Land Use Sub Group Meeting Goals and Objectives

[Barbara]

Mahalo Pete for your Draft Goals and Objectives. I'm looking forward to the revisions posted here. The County Land Use Working Group document provides an additional structure.
Aloha,
Barbara

[peteadams]

(This is the updated text based on our discussions of 11/17)

Puna Land Use - Growth Management
Community Development Planning

The overall goal of the working group is to manage population growth in Puna in order retain its rural and agricultural character, preserve and improve the quality of the natural environment and provide high standards of liveability and economic opportunity for its residents.

Goal: Maintain high residential building standards for subdivisions and building permits
Objective: No new substandard parcels less than five acres
Recommendation: All new subdivisions and residential building permits for below five acres must meet all county standards for building with no variances for wastewater, drainage, road, etc. requirements
Recommendation: Increase county staffing to improve code enforcement activity

Goal: Maintain subsurface water quality
Objective: Eliminate residential sources of groundwater pollution
Recommendation: No cesspools allowed for any new building
Recommendation: Require septic system for single family residence
Recommendation: Require aerobic wastewater treatment or composting toilets for residences within 1000' of drilled wells or SMA areas
Recommendation: Require aerobic wastewater treatment or composting toilets for intensive (less than 1 acre) development
Recommendation: Prepare Environmental Impact Statement to assess wastewater impact on Puna aquifer comparing septic system versus aerobic system as a function of expected increased population.

Goal: Prevent population sprawl and scattered development
Objective: Keep intensive development physically adjacent to existing intensive areas
Recommendation: Focus all intensive development in areas that are already intensively developed (i.e., Kea'au, Pahoa, Volcano).
Recommendation: Maintain high standards of access and green belt setback for all commercial development adjacent to primary highways; no strip development
Recommendation: Increase staff to enforce code standards on existing disallowed uses
Recommendation: Guide growth into either urban expansion zones or existing subdivisions rather than create new subdivisions

Goal: Manage highway usage resulting from Increased population pressure
Objective: Decrease congestion on Hwy 130 by providing alternative routes
Recommendation: Do not widen Hwy 130 to four lanes; do not implement DOT 2012 widening plan
Recommendation: Add longer merging lanes or stop lights at subdivisions and other improvements to increase safety on Hwy 130
Recommendation: Add alternate transportation routes (bicycle, small motor bikes)
Recommendation: Immediately begin survey for mauka and makai (relative to Hwy 130) access routes
Recommendation: Use existing roads where ever possible, with improvements as required

Goal: Maintain integrity of zoning as reflected in property taxation and allowed activities
Objective: Parcel usage should reflect parcel zoning
Recommendation: Develop standards defining agricultural activity for purpose of assigning property tax rates
Recommendation: Adjust tax rates to confer advantage on agricultural land use (current tax rates per $1000: Improved Residential - $8.10; Agricultural - $8.35; Homeowner - $5.55)
Recommendation: All parcels taxed at agricultural rates must demonstrate either commercial or other significant agricultural activity.
Recommendation: Increase tax rates of agricultural zoned parcels that do not demonstrate agricultural activity

Goal: Increase knowledge of natural dangers in Puna
Objective: Builders required to be informed of natural dangers inherent in building in Puna
Recommendation: Require informational form to be signed as part of land purchase and building permit processes specifying lava, tsunami and subsidence issues of location with signed acknowledgment of understanding.
Recommendation: Indemnify county from any damages resulting from purchasing land or building impacted by lava, tsunami or subsidence.

Goal: Provide for job opportunities and industrial services availability while minimizing impact on rural and agricultural character.
Objective: Confine industrial development to limited areas to prevent sprawl and inappropriate mixed uses.
Recommendation: Define industrial/commercial zoned areas that are physically associated with existing intensive development but have minimal impact on residential use.
Recommendation: Disallow any industrial/commercial zoning or variance in any location substantially separated from other intensive uses to reduce sprawl
Recommendation: Investigate the geothermal power plant leasehold and Hawaiian Homelands property for possible industrial zone.
Recommendation: Insure meaningful buffer space between industrial development and residential or agricultural areas.

Goal: Minimize issuance of Special Use permits
Objective: Prevent avoidance of zoning requirements by granting of Special Use permits
Recommendation: Prepare guidelines for granting appropriate Special Use permit
Recommendation: Insure that any Special Use permits are issued based on broad county interests rather than the interests of the property owner

Goal: Reduce or eliminate property speculation ("flipping"
Objective: Reduce or eliminate incentives for uncontrolled development and price increases
Recommendation: Impose significantly higher conveyance fee for short term or no occupancy unless genuine hardship demonstrated.
Recommendation: Require building permit for sale of property having a residence

The following goals were suggested but not discussed in detail

Goal: Promote Kapoho as recreational area
Objective: Discourage residential growth in an area subject to natural dangers

Goal: Rezone all A-1a zones in Puna to A-5a
Objective: Reduce population sprawl and encourage rural and agricultural land use rather than bedroom community uses.

[peteadams]

Submitted by Jeff Lux, copied as is:

Goal: Preserve rural and agricultural character.
Objective: Reduce density potential in existing rural developments, where feasible.
Recommendation: Extend tax relief to owners that consolidate contiguous properties into larger parcels.
Recommendation: Extend tax relief to owners based on percentage of land left in natural state, or are planted and maintained with native / endangered species, providing no invasive flora species are present.
Recommendation: Provide exemption from taxes to owners that dedicate parcels to conservation ( no development), providing no grading alterations are made, and no invasive species ( flora and fauna ) are present.
Recommendation: Encourage land pooling in areas adjacent to identified commercial / village properties in order to achieve cluster development, with higher densities localized nearby, in exchange for preservation of open space.
Recommendation: Re-structure tax rates to make agricultural use less tax expensive than improved residential use. I suggest a sliding scale with agricultural use, no dwellings as being the least expensive, followed by ag use with a single dwelling, then ag use with two or more dwellings, then improved residential. Ag use to be defined as a viable commercial venture, by licensed operators paying taxes, not claimed "subsistence farming" ( in reality, is there any?) , or a few chickens in the yard. Or worse yet, (as an example)- my neighbor bulldozed his property pin to pin, many years ago, then left it alone. Albizia, cane grass, and castor bean trees flourish. Yet, every two years, he clears the front 20 feet, sticks up some bean poles, and receives an ag exemption !!! ( never saw a single bean) [This may be better directed to Pete's previous topic on land use to reflect zoning]