LIHU’E — County Planning Director Dee Crowell was hit with a barrage of protest Tuesday when he announced that the first draft of the long-awaited General Plan Update would bypass the Citizens Advisory Committee and move directly into the decision-making
LIHU’E — County Planning Director Dee Crowell was hit with a barrage of
protest Tuesday when he announced that the first draft of the long-awaited
General Plan Update would bypass the Citizens Advisory Committee and move
directly into the decision-making process.
“I really feel like I wasted two
years of my life,” said Koloa’s Fred Jager, who stormed out of the CAC meeting
after Crowell’s announcement.
“This is like a karate chop,” said Barbara
Robeson, another CAC member.
Kilauea resident Bill Chase said now would be
the worst time to propose such a change, when the most important work is about
to begin.
The group has identified difficult issues, but hasn’t formed a
consensus, he said. “This is a very bad precedence.”
Advisory committee
member Ann Leighton agreed with Chase when she said the CAC has not reached
consensus on a host of critical issues.
When it became clear that CAC
members would not be able to see a copy of the draft General Plan before it was
printed, they were shocked.
“We need a discussion draft of the plan to mull
over,” Leighton said.
Apparently convinced, Crowell reversed his position
and agreed to get a discussion draft out to CAC members and the public by the
end of this year.
The plan now is to allow both the public and CAC members
to review the discussion draft for about a month, and hold public meetings on
the discussion draft around the island.
Crowell explained that the
fast-tracking of the timetable for completion of the plan was proposed in part
because the Planning Commission expects to receive in the near future land use
applications for several substantial projects.
These projects include the
Port Allen Airport expansion, the Robinson Family Partners’ planned resort
development at Kapalawai near Pakala, and Waiohai and Coco Palms
renovations.
Having the General Plan out of the way before those projects
come before the commission was seen as desirable, Crowell said.
Apparently
Mayor Maryanne Kusaka is also pushing for completion of the
process.
Crowell said, decision-makers (the Planning Commission and County
Council) are “chomping at the bit” to discuss the plan.
But Council Chair
Ron Kouchi said he has no problem pushing back the timetable to allow for
fuller discussion of the draft.
He said that he was chair of the Council
Planning Committee when the current General Plan was adopted, and he favors the
current CAC method.
Former Planning Director Avery Youn, now an architect
in the private sector, nodded his head in agreement.
Before the wave of
protest, Crowell had proposed elimination of a round of public hearings planned
for the discussion draft, saying that public information would be supplied by a
planned round of regional public hearings on the draft plan to be scheduled by
the Planning Commission.
Jager asked if the decision-makers know that the
CAC isn’t done with its work yet.
There are missing, incomplete and pending
components, Robeson said.
A roads and highways task group was never
convened and there are questions about a historic preservation section, she
said.
Rob Culbertson, another CAC member, said the public’s expectations
have been raised over the two years the GPU has been under development with
Kauaians anticipating a product they can be proud of.
Early in the process,
he said, Mayor Maryanne Kusaka proclaimed that the General Plan would be a
“people’s plan.”
Consultant Robin Foster said he didn’t think the situation
was as “black” as the nearly 30 CAC and general public members who attended the
meeting indicated.
Monte Hull of Kalaheo, not a CAC member, expressed
“complete outrage” at the fast-track proposal. “You two have been really
screwed royally,” he said to Foster and Crowell.
Herman Paleka, a Native
Hawaiian who sees himself and other Native Hawaiians on the CAC as the “host
nation,” said a process is needed to resolve the problem.
“We’re all
disappointed,” but the process shouldn’t be allowed to end this way after the
“terrific progress” made so far, he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Robeson
expressed concern that the GPU process produce a “consultant’s plan” versus a
“community plan.”
Leighton said she wants a discussion draft, time to read
it and discuss it with other CAC members, then come out with a final draft
everyone feels comfortable with.
Amy Awtry, another CAC member, said the
General Plan process is too important to be “aborted” like this.
“I’m more
afraid of what’s going to happen without CAC involvement,” said
Youn.
Kilauea attorney Ken Carlson commended Foster on the job he’s done so
far, adding that he thinks things are shaping up to become a very good plan
with lots of new, important information included.
But the proposed
streamlined timetable threatens that, he said.
Leighton said a minimum of
four months, and a maximum of one year, are probably needed to adequately
complete work on the GPU.
Youn said the discussion draft should go to the
public before it goes to the Planning Commission.
Kouchi concluded that the
discussions at the CAC level have been “peaceable” so far, with healthy
exchanges of ideas. Now, it’s up to the CAC to decide what the General Plan is
going to look like.
Another CAC meeting is tentatively set for Saturday,
Dec. 4, to discuss the proposed GPU maps and other issues. A time and place
will be determined soon, Foster said.
