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Kilauea ag park plan in the works
by Rachel Gehrlein - THE GARDEN ISLAND
KILAUEA — After more than 25 years of delay, the use of a 75-acre agricultural park in Kilauea will be determined by stakeholders with the help of county-hired Kimura International, an O‘ahu-based firm.
The project gained ground when acreage in the Crater Hill area was transferred to the county in the fall of 2006. The donation of the ag park parcel was a condition of development imposed by the Planning Department decades ago.
“We are very pleased to see this project finally move forward after decades of delay,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a statement. “The farming community has been very patient since the County Council accepted this land more than a year ago, and we look forward to engaging them in this process to come up with the best possible plan for the parcel.”
According to Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, in the ’70s, Kilauea community members lobbied the Planning Commission for a condition that when Crater Hill was granted a Special Management Area permit, 75 acres had to be dedicated to the county. After years of negotiating with landowners, the Planning Commission and the council, the land finally got into the county’s hands a few years ago.
“After heavy lobbying from the community, the county appropriated money to have the (master) plan done,” Yukimura said. “(The plan) is being done so we can hopefully get farmers on the land.”
But before the land can be used, there a lot of issues to be addressed, including how to get water and farmers on the land, Yukimura said.
The Office of Economic Development is coordinating the planning process.
“We will be starting with some individual fact-finding meetings with a number of stakeholders, and will have some larger, public meetings as well once we get deeper into the process,” Beth Tokioka, Office of Economic Development director, said. “We hope that people interested in agriculture from all over Kaua‘i will participate.”
Tokioka said the public will have input during two yet-to-be-scheduled meetings.
According to Tokioka, the first community meeting will consist of a review of the project and its history, and some planning alternatives will be presented.
“Feedback on the alternatives will be incorporated into a preferred plan, which will be presented at the second community meeting,” Tokioka said. “We anticipate it will take about six months to complete the plan.”
Kimura International consultant Nancy Nishikawa said she is looking forward to working on the project.
“We will be on-site next month to learn more about what this project is about,” Nishikawa said.
Kimura International has worked with the county on portions of the Kaua‘i Coastal Health and Heritage Corridor and with the state Department of Transportation on several road projects.
• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.
The project gained ground when acreage in the Crater Hill area was transferred to the county in the fall of 2006. The donation of the ag park parcel was a condition of development imposed by the Planning Department decades ago.
“We are very pleased to see this project finally move forward after decades of delay,” Mayor Bryan Baptiste said in a statement. “The farming community has been very patient since the County Council accepted this land more than a year ago, and we look forward to engaging them in this process to come up with the best possible plan for the parcel.”
According to Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, in the ’70s, Kilauea community members lobbied the Planning Commission for a condition that when Crater Hill was granted a Special Management Area permit, 75 acres had to be dedicated to the county. After years of negotiating with landowners, the Planning Commission and the council, the land finally got into the county’s hands a few years ago.
“After heavy lobbying from the community, the county appropriated money to have the (master) plan done,” Yukimura said. “(The plan) is being done so we can hopefully get farmers on the land.”
But before the land can be used, there a lot of issues to be addressed, including how to get water and farmers on the land, Yukimura said.
The Office of Economic Development is coordinating the planning process.
“We will be starting with some individual fact-finding meetings with a number of stakeholders, and will have some larger, public meetings as well once we get deeper into the process,” Beth Tokioka, Office of Economic Development director, said. “We hope that people interested in agriculture from all over Kaua‘i will participate.”
Tokioka said the public will have input during two yet-to-be-scheduled meetings.
According to Tokioka, the first community meeting will consist of a review of the project and its history, and some planning alternatives will be presented.
“Feedback on the alternatives will be incorporated into a preferred plan, which will be presented at the second community meeting,” Tokioka said. “We anticipate it will take about six months to complete the plan.”
Kimura International consultant Nancy Nishikawa said she is looking forward to working on the project.
“We will be on-site next month to learn more about what this project is about,” Nishikawa said.
Kimura International has worked with the county on portions of the Kaua‘i Coastal Health and Heritage Corridor and with the state Department of Transportation on several road projects.
• Rachel Gehrlein, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or rgehrlein@kauaipubco.com.
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puput wrote on Apr 3, 2009 10:19 AM: