History of the General Plan

General plan studies in the County of Hawaii were initiated in the late 1950's on a regional basis. The first of these studies, A Plan for Kona, was completed in 1960 and encompassed the districts of North and South Kona. A Plan for the Metropolitan Area of Hilo was completed in 1961 for the districts of South Hilo and Puna. The Kohala-Hamakua Region General Plan was completed in 1963 and covered part of the district of North Kona and the districts of North and South Kohala, Hamakua, and North Hilo. These plans were adopted by Ordinance No. 317 in July 1965, as the General Plan for the County. The district of Ka'u was the only area in the County not covered by this plan.

Goals, policies, standards, and courses of action were set forth for each element of the General Plan. The goals are general expressions of the desired long-range direction and situation for the island. Policies state the method or strategy which should be undertaken in order to attain the goals. The quality and quantity by which we can measure or evaluate conditions are the standards of the elements. Courses of action are more precise or detailed discussions of alternative solutions for community concerns and problems.

In 1978, a review of the General Plan's Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) map was conducted, and a comprehensive review of the entire General Plan commenced during the latter part of the 1980's. The plan was subsequently amended on November 14, 1989 as Ordinance No. 89 12. According to the General Plan, a comprehensive review should commence every ten years. Since the General Plan was amended in November of 1989, a comprehensive review should commence no later than November 14, 1999. Rather than wait until November of 1999, the Planning Department has decided to commence with the comprehensive review of the General Plan now. The entire process will take approximately two years before the proposed amendments to the General Plan are adopted.