Hawaii County this week is kicking off a 19-month process to update zoning and subdivision codes with community engagement sessions in Kona and Hilo.
The open houses are scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Old Kona Airport pavilion and Thursday in the atrium of the county building in Hilo.
“The County of Hawaii faces monumental challenges such as housing, food security and climate change, so we need zoning and subdivision codes that are current and equipped that respond to today’s needs,” Planning Director Zendo Kern said Monday. “Modern codes will assist with maximum utilization of infrastructure and help focus growth where we need it while keep Hawaii Island’s sense of place.”
The subdivision code, containing the regulations for subdividing and platting of land, providing for the preparation of plats and providing for the installation of utilities, streets and other improvements, was last updated in 1983.
The zoning code defines how property in specific geographic zones can be used. A zoning ordinance typically regulates such items as lot size, structure placement, density, architectural style, development character, and the height of structures. Zoning ordinances also describe the procedures for how to develop land, how to change zones, how to deviate from the standards, and handle any zoning rule infractions. Hawaii County’s was last updated in 1996.
“I’m actually really excited to see this move forward It’s something I asked for from day one, five years ago,” Hilo Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy, who previously worked in planning and land use, said during a committee hearing discussing the project earlier this year.
The county has hired consultants and the project won’t be cheap.
“The project cost is split into two primary areas, one being the general code updates which is approximately $600,000 and the other being hazard mitigation integrated into our codes, approximate cost $400,000, as well as a robust public outreach program,” Kern said.
The hazard mitigation portion is expected to be paid with Community Development Block Grant Mitigation grants, used in areas impacted by recent disasters to carry out strategic and high-impact activities to mitigate disaster risks and reduce future losses, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Consultants Rundell Ernstberger Associates, Orion Planning and Design and SSFM International have been retained to work on the project, but Kern said the Planning Department will be actively involved as well.
“It is a lot of money, but it’s just that complex,” Lee Loy said.
Still, Kern said, “it’s not like we’re going to outsource all of it.”
“It will be very collaborative because I feel our department really knows a lot of what we need to do and through that over the next two years the goal is to do that.”
The public can learn more at cohcodeupdate.com.
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.