24kl_exs.htm - Revised Ordinances of Honolulu

The Ko’olau Loa Sustainable Communities Plan is incorporated into Ordinance 99-72 by reference, and is organized in five chapters and an appendix, as follows:

· Chapter 1: Ko’olau Loa’s Role in O’ahu’s Development Pattern defines the region’s role and identity within the overall framework of island planning and land management.

· Chapter 2: The Vision for Ko’olau Loa’s Future summarizes the community’s vision for the future of the region, and lists important elements of that vision.

· Chapter 3: Land Use Policies, Principles, and Guidelines is the plan’s policy core. It provides policy guidance for the region’s various land use elements.

· Chapter 4: Public Facilities and Infrastructure Policies and Principles outlines policies, principles, and actions needed to support the land use policies of Chapter 3.

· Chapter 5: Implementation addresses needs for carrying out provisions outlined by the plan.

The contents of each chapter are briefly summarized below.

E.1 Chapter 1: Ko’olau Loa ’ s Role in O’ahu ’ s Development Pattern

Consistent with the provisions of the General Plan, Ko’olau Loa is projected to maintain its country character and to experience very little growth over the plan’s 20-year planning horizon. The plan supports this and includes policies to limit the growth of the region’s housing and commercial development, protect cultural and natural resources, and retain the patterns of development characteristic of the region.

E.2 Chapter 2: The Vision for Ko’olau Loa ’ s Future

The vision for Ko’olau Loa seeks to preserve the region’s rural character and its natural, cultural, scenic and agricultural resources. The region will remain country, characterized by small towns and villages with distinct identities that exist in harmony with the natural settings of mountain ridges and winding coastline. Key elements of the vision for Ko’olau Loa include:

· Establish Rural Community, Agricultural and Preservation Boundaries.

· Preserve and enhance the natural, recreational and cultural resources which contribute to Ko’olau Loa’s sense of ”Old Hawai’i.”

· Preserve agricultural lands and encourage diversification of agricultural-related enterprises to maintain its viability.

· Enhance the existing recreational areas and resources which offer a variety of outdoor recreational activities and cultural experiences.

· Establish rural area development standards to maintain the rural character of residential areas in Ko’olau Loa.

· Enhance the character of the region’s commercial areas and recognize the contribution of country stores to Ko’olau Loa’s rural fabric.

E.3 Chapter 3: Land Use Policies, Principles and Guidelines

This chapter presents general policies, planning principles and guidelines for land use and resource management in Ko’olau Loa. General policies related to each land use type are summarized for each land use category.

E.3.1 Open Space Preservation

· Maintain the region’s rural character, protect scenic views and provide recreational resources.

· Define clear boundaries and separations between existing communities.

E.3.2 Agricultural Areas

· Preserve the availability and crop production potential of agricultural lands.

· Protect agricultural lands from conversion to uses that are primarily residential, industrial or commercial.

· Encourage diversification of agriculture-related enterprises.

· Allow residential use in agricultural areas only as secondary to agricultural activity.

· Allow facilities necessary to support intensive cultivation to be located in agricultural areas.

· Allow for appropriate non-agricultural uses that are of a compatible open space and resource character, such as outdoor recreation, on agricultural lands not currently suitable for intensive cultivation.

· Recognize the function of agricultural areas as an important part of the region’s natural drainage system.

E.3.3 Parks and Recreation Areas

· Maintain and enhance existing parks by utilizing under-developed park land area and improving the condition of existing facilities.

· Employ appropriate siting and screening for park facilities.

· Ensure environmental compatibility in the design and construction of park facilities.

· Integrate recreational opportunities with the characteristics of the surrounding community.

· Integrate new community-based parks within the neighborhoods and communities they serve. Integrate the provision of new parks with development of larger new residential development.

E.3.4 Historic and Cultural Resources

· Emphasize physical references to Ko’olau Loa’s history and cultural roots.

· Protect existing visual landmarks and support the creation of new, culturally appropriate landmarks at ahupua’a boundaries.

· Preserve and restore historic and cultural resources associated with native Hawaiian and pre-contact periods.

· Preserve significant historic features from earlier periods such as the plantation era.

· Retain, wherever possible, significant vistas associated with archaeological features.

E.3.5 Residential Uses

· Respect and help to preserve the natural setting of the Ko’olau Loa region by requiring development in residential areas to be sensitive to physical constraints and have minimal impact on the area’s rural character.

· Provide a sufficient capacity within the Rural Community Boundary to accommodate existing and future housing needs.

· Maintain the existing residential capacities for the communities of Ka’a’awa, Hau’ula and Punalu’u. Future residential needs in these communities will be met through infill residential development.

· Adopt zoning, subdivision and related project design regulations which foster a rural character in new residential developments and improvements to existing residential areas.

· Encourage and support the development of affordable housing in the region in order to meet the needs of a variety of market sectors, existing pent-up demand for housing, and overcrowded housing conditions.

E.3.6 Commercial Areas

· Support the maintenance, redevelopment, or expansion of various types of commercial establishments in the region in keeping with their type and purpose, and appropriateness to the character and needs of the communities they serve.

· Maintain and enhance the rural character of the recognized commercial areas including: Kahuku Country Town, La’ie Rural Regional Commercial Center, Hau’ula Rural Community Commercial Center, and various country store sites within the region.

E.3.7 Industrial and Technology Park Areas

· Minimize the visibility of large building volumes and tall building or machinery elements from residential areas, commercial and civic districts, resort areas, and parks through careful site planning and use of ample landscaping.

· Locate and buffer operations that discharge air or water pollutants, or noise, in areas where they would impose the least potential harm on the natural and human environment.

· Establish and maintain a campus-like setting and low-intensity development at the La’ie Technology Park.

E.3.8 Visitor Facilities

· Maintain existing plans to establish a major resort destination at Kuilima to provide a major source of jobs, improve shoreline access and use opportunities for residents, and create other amenities for use by residents and visitors.

· Renew and expand facilities as necessary to maintain the viability and vitality of the Polynesian Cultural Center (PCC).

· Adopt appropriate regulations for appropriate location, operation, and allowable uses of eco-tourism facilities.

E.3.9 Institutional Uses

· Support the retention and long-term viability of Kahuku Hospital through land use policies, public facility improvements and community assistance programs.

· Encourage limited development of other health and wellness facilities in Ko’olau Loa in order to enhance job opportunities and the availability of a ”continuum of care” for local residents, in a manner which is compatible with adjacent uses and the region’s rural character.

· Brigham Young University-Hawai’i should continue to evoke a sense of place that distinguishes it as an important educational and cultural institution and unique asset to the Ko’olau Loa region.

· The University should maintain its strong community-orientation and continue to serve the Ko’olau Loa region as a center of Hawaiian and other Polynesian cultures, as well as support community activities and services and provide adult educational opportunities.

· The design of new facilities should be environmentally sensitive and reflect the appropriate architecture and culture of the existing campus and adjacent residential areas.

E.4    Chapter 4:    Public Facilities and Infrastructure Policies and Principles

This chapter presents the general policies and planning principles for the major issues relating to public facilities and infrastructure in Ko’olau Loa. General policies related to each facility type are summarized in this chapter.

E.4.1    Transportation Systems

        ·    To retain Ko’olau Loa’s role as a predominantly rural area with limited future growth, its transportation system should provide:

1. Adequate access between communities, shopping and recreation areas in Ko’olau Loa.

2. Highway improvements, developed in consultation with Ko’olau Loa communities, which emphasize highway safety as the highest priority while providing efficient, pleasant travel experiences.

3. Adequate capacity for peak travel to and from community centers.

· Reduce reliance on the private passenger vehicle by promoting travel demand management measures (e.g., carpool and vanpool programs) for both commuting and local trips.

        ·    Provide an integrated system of bikeways as a means of transportation to and from work, school, shopping and recreation, including rides to playgrounds and beach parks.

E.4.2    Water Allocation and System Development

        ·    Integrate management of all potable and nonpotable water sources, including groundwater, stream water, storm water and effluent, following State and City legislative mandates.

· Adopt and implement water conservation practices in the design of new developments and the modification of existing uses, including landscaped areas.

E.4.3 Wastewater Treatment

· Provide collection systems, where practical, to eliminate individual cesspools, to protect aquifers, streams, estuaries and nearshore waters from contamination.

· Replace outdated individual cesspools with septic tanks and leaching fields.

    ·    Treat and beneficially use, where feasible, reclaimed water for irrigation as a water conservation measure.

E.4.4    Electrical Power Development

    ·    Locate and design system elements such as renewable electrical power facilities, substations, communication sites, and transmission lines, including consideration of underground transmission lines, to mitigate any potential adverse impacts on scenic and natural resources, as well as public safety considerations.

E.4.5 Solid Waste Handling and Development

· While the region is not expected to contribute significantly to future increases in O’ahu’s solid waste management demands and does not contain sites suitable for the processing or disposal of solid waste on an islandwide scale, Ko’olau Loa can and should play a part in the City’s efforts toward recycling, waste diversion and more efficient solid waste collection.

E.4.6 Drainage Systems

· Emphasize and implement comprehensive or systemic solutions to local flooding and drainage problems.

· Emphasize control and minimization of non-point source pollution and the retention of storm water on-site and in wetlands in the design of drainage systems in accordance with existing City, State and Federal regulations while maintaining the existing habitat capability and water quality of streams and nearshore waters.

· View storm water, where appropriate, as a potential irregular source of water for recharge of the aquifer that should be retained for absorption rather than quickly moved to coastal waters.