Aloha Kauai Community, On March 14 at 9 a.m., the Planning Commission will meet to discuss the General Plan for Kauai’s future (see Plankauai.com). Now is the time for all our community to collectively work together to provide a vision
Aloha Kauai Community,
On March 14 at 9 a.m., the Planning Commission will meet to discuss the General Plan for Kauai’s future (see Plankauai.com).
Now is the time for all our community to collectively work together to provide a vision and direction for our island which encompasses all aspects of life including excellence in education, health care, watershed restoration, and a high quality of life for our residents, as well as the required transparency, monitoring and accountability for all our collective decisions and actions.
The Kauai Community Coalition has been working together with the neighborhood associations and other public-interest organizations to help our county develop a General Plan that honors, and is worthy of, our beloved island paradise. We invite all residents to join us in this collaborative labor of love.
We ask that the Planning Commission:
w Pause and do not rush to adopt any preliminary drafts that have been presented to them, but rather invest the prerequisite time to work collaboratively together with the community to define a precise direction, model, framework and policies for an effective General Plan that will not just sit on the shelf, but will become the guidelines for all decision-making for our future.
w Hold a vision summit and solutions lab for all our state, county and island leaders, so we can collectively work together to choose “best practices” for our future.
w Accept community recommendation for the new Kauai County General Plan including General Plan framework for model, vision, goals, directives and policies.
MODEL: Designing & Building Our Sustainable & Resilient Kauai
KCC chose Designing & Building Our Sustainable & Resilient Kauai as the model for framing our new General Plan for Kauai. This acknowledges the importance of making conscious, well-informed decisions in every aspect of life on our island in accordance with the intention and framework of our General Plan — such that each decision we make will be made with clarity about the implications and ramifications upon the future generations who will be impacted by our choices.
Collective shared responsibility:
The intention of this model is not only to provide a framework for prioritizing how we make decisions, but to also understand that these decisions and how they are implemented need to be the collectively shared responsibility of not only the Planning Commission and the Planning Department, but our entire island-wide ohana — from individuals and families to our local communities and local businesses, to our public servants on all levels of government such as Planning Commission, county council, mayor’s office, all county offices and staff, Hawaii state agencies and federal agencies.
The values and vision for an effective General Plan are not limited to county jurisdiction, but are intended to influence and inform our state and federal partners as well. We must all be held individually and collectively accountable for achieving our goals for our future.
VISION: What our sustainable and resilient Kauai looks like
A naturally functioning mauka-to-makai island ecosystem provides the means necessary to support an interconnected, self-reliant, sustainable and resilient island community. We work together toward our collective future in which we all derive livelihood, well-being and sense of fulfillment from living in harmony with the natural ebb and flow of our island environment, where all residents of our Kauai ohana continuously chart our future, make our decisions and conduct our lives towards our collective purpose.
Goal one: Ecologically sound and healthy environment
Goal two: Diverse and thriving communities
Goal three: Economically self-reliant and prosperous island
Directives for applying policies include:
1. Adherence to General Plan
2. CZOs (Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance) and other laws must conform to and support General Plan
3. Guide and lobby state and federal agencies
4. Required monitoring and accountability
Policies:
1. Manage growth to preserve rural character
2. Immediately limit tourism-related development
3. Respect cultural diversity
4. Provide a range of housing opportunities for all residents
5. Make infrastructure expenditures for current resident needs
6. Improve the flow of traffic and reduce the cost of air travel
7. Support income and business diversification
8. Increase local food production from small-scale agriculture
9. Protect our watersheds and naturally functioning ecosystems for our health and survival
10. Complete Kauai’s transition to clean, renewable energy and prepare for climate change
We recognize that creating a comprehensive, implementable and representative General Plan for all of our needs and desires is the beginning of our collective kuleana to care in a way that shows love, respect and dignity for Kauai. What we do in the next few weeks and months will allow us all to take responsibility for our future. We hope you will join us.
Aloha,
Kauai Community Coalition
