The Planning Department provides technical advice to the Mayor,
Planning Commission and County Council on all planning and land use matters. The
department is also charged with the administration of the subdivision and zoning codes.
The major divisions of the department are:
Administrative Services
The Administrative Services division provides clerical,
mapping/graphing and accounting support services for the entire department. This division
services the County Arborist Committee.
Ministerial Division
The Ministerial division has a number of responsibilities, some of
which include: Plan Approvals, plan reviews, subdivision and lot consolidation, street
naming, variances, building permits, ohana dwelling permits, grading and grubbing permits,
farm dwelling, agreements, planned unit developments (PUDs), cluster housing, sign
permits, occupancy permits, condominium property regime applications, Conservation
district use application reviews, Capital Improvements Program review, agricultural
dedication, violations inspection and code enforcement. This division also provides staff
to the Board of Appeals.
Long-Range Planning Division
The Long-Range Planning division is responsible for Legislative review
and testimonies, General Plan Amendments, Code and Rule amendments, community development
plans, ordinances and resolutions, the Land Use Inventory, consultant services contracts
and implementation of the Geographic Information System. This division is also in charge
of reviewing documents processed under Chapter 343, HRS (EIS). This division also
administers the County's Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program, which is supported by the
State and Federal CZM Programs through federal and state funds. The County's CZM Program
processes Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permit Assessment Applications and issues SMA
Minor Use Permits, enforces the County's Shoreline Setback regulations,
implements the county's shoreline public access programs, and participates in the
development of various state CZM-related programs such as its non-point source pollution
and coastal hazard erosion management programs.
Planning Section
The Planning Section is responsible for staff support to the Planning
Commission and the processing of several land use permits and approvals. These include:
Use Permits, Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permits, Geothermal Resource Permits,
Special Permits, Shoreline Setback Variances, State Land Use Boundary Amendments, Change
of Zones, General Plan Amendments, and reviews of Environmental Assessments and
Environmental Impact Statements.
West Hawaii Branch Office
The West Hawaii Planning Office conducts a variety of assignments for
plans and approvals in South Kohala and North and South Kona. These include Plan
Approvals, construction plans, farm dwelling agreements, variances, grading and grubbing,
inspection, sign permits, SMA violations and shoreline setbacks, investigation of
complaints and violations, design review for the Kailua Village Special District, and
staff support for the Kailua Village Design Commission, and Planning Commission matters.
STAFF
Highlights
A major project of the past year was to develop and implement a
comprehensive upgrade for the department's computer system which will include the use of
software programs for presentations to the various Boards and Commissions serviced by this
department.
Another major project was the assumption of the Tax mapping function
for the County through the hiring of staff and the acquisition of necessary equipment.
This critical function is directly related to the Real Property Tax System.
General Plan Revision Program. The Planning Department is undertaking a
major task in the comprehensive update of the County's General Plan document. The General
Plan Revision Program, which is expected to take approximately another year to complete,
and will be done by the Planning Department staff along with other agencies and with the
community's input. The General Plan is a policy document for the long-range comprehensive
development of the island of Hawaii. The General Plan provides the direction for the
future growth of the County. As a policy document, the General Plan provides the legal
basis for all subdivision, zoning and related ordinances. It also provides the legal basis
for the initiation and authorization for all public improvements and projects.
The Planning Department routinely reviews applications for permits
issued by other agencies. These agencies often route the following permit applications:
Grubbing, Grading, Stockpiling; Certificate of Occupancy; Soil & Water Conservation
Program; Condominium Property Regime (CPR) Review; Taxicab; Gun; Liquor License; and Real
Estate Sales Office.
BOARDS/COMMISSIONS
Planning Commission
The Department provides staff administrative support to several
appointed bodies, the foremost being the County Planning Commission whose members are
appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the County Council and who represent all
geographic areas of the Island. The Planning Commission has decision-making powers for Use
Permits, Special Permits, SMA Major Use permits, Shoreline Setback Variances, Geothermal
Resource Permits. The Commission makes recommendations to the County Council on General
Plan Amendments, rezonings, and State Land Use District Boundary Amendments fifteen acres
or less. Planning Commissioners in the past fiscal year include:
Leonard Tanaka (Chairman)
Richard Baker (1st Vice Chairman)
Geraldine Giffin (2nd Vice Chairman)
Florence Kubota
Lin McIntosh
Mildred Mosher
James Souza
Grant S. Togashi
