not have facilities, therefore should be relegated to CVC
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every NVC, therefore plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every NVC, for example, preserve some green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every neighborhood
Encourage tax $ to stay in area- by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every NVC
Business improvement area- see if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated community Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every Neighborhood Village Center, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized
Small business- friendly and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in NVC by limiting big box competition
2. Community Village Center (CVC) - example Volcano
a. 10-30 acres
b. 15,000 people
c. 20-40 shops such as convenience, soft line, hard line & small appliances
VC Possible Attributes:
Community Flavor- mandatory vs 7-11 strip mall type flavor
Meeting space/community center- mandatory for a Community Village Center
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance meetings like central post office boxes location, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilions & gardens, mandatory
Design District-medium sized Village Center should definitely consider having mandatory Design District Guidelines to make sure all the buildings in the CVC look cohesive and of the area rather than imported Subway, for example type buildings
Farmer’s Market -definitely appropriate in Community Village Centers because will have critical mass to support market. For example, Maku’u Farmer’s Market
General Store-definitely appropriate here, e.g. Ace or True Value Hardware, J. Hara’s
Banking-small bank branch should definitely be provided in Community Village Center, for example, BOH and 1st Hawaiian in Pahoa but we need also in Mt. View
Food-medium sized food establishments such as coffeeshops, plate lunch establishments that reflect the community should be allowed in CVC
Green centers- should also be part of every community village center; village greens should be the size to have a couple of ball fields, dog park, recreation activities, a covered gathering space etc.
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be part of any village center regardless of size. The most important subattribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in CVC but should be allowed w/I the community as long as they meet the normal, “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every Community Village Center by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- may be more appropriate such as live/work units above small shops in CVC
Medical facilities- like a few small doctor/dentist offices and maybe a small but not too large clinic should be allowed within CVC
Cultural opportunities- in small to medium sized venues such as coffee house size up to small theater should be considered for CVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/larger parking lot in ancillary locations should be part of CVC such as in Honoka’a
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of CVC so that commuters could also have easy access to community stores and services, i.e. medium sized stores, services near bus stop
County, State & other public services- such as small scale Police substation should be considered as part of CVC
Public restrooms- nice to provide as part of Community Village Centers Park Live/work concept- like plantation villages should definitely be part of community village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every community village center with possible mini police substation and security video cameras
Education centers/opportunities -would be nice in every community, therefore should be mandated in CVC
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every CVC, therefore plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every CVC, for example preserve a medium sized green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every community
Encourage tax $- to stay in area by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every CVC
Business improvement area- See if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated Community Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every Community Village Center, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized
Small business friendly- and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in CVC by limiting big box competition
3. Regional Village Center (RVC) - example Kea'au
a. > 30 acres
b. 50,000 population
c. > 40 shops, full range of merchandise & services
VC Possible Attributes:
Community flavor mandatory vs 7-11 strip mall flavor
Meeting space/community center- mandatory, at least one for Town Hall type meetings
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance meetings like post office boxes, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilions & gardens mandatory
Design District-having a design district for the Regional Village Centers will enhance the sense of place and cohesive architectural design will unify the community and could only increase property values; for example Waimea vs. Walmart/Hilo
Farmer’s Market- definitely appropriate here; for example, Kea’au Farmer’s Market
General Stores- may get sized out by larger stores in Regional Village Center
Banking-Regular size bank branches as well as alternatives such as Credit Unions should be provided in Regional Village Centers such as Kea’au
Food-Large food establishments such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut should be and are already allowed in Regional Village Centers such as Kea’au Shopping Center
Green centers such as W.H. Shipman Regional Park should be part of every Regional Village Center; the green centers to be considered should be of the recreation complex size.
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be part of any village center regardless of size; the most important sub-attribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks.
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in RVC but should be allowed in the region as long as they meet the normal “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every Regional Village Center by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking.
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- definitely appropriate in RVC especially live/work units above small shops
Medical facilities- including small clinic/hospital should be allowed, planned for and mandated within RVC
Cultural opportunities- in medium to large sized venues such as small theater to large auditorium should be considered for RVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/large parking lot in ancillary location should be part of RVC such as in Hilo
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of RVC so that commuters could also have easy access to community stores and services, i.e. large sized stores, services near bus transfer station like Ala Moana
County, State & other public services- shall definitely be provided in “second city” offices of RVC
Public restrooms- nice to provide as part of RVC but will most likely be in multiple places such as public buildings
Live/work concept- like plantation villages should definitely be part of regional village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every be part of every community village center with possible mini police substation and security video cameras
Education centers/opportunities- mandatory in every RVC so that one doesn’t have to travel great distances for education
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every RVC, therefore; plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every RVC, for example preserve a large green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every region
Encourage tax $- to stay in area by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every RVC
Business improvement area- see if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated Regional Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every RVC, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized.
Small business friendly- and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in RVC by limiting big box competition
D. Recommendation #4: In general, light industry would not be encouraged in the core of the village center. Noise, space, visual characteristics and air quality impact should relegate much of light industry away from the core of a village center or to a separate location. The General Plan should continue to identify appropriate locations for light industry subject to smart planning principles and allow appropriate special permits where the industry's impact does not conflict with the level and type of other development planned. Suitable design considerations are needed when the light industry facility is situated in a design district.
.
E. Recommendation #5: Communities should consider their area location, population base with build-out, general characteristics and geographical situation in relation to other Puna neighborhoods when exploring scope and size of village centers. Using these criteria, potential general locales in Puna are listed below and a suggested type of village center for each. These may be appropriate for servicing that immediate and surrounding area and reducing congestion and long distance driving.
1. Kea’au – Regional Village Center
2. Pahoa - Regional Village Center
3. Haw’n Shores/Beaches - Neighborhood Village Center
4. Kaimu to Opihikao - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Black Sand, Kehena, Kaimu, Puna Beach Palisades, Seaview, Royal Gardens as catchment or feeder areas
5. Nanawale - Neighborhood Village Center
6. Leilani Estates - Neighborhood Village Center
7. Glenwood - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Fern Forest, Orchid Isle Estates, Eden Roc & Aloha Estates as catchment or feeder areas
8. Kurtistown - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Hawaiian Acres as a catchment or feeder area
9. Mt. View - Community Village Center w/Pacific Paradise Mt. View Manor, Eden Roc, Fern Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Aloha Estates, Ola’a Scenic Lands, Hawaiian Island Paradise, Hilo Acres, Pacific Paradise Development as catchment or feeder areas
10. Orchidland - Community Village Center
11. HPP - Community Village Center
12. Volcano - Community Village Center w/ Royal Hawaiian, Ohia Estates, Volcano Village, Hawaiian Orchid Island, Mauna Loa Estates & Volcano Golf & Country Club as catchment or feeder areas
13. Ainaloa - Community Village Center w/ Tiki Gardens & Hawaiian Acres as catchment or feeder areas
14. Kapoho - Neighborhood Village Center
***Possible map for potential/existing village centers general locales (Sue)
F. Recommendation #6: Commercial zoning for village centers should be allocated based on the goals of the community, population and general criteria in III.B. Commercial zoning deficiencies in Puna were depicted in the 1992 Community Development Plan Technical Report: Puna has 2.84 acres per 1,000 population yet the islandwide ratio is 10.77 acres per 1000.
***possible table (Sue)
G. Recommendation #7: Wherever infrastructure is unavailable for needed commercial development of village centers the county will support alternatives that satisfy the needs for development and public health and safety. Example considerations may include solar energy and well or catchment water systems that meet health and safety standards.
H. Recommendation #8: If stakeholders or area residents desire to have a village center or design district they should notify county planning authorities. The county should prepare and make information available about collaborative community driven planning processes (including design warranted variance requests) and how to initiate them to ensure community desires are implemented.
I. Recommendation #9: A Puna district-wide set of broad design guidelines should be established and adopted in the General Plan that applies to all Puna design districts to ensure development and preservation efforts are locale based and consistent with Hawaiian characteristics. Individual communities should then be able to create specific design guidelines for voluntary compliance or seek regulatory design standards if so desired. Both commercial and residential areas can consider using the design district concept to provide a workable and positive direction to achieve development and community identity goals.
J. Recommendation #10: Create a Puna Makai/Mauka Communities Council that will:
· review proposed General Plan changes and rezoning requests
· be involved in creating county design district processes
· assist in development of Puna wide broad design district guidelines
· have first tier approval authority for community based new (regulated) design district proposals and subsequent guideline revision requests
· have first tier approval authority for special permit requests
K. Recommendation #11: County design district processes and guidelines should conform to state law (Act 119, SLH 1973) which requires counties to adopt urban and rural design plans based on:
1. Land Use
2. Pedestrian and vehicular circulation
3. Public and private community services
4. Historic sites
5. Significant land and water features
6. View and vistas
7. Basic concepts of Environmental character
8. Basic concepts of Architectural character
L. Recommendation #12: The following key questions should be considered by communities to explore their design district potential (condensed from a guide written by John Whalen):
1. What distinctive characteristics or historical sites in their community do they wish to preserve or enhance?
2. What are the existing or desired focal points for community activity?
3. Would the design guidelines apply to residential as well as commercial and public buildings?
4. What features should be preserved or enhanced?
5. What features are incompatible with the desired character of the village?
6. What should be the guidelines for infill development?
7. Is it possible (or necessary) to prohibit undesirable uses?
8. Would there be regulatory controls or voluntary guidelines?
9. If regulatory controls, would there be specific, prescriptive design standards or more general design principles coupled with a design review process?
10. Who would be responsible for design review and decisions?
11. If the guidelines are voluntary, how will they be promoted?
L. Recommendation #13: (Design districts placeholder ) ?attributes or other suggestions to cover design districts topic…I wrote" Cty" here but I don't know what fort……..?
M.. Recommendation #14: (tentative Design districts placeholder--decide recommendation reach ) The county should take necessary steps to (expeditiously?)process community association approved design district proposals to completion when submitted for Puna communities as long as they meet current existing laws and standards and the intent of the CDP. [Intent note: to allow communities to move forward and not have to wait until new processes are developed]
IV. HOW RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESS:
A. Relationship to recommendations and statements in 2005 General Plan and other previously written plans
· County of Hawaii General Plan, Land Use Commercial Development (14.3.4 Standards) . (Types of basic village centers used in this report are excerpted from this plan.)
· Hawaiian Paradise Park Community Master Plan (draft)REV. 2005 SECTION II LAND USE PLAN 2.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE LAND USE PLAN (This community supports a village center approach as shown in its plan below.)
The major development theme that is a change to the plan of the original developer of the subdivision is the addition of mixed-use areas which may include light industrial and commercial development. It is central to the Plan that the rural theme of the original developer should be preserved. It is recommended that, as property is developed, a green border of approximately 10 feet be left along the side and back boundaries to provide habitat for birds and wildlife. It is further recommended that general landscaping preserve native plants such as the ohia tree.
In the developer’s original plan there were several 20-acre parcels set aside for commercial development although none have ever been zoned for that purpose. It is proposed in this Master Plan that three of those 20-acre parcels be designated as “Village Centers” and zoned for mixed use. The HPP community envisions each Village Center as a small neighborhood shopping and professional services center surrounding a village green. Typical commercial establishments would be small food stores, fruit and vegetable outlets, variety stores, hardware stores, small clothing stores, professional offices, small restaurants, branch banks. We encourage the development of residential walkup apartments of no more than two stories in height to meet the needs of the elderly or for families just starting out. The village greens could be used for entertainment or farmer’s market type of activities as well as just a large green space for relaxation, lawn sports and recreation.
· Central Puna Water Master Plan - County of Hawaii Department of Water Supply – prepared by Roy Takemoto, March 1999 (Document Scanned by Kim Tavares - www.hismec.org) (emailed Rob)
· Pahoa Village Park Marketing and Business Plan - submitted to The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Community Based Economic Development Program State of Hawaii by Mainstreet Pahoa Association, Inc., December 1997 ( Copy available to borrow at Pahoa Library starting April 1st) (emailed Rob)
· Mainstreet Pahoa, Imua Pahoa! - Mainsteet Pahoa Strategic Plan 1994 to 2000 prepared by Community Management Associates, September 20 1994 (emailed Rob)
· Volcano Vision 2020; REVISION YEAR 2001; DESIGN GUIDELINES: This plan's intent would preserve Volcano's visual character by employing protective zoning and design district methods.
· Goal 1: Preserve the forested environment by reducing, or mitigating the amount of forest which would have to be removed for any development:
1. Encourage the sharing of access roads and parking especially for contiguous commercial development.
2. Explore ideas such as a transfer of parking requirements, which would allow businesses to avoid removing forest for parking by the establishment of a village parking lot on already cleared lots, appropriately located and designed.
3. Continue to lobby the County to defer enforcement of the requirements for curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.
4. Encourage the preservation of the native landscape and the replanting of unused or vacant cleared lands with native species.
5. Strongly encourage the utility companies to share the same poles to prevent the proliferation of overlapping pole lines; and encourage underground utilities wherever possible.
6. Encourage the installation of underground utilities in commercial corridors.
7. Work to enforce litter laws in the Volcano Community.
Goal 2: Preserve the historic structures and, in future construction, the flavor and feel of the core area of the Village:
1. Encourage the establishment of a new zoning category, “CR - Rural Commercial,” to include an amended set of permissible uses, setbacks, minimum lot size, etc.
2. Encourage the establishment of a set of design guidelines for Rural Commercial, which would contain: restrictions on use, and stipulations for buffers, setbacks, lighting and building height; considerations of landscape elements, roof line, building materials, issues of compatibility with surrounding uses and structures, appearance, colors, etc.
3. Encourage the preparation of a design workbook for Rural Commercial zoning based on the existing structures in the Village to act as a guide for landscaping, site planning, designing and building commercial structures that would merely be suggestions of how structures could look in order to be well-integrated into the community; and the creation of a community design review committee, which would be available for consultations about the design guidelines.
4. Explore the creation of a Special Design District, which would set new standards in the commercial corridor.
· Orchidland Community Design District Guidelines (date) Placeholder
· Puna Community Development Plan – Prepared by Community Management Associates, Inc. for The County of Hawai’i Planning Department – October 1995 (Document Scanned by Kim Tavares - www.hismec.org)
(This report encourages creating village design guidelines for Pahoa, Kea 'au, Mountain View and Volcano in cooperation with their residents. It also recommends developing a community-based planning process to plan preservation, restoration and redevelopment in those areas and new towns with similar traditional character and pedestrian scale.)
· Puna Community Development Plan: Technical Reference Report – Prepared by Community Management Associates, Inc. for The County of Hawai’i Planning Department – January 15th, 1992 (Copy currently available to borrow at Hawai'i County Department of Research and Development. Section 9.3 Commercial Land Use & Zoning acknowledges commercial zoned land deficiency in Puna in 1992 and the failure to plan adequately for population-center based commercial services in the following excerpt:
"There has been no planning for location of commercial centers in the subdivisions. Highway by-pass patterns around existing commercial centers have often been placed between existing town centers and emerging population centers in the subdivisions (i.e. Volcano, Mt. View, and Pahoa)--physically alienating existing towns from subdivisions. This pattern further encourages the primary economic relationship to Hilo which is already stressing the capacity of the main roadways. (The 1982 SMS survey showed that subdivision residents tended to by-pass Puna towns on their way to Hilo, while town dwellers did more of their shopping in the towns.) There is increasing pressure for strip development along collector roads and by-passes, as population centers shift without comprehensive planning for balanced land uses integrated into areas convenient to residential centers."
***possible table (Sue)
· W.H. Shipman Ltd's Keaau development plan:
Article, Hawaii Tribune-Herald July 16, 2006: Shipman's 30-50 year long-range development plan for portions of its 16,000 acre Puna landholdings is in the beginning stages. It includes full scale community objectives: homes, a 32 acre shopping center, government facilities, public services, and park space. Assisted by its planning consultant, Shipman officials explain how they are involving the surrounding communities in the initial outreach phase:
"Trips were made to lower Puna neighborhoods to meet with landowners and Native Hawaiian elders. Members of the business community, public and private school representatives, Hawaii County planners, and emergency service providers also were invited to comment.
The objective is to have affected parties help guide the development process, which won't be final until community approval is secured."
· Hawaii Rural Lands Use Workshops/Hawaii Rural Development Council final report to State Land Use Commission: Page 23, (Round Two East Hawaii). The need to empower community voices in the process of moving towards healthy and vibrant rural districts was emphasized in all sessions. East Hawaii participants called for the following to "Empower Local Residents":
·
People-oriented, people-driven local activities
Municipalities or community boards; localized government (commissions)
Town councils &/or neighborhood boards
Preservation support, e.g., oral histories, art grants
B. Relationship to public input received in CDP process:
Community input indicates overall strong desire for and support of new or improved community-based village centers in conjunction with sensitive development practices.
Community input also clearly favors a means to preserving existing rural village themes and continuing the theme with new town in-scale development. From this, we can derive there is significant public interest in the purpose of design districts and design guidelines.
C. Community resistance or potential obstacles
Infrastructure needs will be an issue for all development projects. For the PCDP John Whalen recommended that the "Public Facilities & Infrastructure Working Group" focus on planning of facilities for basic infrastructure (water, waste disposal, and police and fire facilities) and the "Transportation Working Group" address facilities for travel (ie highways, streets and so on).
D. Who should be primarily responsible for carrying out the recommendations?
Recommendations adopted by ordinance or included in the General Plan will be the responsibility of the county zoning and planning departments and county council.
Village Centers/Design Districts
"....I felt, perhaps more keenly than ever before, just what it meant to be a villager--someone whose welfare is of interest (sometimes of unwelcome interest) to one's neighbors--but always to matter. It was a warming thought--to be part of a small, living community, 'members of one another', so closely linked by ties of kinship, work and the parish boundaries, that the supposed unhappiness of one elderly woman affected all."
From Village Diary, by Miss Read
INTRODUCTION
The most commented theme subcategory in the 3394 ideas gathered at the first 130 small group meetings was "Community Center - Village Center" (205 ideas). The Puna CDP summarized community input in this subcategory as follows: " Puna residents would like to see more community centers that are walkable with park, schools and locally owned shops to provide the basic needs and services for the participant without having to drive long distance in an automobile. Participants expressed the need for more community based economic development by having small village centers that stay true to Puna's uniqueness and creating more gathering places for residents to interact, shop, work, learn and play". The concept of "Village Centers" is the primary focus of this report.
Many participants stated their wish to guide commercial development to preserve the character and history of the affected community. The "Design district" guidelines concept is a method to achieve their wish and is a secondary focus of this report.
I. GOALS ("Desired outcomes"
A. Report Goal #1: To encourage and support communities in our rapidly growing Puna region that wish to enhance existing or establish new village centers (VCs) and gathering places where residents can obtain basic goods and services without needing to travel long distances. Communities will continue to grow. In the process, neighbors can take initiative to address their distinct desires, and preserve and enhance the character of their community by having a voice in the village centers form of commercial development. The alternative is accepting what developers independently decide.
B. Report Goal #2: To encourage and support communities in Puna to seek ways to guide development and preservation of structures and settings that is environmentally responsible and reflective of Hawaiian history and culture. Design planning is an established tool for "smart growth"; therefore design district processes should be available to interested community associations wishing to achieve a common vision.
II. OBJECTIVES ("How to meet goals"
A. Objective #1: Communities will begin to consider supporting creating village centers with scope and size suitable for their immediate and surroundings areas. County planning resources will facilitate community efforts to achieve thoughtful commercial planning results. Currently the County of Hawaii General Plan, Land Use Commercial Development (14.3.4 Standards) does provide descriptions of three basic types of village centers with general parameters as an initial reference point:
There are three basic types of shopping centers:
(a) Neighborhood Centers
• Provide: Convenience goods, e.g., foods, drugs, and personal services.
• Major Shops: Supermarket and/or drug store.
• Number of Shops: 5 to 15.
• Acreage: 5 to 10 acres.
• Approximate Market: 3,000 people.
(b) Community Centers
• Provide: Convenience goods, plus "soft line" items, such as clothing, and "hard
line" items, such as hardware and small appliances.
• Major Shops: Variety or junior department store.
• Number of Shops: 20 to 40.
• Acreage: 10 to 30 acres.
• Approximate Market: 15,000 people.
© Regional Centers
• Provide: Full range of merchandise and services.
• Major Shops: Full size department store.
• Number of Shops: 40.
• Acreage: over 30 acres.
• Approximate Market: 50,000 people.
B. Objective #2: There will be Puna-wide encouragement and support via county development with community input of cohesive design district processes and guidelines.
C. Objective #3. Communities will consider their own community cultural, social and economic history when deciding whether to pursue design district status and guidelines.
III. RECOMMENDATIONS (how to start or finish an objective, such as a policy, project, justifications, sources of information)
A. Recommendation #1: County Council should effect a moratorium on all subdividing and any rezoning that would allow development until the Puna Community Development Plan is completed. Special permit requests should be subject to public notice and review, affected community associations acceptance, and approval by the (to be created) Puna Makai/Mauka Communities Council.
B. Recommendation #2: Communities should first consider the following general criteria and situations as they pertain to their area when exploring village center possibilities:
Set back off highway
Acreage based on population density
Enterprise zone
Access to water, sewer, electric
Roads (into & out of)
Hazards awareness
Proximity to historic/established community areas
Sufficient municipal parking
Ecological, agriculture and archaeological considerations
Impact on community quality of life
C. Recommendation #3: Communities should consider a list of village center "people focused" possible attributes when exploring village center possibilities in their areas. A list of attributes has been compiled and suggestions as to each attribute's suitability for each type of village centers are offered below:
1. Neighborhood Village Center (NVC) - Example: Kurtistown
a. 5-10 acres
b. 3,000 population
c. 5-15 shops such as convenience (prefer Mom & Pop type), food, drugs, personal services
VC Possible Attributes:
Community Flavor- mandatory vs. 7-11 strip mall type flavor
Meeting space/community center- in every neighborhood desired
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance
meetings like central post office box location, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilion mandatory
Design District-Maybe too small to institute Design District, on the other hand, Volcano Village good example of where it could work
Farmer’s Market-may be of too big a scale to have in NVC but a few stores w/ outside product stands should be allowed
General Store-may be too big for NVC but small mom & pops more desirable, depends what you mean by General Store
Banking-NVC may be too small to support small bank branch but at least one ATM should definitely be provided in NVC
Food-NVC should definitely make provisions for small food establishments such as small mom & pop type like BBQ Chix shops but no major fast food establishments such as Taco Bells should be allowed in NVCs
Green centers- like a small neighborhood park where you could have neighborhood BBQ and covered gathering space should be part of every NVC
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be an attribute of any village center regardless of size; the most important subattribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in NVC but should be allowed in neighborhoods as long as they meet the normal, “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every NVC by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- may not be appropriate except for live/work units above small shops in NVC
Medical facilities- like a few small doctor/dentist offices should be allowed within NVC
Cultural opportunities- may be more appropriate in large village centers but small neighborhood coffee shop could be venue for cultural opportunities within NVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/larger parking lot in ancillary locations should be part of NVC such as in Honomu
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of NVC so that commuters could also have easy access to neighborhood stores and services
County, State & other public services -may be of too small scale to have in every NVC
Public restrooms- not necessary to provide in every neighborhood but nice if they are as part of park
Live/work concept -like plantation villages should definitely be part of neighborhood village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every neighborhood village center
Education centers/opportunities- would be nice in every neighborhood but may not have facilities, therefore should be relegated to CVC
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every NVC, therefore plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every NVC, for example, preserve some green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every neighborhood
Encourage tax $ to stay in area- by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every NVC
Business improvement area- see if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated community Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every Neighborhood Village Center, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized
Small business- friendly and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in NVC by limiting big box competition
2. Community Village Center (CVC) - example Volcano
a. 10-30 acres
b. 15,000 people
c. 20-40 shops such as convenience, soft line, hard line & small appliances
VC Possible Attributes:
Community Flavor- mandatory vs 7-11 strip mall type flavor
Meeting space/community center- mandatory for a Community Village Center
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance meetings like central post office boxes location, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilions & gardens, mandatory
Design District-medium sized Village Center should definitely consider having mandatory Design District Guidelines to make sure all the buildings in the CVC look cohesive and of the area rather than imported Subway, for example type buildings
Farmer’s Market -definitely appropriate in Community Village Centers because will have critical mass to support market. For example, Maku’u Farmer’s Market
General Store-definitely appropriate here, e.g. Ace or True Value Hardware, J. Hara’s
Banking-small bank branch should definitely be provided in Community Village Center, for example, BOH and 1st Hawaiian in Pahoa but we need also in Mt. View
Food-medium sized food establishments such as coffeeshops, plate lunch establishments that reflect the community should be allowed in CVC
Green centers- should also be part of every community village center; village greens should be the size to have a couple of ball fields, dog park, recreation activities, a covered gathering space etc.
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be part of any village center regardless of size. The most important subattribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in CVC but should be allowed w/I the community as long as they meet the normal, “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every Community Village Center by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- may be more appropriate such as live/work units above small shops in CVC
Medical facilities- like a few small doctor/dentist offices and maybe a small but not too large clinic should be allowed within CVC
Cultural opportunities- in small to medium sized venues such as coffee house size up to small theater should be considered for CVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/larger parking lot in ancillary locations should be part of CVC such as in Honoka’a
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of CVC so that commuters could also have easy access to community stores and services, i.e. medium sized stores, services near bus stop
County, State & other public services- such as small scale Police substation should be considered as part of CVC
Public restrooms- nice to provide as part of Community Village Centers Park Live/work concept- like plantation villages should definitely be part of community village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every community village center with possible mini police substation and security video cameras
Education centers/opportunities -would be nice in every community, therefore should be mandated in CVC
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every CVC, therefore plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every CVC, for example preserve a medium sized green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every community
Encourage tax $- to stay in area by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every CVC
Business improvement area- See if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated Community Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every Community Village Center, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized
Small business friendly- and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in CVC by limiting big box competition
3. Regional Village Center (RVC) - example Kea'au
a. > 30 acres
b. 50,000 population
c. > 40 shops, full range of merchandise & services
VC Possible Attributes:
Community flavor mandatory vs 7-11 strip mall flavor
Meeting space/community center- mandatory, at least one for Town Hall type meetings
Social Opportunities- to talk story such as places for chance meetings like post office boxes, neighborhood bulletin boards, community pavilions & gardens mandatory
Design District-having a design district for the Regional Village Centers will enhance the sense of place and cohesive architectural design will unify the community and could only increase property values; for example Waimea vs. Walmart/Hilo
Farmer’s Market- definitely appropriate here; for example, Kea’au Farmer’s Market
General Stores- may get sized out by larger stores in Regional Village Center
Banking-Regular size bank branches as well as alternatives such as Credit Unions should be provided in Regional Village Centers such as Kea’au
Food-Large food establishments such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut should be and are already allowed in Regional Village Centers such as Kea’au Shopping Center
Green centers such as W.H. Shipman Regional Park should be part of every Regional Village Center; the green centers to be considered should be of the recreation complex size.
People pedestrian friendly- shall definitely be part of any village center regardless of size; the most important sub-attribute of a Village Center being pedestrian friendly is for the village to be safe for pedestrians and should have adequate sidewalks and crosswalks.
Small scale accommodations- such as B&B’s don’t necessarily have to be located in RVC but should be allowed in the region as long as they meet the normal “Special Use” zoning requirements
Healthy activities- like walking and biking should be allotted for within every Regional Village Center by the use of tree shaded walks, benches and bike parking.
Hawaii-Big Island feel design- with height restrictions, environmental building standards, visual guidelines and native landscaping etc should be mandatory for any village center
Multi-family housing- definitely appropriate in RVC especially live/work units above small shops
Medical facilities- including small clinic/hospital should be allowed, planned for and mandated within RVC
Cultural opportunities- in medium to large sized venues such as small theater to large auditorium should be considered for RVCs
Smart parking- i.e. parallel in front w/large parking lot in ancillary location should be part of RVC such as in Hilo
Transit centers- need to be considered as part of RVC so that commuters could also have easy access to community stores and services, i.e. large sized stores, services near bus transfer station like Ala Moana
County, State & other public services- shall definitely be provided in “second city” offices of RVC
Public restrooms- nice to provide as part of RVC but will most likely be in multiple places such as public buildings
Live/work concept- like plantation villages should definitely be part of regional village centers such as Papaikou
Security/Neighborhood Watch/Positive police response- shall be part of every be part of every community village center with possible mini police substation and security video cameras
Education centers/opportunities- mandatory in every RVC so that one doesn’t have to travel great distances for education
Legacy- and prepare for future generations should be part of every RVC, therefore; plots of land should be set aside for specific uses like parks, community services
Open space preservation- big & little ways should also be part of every RVC, for example preserve a large green buffer zone and wildlife habitat in every region
Encourage tax $- to stay in area by encouraging local businesses to thrive vs. big box stores in every RVC
Business improvement area- see if can get designated federal dollars to help set infrastructure in place for dedicated Regional Village Centers as antidote for sprawl and traffic congestion
Lighting- appropriate to the area shall be part of every RVC, i.e. that is minimally invasive to the environment lighting that will ensure safety but not pollute the nighttime sky for telescope viewing should be utilized.
Small business friendly- and conducive atmosphere should be promoted in RVC by limiting big box competition
D. Recommendation #4: In general, light industry would not be encouraged in the core of the village center. Noise, space, visual characteristics and air quality impact should relegate much of light industry away from the core of a village center or to a separate location. The General Plan should continue to identify appropriate locations for light industry subject to smart planning principles and allow appropriate special permits where the industry's impact does not conflict with the level and type of other development planned. Suitable design considerations are needed when the light industry facility is situated in a design district.
.
E. Recommendation #5: Communities should consider their area location, population base with build-out, general characteristics and geographical situation in relation to other Puna neighborhoods when exploring scope and size of village centers. Using these criteria, potential general locales in Puna are listed below and a suggested type of village center for each. These may be appropriate for servicing that immediate and surrounding area and reducing congestion and long distance driving.
1. Kea’au – Regional Village Center
2. Pahoa - Regional Village Center
3. Haw’n Shores/Beaches - Neighborhood Village Center
4. Kaimu to Opihikao - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Black Sand, Kehena, Kaimu, Puna Beach Palisades, Seaview, Royal Gardens as catchment or feeder areas
5. Nanawale - Neighborhood Village Center
6. Leilani Estates - Neighborhood Village Center
7. Glenwood - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Fern Forest, Orchid Isle Estates, Eden Roc & Aloha Estates as catchment or feeder areas
8. Kurtistown - Neighborhood Village Center w/ Hawaiian Acres as a catchment or feeder area
9. Mt. View - Community Village Center w/Pacific Paradise Mt. View Manor, Eden Roc, Fern Acres, Hawaiian Acres, Aloha Estates, Ola’a Scenic Lands, Hawaiian Island Paradise, Hilo Acres, Pacific Paradise Development as catchment or feeder areas
10. Orchidland - Community Village Center
11. HPP - Community Village Center
12. Volcano - Community Village Center w/ Royal Hawaiian, Ohia Estates, Volcano Village, Hawaiian Orchid Island, Mauna Loa Estates & Volcano Golf & Country Club as catchment or feeder areas
13. Ainaloa - Community Village Center w/ Tiki Gardens & Hawaiian Acres as catchment or feeder areas
14. Kapoho - Neighborhood Village Center
***Possible map for potential/existing village centers general locales (Sue)
F. Recommendation #6: Commercial zoning for village centers should be allocated based on the goals of the community, population and general criteria in III.B. Commercial zoning deficiencies in Puna were depicted in the 1992 Community Development Plan Technical Report: Puna has 2.84 acres per 1,000 population yet the islandwide ratio is 10.77 acres per 1000.
***possible table (Sue)
G. Recommendation #7: Wherever infrastructure is unavailable for needed commercial development of village centers the county will support alternatives that satisfy the needs for development and public health and safety. Example considerations may include solar energy and well or catchment water systems that meet health and safety standards.
H. Recommendation #8: If stakeholders or area residents desire to have a village center or design district they should notify county planning authorities. The county should prepare and make information available about collaborative community driven planning processes (including design warranted variance requests) and how to initiate them to ensure community desires are implemented.
I. Recommendation #9: A Puna district-wide set of broad design guidelines should be established and adopted in the General Plan that applies to all Puna design districts to ensure development and preservation efforts are locale based and consistent with Hawaiian characteristics. Individual communities should then be able to create specific design guidelines for voluntary compliance or seek regulatory design standards if so desired. Both commercial and residential areas can consider using the design district concept to provide a workable and positive direction to achieve development and community identity goals.
J. Recommendation #10: Create a Puna Makai/Mauka Communities Council that will:
· review proposed General Plan changes and rezoning requests
· be involved in creating county design district processes
· assist in development of Puna wide broad design district guidelines
· have first tier approval authority for community based new (regulated) design district proposals and subsequent guideline revision requests
· have first tier approval authority for special permit requests
K. Recommendation #11: County design district processes and guidelines should conform to state law (Act 119, SLH 1973) which requires counties to adopt urban and rural design plans based on:
1. Land Use
2. Pedestrian and vehicular circulation
3. Public and private community services
4. Historic sites
5. Significant land and water features
6. View and vistas
7. Basic concepts of Environmental character
8. Basic concepts of Architectural character
L. Recommendation #12: The following key questions should be considered by communities to explore their design district potential (condensed from a guide written by John Whalen):
1. What distinctive characteristics or historical sites in their community do they wish to preserve or enhance?
2. What are the existing or desired focal points for community activity?
3. Would the design guidelines apply to residential as well as commercial and public buildings?
4. What features should be preserved or enhanced?
5. What features are incompatible with the desired character of the village?
6. What should be the guidelines for infill development?
7. Is it possible (or necessary) to prohibit undesirable uses?
8. Would there be regulatory controls or voluntary guidelines?
9. If regulatory controls, would there be specific, prescriptive design standards or more general design principles coupled with a design review process?
10. Who would be responsible for design review and decisions?
11. If the guidelines are voluntary, how will they be promoted?
L. Recommendation #13: (Design districts placeholder ) ?attributes or other suggestions to cover design districts topic…I wrote" Cty" here but I don't know what fort……..?
M.. Recommendation #14: (tentative Design districts placeholder--decide recommendation reach ) The county should take necessary steps to (expeditiously?)process community association approved design district proposals to completion when submitted for Puna communities as long as they meet current existing laws and standards and the intent of the CDP. [Intent note: to allow communities to move forward and not have to wait until new processes are developed]
IV. HOW RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESS:
A. Relationship to recommendations and statements in 2005 General Plan and other previously written plans
· County of Hawaii General Plan, Land Use Commercial Development (14.3.4 Standards) . (Types of basic village centers used in this report are excerpted from this plan.)
· Hawaiian Paradise Park Community Master Plan (draft)REV. 2005 SECTION II LAND USE PLAN 2.1 OBJECTIVES OF THE LAND USE PLAN (This community supports a village center approach as shown in its plan below.)
The major development theme that is a change to the plan of the original developer of the subdivision is the addition of mixed-use areas which may include light industrial and commercial development. It is central to the Plan that the rural theme of the original developer should be preserved. It is recommended that, as property is developed, a green border of approximately 10 feet be left along the side and back boundaries to provide habitat for birds and wildlife. It is further recommended that general landscaping preserve native plants such as the ohia tree.
In the developer’s original plan there were several 20-acre parcels set aside for commercial development although none have ever been zoned for that purpose. It is proposed in this Master Plan that three of those 20-acre parcels be designated as “Village Centers” and zoned for mixed use. The HPP community envisions each Village Center as a small neighborhood shopping and professional services center surrounding a village green. Typical commercial establishments would be small food stores, fruit and vegetable outlets, variety stores, hardware stores, small clothing stores, professional offices, small restaurants, branch banks. We encourage the development of residential walkup apartments of no more than two stories in height to meet the needs of the elderly or for families just starting out. The village greens could be used for entertainment or farmer’s market type of activities as well as just a large green space for relaxation, lawn sports and recreation.
· Central Puna Water Master Plan - County of Hawaii Department of Water Supply – prepared by Roy Takemoto, March 1999 (Document Scanned by Kim Tavares - www.hismec.org) (emailed Rob)
· Pahoa Village Park Marketing and Business Plan - submitted to The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Community Based Economic Development Program State of Hawaii by Mainstreet Pahoa Association, Inc., December 1997 ( Copy available to borrow at Pahoa Library starting April 1st) (emailed Rob)
· Mainstreet Pahoa, Imua Pahoa! - Mainsteet Pahoa Strategic Plan 1994 to 2000 prepared by Community Management Associates, September 20 1994 (emailed Rob)
· Volcano Vision 2020; REVISION YEAR 2001; DESIGN GUIDELINES: This plan's intent would preserve Volcano's visual character by employing protective zoning and design district methods.
· Goal 1: Preserve the forested environment by reducing, or mitigating the amount of forest which would have to be removed for any development:
1. Encourage the sharing of access roads and parking especially for contiguous commercial development.
2. Explore ideas such as a transfer of parking requirements, which would allow businesses to avoid removing forest for parking by the establishment of a village parking lot on already cleared lots, appropriately located and designed.
3. Continue to lobby the County to defer enforcement of the requirements for curbs, gutters, and sidewalks.
4. Encourage the preservation of the native landscape and the replanting of unused or vacant cleared lands with native species.
5. Strongly encourage the utility companies to share the same poles to prevent the proliferation of overlapping pole lines; and encourage underground utilities wherever possible.
6. Encourage the installation of underground utilities in commercial corridors.
7. Work to enforce litter laws in the Volcano Community.
Goal 2: Preserve the historic structures and, in future construction, the flavor and feel of the core area of the Village:
1. Encourage the establishment of a new zoning category, “CR - Rural Commercial,” to include an amended set of permissible uses, setbacks, minimum lot size, etc.
2. Encourage the establishment of a set of design guidelines for Rural Commercial, which would contain: restrictions on use, and stipulations for buffers, setbacks, lighting and building height; considerations of landscape elements, roof line, building materials, issues of compatibility with surrounding uses and structures, appearance, colors, etc.
3. Encourage the preparation of a design workbook for Rural Commercial zoning based on the existing structures in the Village to act as a guide for landscaping, site planning, designing and building commercial structures that would merely be suggestions of how structures could look in order to be well-integrated into the community; and the creation of a community design review committee, which would be available for consultations about the design guidelines.
4. Explore the creation of a Special Design District, which would set new standards in the commercial corridor.
· Orchidland Community Design District Guidelines (date) Placeholder
· Puna Community Development Plan – Prepared by Community Management Associates, Inc. for The County of Hawai’i Planning Department – October 1995 (Document Scanned by Kim Tavares - www.hismec.org)
(This report encourages creating village design guidelines for Pahoa, Kea 'au, Mountain View and Volcano in cooperation with their residents. It also recommends developing a community-based planning process to plan preservation, restoration and redevelopment in those areas and new towns with similar traditional character and pedestrian scale.)
· Puna Community Development Plan: Technical Reference Report – Prepared by Community Management Associates, Inc. for The County of Hawai’i Planning Department – January 15th, 1992 (Copy currently available to borrow at Hawai'i County Department of Research and Development. Section 9.3 Commercial Land Use & Zoning acknowledges commercial zoned land deficiency in Puna in 1992 and the failure to plan adequately for population-center based commercial services in the following excerpt:
"There has been no planning for location of commercial centers in the subdivisions. Highway by-pass patterns around existing commercial centers have often been placed between existing town centers and emerging population centers in the subdivisions (i.e. Volcano, Mt. View, and Pahoa)--physically alienating existing towns from subdivisions. This pattern further encourages the primary economic relationship to Hilo which is already stressing the capacity of the main roadways. (The 1982 SMS survey showed that subdivision residents tended to by-pass Puna towns on their way to Hilo, while town dwellers did more of their shopping in the towns.) There is increasing pressure for strip development along collector roads and by-passes, as population centers shift without comprehensive planning for balanced land uses integrated into areas convenient to residential centers."
***possible table (Sue)
· W.H. Shipman Ltd's Keaau development plan:
Article, Hawaii Tribune-Herald July 16, 2006: Shipman's 30-50 year long-range development plan for portions of its 16,000 acre Puna landholdings is in the beginning stages. It includes full scale community objectives: homes, a 32 acre shopping center, government facilities, public services, and park space. Assisted by its planning consultant, Shipman officials explain how they are involving the surrounding communities in the initial outreach phase:
"Trips were made to lower Puna neighborhoods to meet with landowners and Native Hawaiian elders. Members of the business community, public and private school representatives, Hawaii County planners, and emergency service providers also were invited to comment.
The objective is to have affected parties help guide the development process, which won't be final until community approval is secured."
· Hawaii Rural Lands Use Workshops/Hawaii Rural Development Council final report to State Land Use Commission: Page 23, (Round Two East Hawaii). The need to empower community voices in the process of moving towards healthy and vibrant rural districts was emphasized in all sessions. East Hawaii participants called for the following to "Empower Local Residents":
·
People-oriented, people-driven local activities
Municipalities or community boards; localized government (commissions)
Town councils &/or neighborhood boards
Preservation support, e.g., oral histories, art grants
B. Relationship to public input received in CDP process:
Community input indicates overall strong desire for and support of new or improved community-based village centers in conjunction with sensitive development practices.
Community input also clearly favors a means to preserving existing rural village themes and continuing the theme with new town in-scale development. From this, we can derive there is significant public interest in the purpose of design districts and design guidelines.
C. Community resistance or potential obstacles
Infrastructure needs will be an issue for all development projects. For the PCDP John Whalen recommended that the "Public Facilities & Infrastructure Working Group" focus on planning of facilities for basic infrastructure (water, waste disposal, and police and fire facilities) and the "Transportation Working Group" address facilities for travel (ie highways, streets and so on).
D. Who should be primarily responsible for carrying out the recommendations?
Recommendations adopted by ordinance or included in the General Plan will be the responsibility of the county zoning and planning departments and county council.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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