The Kaua‘i County Council met on January 8, 2025, starting at 8:30 AM in the Council Chambers, Līhu‘e, to address multiple committee items. All members were present except Council Member Cowden (excused). The meeting covered zoning amendments, a Hawaiian Home Lands relocation plan, fire code updates, a budget amendment for hazard pay, and a briefing on the 2030 Blueprint for Hawai‘i’s economy. The council voted on several bills and received briefings and public testimony.
Good morning. Welcome and thank you for being here committee meeting of January 8th. Today we will start off with the planning committee. Mr. Bolassan. Good morning, everyone. I'd like to call the planning committee meeting to order. Let the record reflect all members are present except Council Member Calvin, who is excused. Can I get the first item, please? Bill 2936, a bill for an ordinance amending chapter 8, Kauai County Code 1987 as amended relating to zoning designations in Wailua Kauai. County Hawaii Planning Department applicant. Second. Morning chair, members of council, uh Carnal Hall on behalf of the planning department. I am joined with Shaleya Kolga, who's the lead planner on these two's well, this first zoning amendment as well as second zoning amendment. We made a presentation during first reading, but of course, it's a new year. So new council members. Congratulations. So I'm gonna turn it back over to Shalea if you guys don't mind. Just to give a brief presentation on the first zoning amendment, we can do the same for the second. Good morning, everybody. Happy New Year. Um, so before you today we have zoning amendment CA 2024-1 to amend zoning map ZMWA 500 um in the Wailua area, and we're basically removing the STP zoning district overlay um from the residential zones properties that are referenced in the bill. And so SPP stands for special treatment public facilities, and generally the STP zoning district is put over parcels that are like owned by the government or is generally used by the public. So for example, that could be like cemeteries, it could be like the civic center here, schools, hospitals would all fall under what the SCP's zoning would be. But in this case, for the ZMWA 500 Wailua, the STP zoning overlay is over residential parcels. And what happens when there's the SCP zoning overlay over those parcels is it makes it a little bit more harder for them to apply for permits to get something done and a little bit more expensive. So in normal cases, if you wanted to do an addition to your house, you would come into the planning department, get a class one zoning permit, it's a $30 fee. If your plans are drawn accurately, um it can get approved within a week. Because of the SDP zoning overlay, these parcels that have it, when they come in for a permit, the planning department is supposed to say you have to get a use permit because of the special treatment overlay. And so what a use permit entails is you have to go to the planning commission. You have to you have to actually um write up your application. It's not just a simple form that you can fill in. And so majority of the time people will end up hiring someone to do the applications for them, which can be very costly on its own. Plus the cost for a use permit is over a thousand dollars, and so that in itself is real expensive for them. So by removing the SCP overlay, it would just make it a little cheaper and easier for people who would normally have that same right, or like their neighbors who's not in the STP overlay that already have that right to just apply for a class one zoning permit. And so back in December, when we met with you folks, we had done some research and our research had led us to believe that the SCP overlays was put onto these areas because of the park, and that they were looking to maybe expand. But after further research and talking to some of our senior planners who's been there for a while, we actually found out that the maps, the zoning maps itself came from the original general plan, and in the general plan, they had those areas designated for actually elementary schools. And so we know today, because all of those lots are they're pretty much built out. There's all houses all on every single lot, so an elementary school would not be able to fit there in that zoning district now. And so yeah, we're just proposing to remove the SCP zoning overlay over those properties in Wailua, and then you'll hear in the next one to ZA 2024 2 for Hanape area. We're doing the same thing. They suggest pair bills going together. So that pretty much summarized it. Council members, any questions? Oh quick one. Council Member Kule. You said it would take longer and it would cost more. And you said the one process takes a week, but you didn't say what the other process is. Oh, sorry. It it can take a couple, it can take a couple months.