[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6453957,"mediaKeyId","5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09","parentId",5873690,"title","Hawaii County committee reviews public facilities, urges asset management and pilots for waste diversion","audioSeconds",417,"startMs",141610,"endMs",559500,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09&start=141&end=559","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09/thumbnail_141610.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6453957/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Hawaii-County-committee-reviews-public-facilities-urges-asset-management-and-pilots-for-waste-diversion","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453957-50031bc886560b8fa254a086aefdd4f7/orig.mp4?Expires=1773807732&Signature=MYFarwKnzCB2D2MdOHyHo2WIPN-ORq3pn-zd21vm50G4FRQgxI~1LHUhWhuCWA5lcnvg9CiAu9uzH8Bai6f35HMvXxVdMKBb9-MYDrb8kxs9H3QRz8pzJcEPGDNYpj5wj5rrdI1j9A~Ih2-X1D0Fm5vV7AJuBHmjivnJyDtHKTpLKo52lLcN-8sGG7-KrlVdOSQN3nYhXyzpglDQgtXZiRMBJ7i0OrZuPEArXXygyM~qOzcksHbh-uOScR009f4hwzo2Swb5jGIkcIuBJRAcTuyNXe31XeFKPKro8gDtFjAeJXBZ-b4sJUxyP6ss0D8IMAPwcsvQqcaQP2agmni~dQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hawaii County","date","2025-09-30T09:01:00Z","article","Chair Ashley Kirkwitz convened the Planning, Land Use and Economic Development policy committee on Sept. 30 to continue review of the draft general plan’s public facilities and services chapter. Planning staff presented goals, policies and actions intended to guide maintenance of county facilities, emergency services, parks and solid waste management.

The planning department’s long-range planner Bethany Morrison said the chapter contains two primary goals: ensuring communities “are safe and protected and have access to integrative health, education and social services,” and ensuring “communities are adequately served by sustainable and efficient public infrastructure, utilities and services based on existing and future growth needs.” Morrison led the committee through objectives and sample actions in each topic area.

Morrison outlined actions and policies that committee members pressed for in questions. On facilities maintenance she cited Policy 31.1 to “maintain an asset management program aimed at utilizing maintenance plans to prolong the life of our facilities,” and listed an action to create a county asset management program. On emergency services she pointed to policies that increase public education about hazard zones and to actions to map and maintain alternative and emergency evacuation routes in high-hazard areas.

Solid waste and recycling drew sustained attention. Morrison described Objective 33’s aspiration of achieving zero waste by 2045 and Policy 33.4 to “optimize recoverable material diversion from landfill disposal.” She and council members discussed pilot programs the plan suggests, including curbside recycling and prioritized resource pickup in urban areas, construction-debris recovery programs and expanded commercial composting. Morrison and committee members noted these measures would reduce landfill tonnage and greenhouse-gas emissions and could extend the life of the county landfill; staff and the Department of Environmental Management reported the county’s sole landfill has roughly 20 years of remaining capacity under current conditions.

Councilmember Fresh Onishi pressed for funding and implementation details, asking whether the plan’s stated pilots and diversion targets include budget commitments. “It’s great to have a plan but if there’s no funding then the plan doesn’t work,” Onishi said, and urged coordination with finance and the administration on funding sources before adopting targets.

Parks and recreation standards in the chapter also drew comment. Morrison noted the plan retains a park-access standard—park facilities within a 10-minute walk in urban areas and within a 10-minute drive in rural areas—sourced from the county’s recreation plan of the 1970s and used in past general plans. The plan calls for proactive maintenance programs for parks and mapping of “friends of the park” stewardship groups to assist maintenance.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions throughout the presentation about implementation and metrics. Morrison said the Department of Environmental Management’s integrated waste management plan (last updated in 2019) contains metrics for diversion and landfill planning, and that further departmental data will be used during implementation.

The committee did not vote on policies in the chapter; members directed staff to continue refining the draft, to provide additional departmental feedback and to coordinate with finance. Chair Kirkwitz said the implementation chapter and finance will be a focal point at future sessions.

Ending: The committee paused further action on the public facilities section pending additional departmental input and implementation details; the committee will reconvene on the general plan at future scheduled meetings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hawaii County - Continuation of September 17, 2025 Special Meeting of the Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use, and Economic Development","oneSentenceSummary","Chair Ashley Kirkwitz convened the committee to continue review of the draft general plan chapter on public facilities and services; planning staff presented proposals on facility maintenance, emergency routes, parks and a push toward waste diversion.","taxTitle","Hawaii County, Hawaii","taxId",12825,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6453953,"Committee adds integrated-systems language to general plan draft; calls for fiscal impact statements and coordination",60,158360,219270,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09&start=158&end=219","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09/thumbnail_158360.jpg","/articles/6453953/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Committee-adds-integrated-systems-language-to-general-plan-draft-calls-for-fiscal-impact-statements-and-coordination","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453953-dafe24ad107b49b226b190254d95d0f9/orig.mp4?Expires=1773807732&Signature=lE6lVI8TrMDEk~oVgDshMYZXQZcd~wcdrfiF5i1THLFRPAckG6zsqZhTF~6c5GEqOD41lmsNk3eTK7b3ig~bMhNppPHN3S7s2xiCNvr2qXqSktZMFP94dx~rkGCJxg5Y2KBzLHkXyAnhmglsjmqR~SXSt-hZVp53vcbDqt4FDluwaO~lqZYTm~RvfBz8aaGAMrPaV7Ja-Av~4CNZ7SbnurrYJbKvv9m9Rmq6NFUi5LPKSxLuk1HiwBiU3THrhNercaOXmRftQLx057qzJswThxjnuh0KXiBGCULIgUwWx2dnVUKgGv-CBYLG9AfrlJadKD30ckDvUFTJwMa9WSKYYQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Planning staff presented a new “Integrated Systems” chapter intended to institutionalize cross-department collaboration, fiscal accountability and equitable distribution of county investments. Bethany Morrison said the section is new to the draft and was included to address the committee’s recurring request for better coordination across county agencies.

Key policy proposals included an objective to “increase collaboration and cooperation for efficiency, effectiveness, and responsiveness” and a fiscal objective that “projects involving more than one department’s assets shall be coordinated to define scoping, design and construction needs.” The draft lists an action to create a fiscal-impact-statement (FIS) requirement for interdepartmental capital projects and recommends a standardized cost-benefit analysis for new facility construction or replacement.

Committee members pressed for clarity on who would carry out those analyses and how semi-autonomous entities such as the Department of Water Supply (DWS) would be integrated. Morrison and finance-related staff said current CIP review processes include department coordination but that DWS maintains a separate budget process and is not always part of the county CIP meetings; the chapter language is intended to bring agencies into a coordinated implementation process.

On financing tools, Morrison described policy language encouraging use of community facilities districts and district‑sensitive impact fees. She also noted the plan references transfer-of-development-rights (TDR) mechanisms, which the county could pursue through separate enabling legislation and further study.

Members asked for stronger definitions of equity and for performance metrics to track whether county investments are distributed to underserved communities. Chair Ashley Kirkwitz said she will work with the planning director and finance director to bring implementation detail back to the committee at a future meeting.

Ending: The committee accepted the integrated-systems chapter for further refinement and directed staff to work with finance and DWS on standardizing fiscal impact statements, project coordination and equity metrics before the next round of decisions.","The draft integrated systems chapter calls for increased interdepartmental coordination, fiscal-responsibility tools such as fiscal-impact statements for interdepartmental projects, and consideration of district‑specific impact fees and financing tools such as community facilities districts.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6453955,"Committee hears draft housing chapter: plan estimates 17,000-unit need and proposes incentives, zoning changes",618,4543800,5162740,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09&start=4543&end=5162","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09/thumbnail_4543800.jpg","/articles/6453955/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Committee-hears-draft-housing-chapter-plan-estimates-17000-unit-need-and-proposes-incentives-zoning-changes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453955-1a6f8a624c872c4bc116939e1c0f7581/orig.mp4?Expires=1773807732&Signature=ntlgkmKN0fm0igiZ7pCRENuB7j55jNL8wGU0dknPk2bS4ohGSaxAHGaZK~wZ1wEkysKmT5MmIFKUY25t0-LDj4Mzfn2yr-UeQO4T6BjS3A7AT9i6dMsWGmPr9QG6uA-VQEKM45mK6cLE~Qd9xZYc~c22d8~se~V2Ed3ntQJ7qxI3wR8rCx6eZQB65Q-QVh5QyRTFnOKG7osu6AaDy5LaLLHVkrR0xROWU73qJY-wDef7J3ILBpw4vOPU0qsnVblOXZV2A8~Yyl3Cgsxr3KSR0jnbqab0JjRF-HLAaD~OLEQnKsnLWYdkCJzBQ6x9n3dfp5IesgpbiMz8wu3EHUt7BA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Planning staff told the policy committee that housing is among the county’s most urgent challenges and presented the draft chapter “Housing for All.” Bethany Morrison summarized the chapter’s goal as ensuring “residents have access to adequate and affordable housing” and described data used in the plan.

Morrison said county forecasts project an additional 17,000 housing units will be needed over the next 25 years and that the county already faces a shortfall of more than 5,000 units. “We need to be building, approximately 900 new units of housing per year to accommodate our past and future growth,” she said. Morrison also noted that the Office of Housing has nearly 8,000 units in the pipeline at various stages of development.

The draft chapter organizes work into three objectives: diversify and expand new housing types; conserve and improve existing housing stock; and increase housing affordability. Policies and proposed actions include incentives for missing-middle and smaller-house designs (expedited permitting, fee waivers and tax incentives), a program to inventory existing housing conditions (Action 38a) to identify units for rehabilitation or demolition, and outreach to connect residents with housing assistance programs.

Committee members questioned how the plan would interact with jobs and local demand. Councilmember Fresh Onishi asked whether housing demand will be supported by quality jobs and suggested lease-based land programs to make homeownership more accessible. Morrison and other members noted statutory tools already available: the chapter references adopting a county affordability program modeled on Hawaii Revised Statutes section 201H and highlights HRS 46-15, which allows experimental and demonstration housing projects after a public hearing and council approval.

Members discussed regulatory barriers that raise construction costs. The chapter recommends targeted building- and zoning-code amendments to allow innovative housing solutions—such as microhousing, modular units, adaptive reuse of vacant commercial space and permanent supportive housing—while maintaining health and safety standards. Morrison identified Action 37h to “develop and implement various incentives to facilitate smaller house designs or multifamily housing options.”

The committee did not adopt any zoning or code changes; members directed staff to continue coordination with the ad hoc housing committee, Office of Housing, and planning consultants to refine code amendment proposals and to return with more implementation detail.

Ending: The committee postponed final action; members asked staff to provide additional data on housing stock condition, the feasibility of incentive programs, and how proposed changes would be implemented alongside transportation and water infrastructure planning.","Planning staff told the committee the draft housing chapter estimates an additional 17,000 housing units needed over 25 years, suggests incentives for smaller and mixed-income housing, and recommends code amendments and programs to preserve and rehab existing stock while prioritizing affordability for Hawaii County residents.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6453949,"Committee votes to postpone general-plan review until Oct. 8",67,6383770,6451310,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09&start=6383&end=6451","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5873690-50aa04c45091a40561b87a1a6f01ed09/thumbnail_6383770.jpg","/articles/6453949/Hawaii-County/Hawaii/Committee-votes-to-postpone-general-plan-review-until-Oct-8","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6453949-7af5e6a8201c29bc65e6c2eec00bd980/orig.mp4?Expires=1773807732&Signature=FThnvUpDOVmAi5EuMgvW7BrGo10s0i4j9GTUTp4L9iDw8aXUA~Un2-yXrWhDBmvCwdI0AzMU-4dtgKGdqqlZ8wSLDfIbNcrEefQYndiUh6GQTWpUSIOfgR8-JGe6Hr54bw1SiBKdI7nW-9X4Kv8FeKW8IbkcrxXE6qiakVPsPbLthtlvs1JYAGm3~gJIWjwxOQud67MbuJeuq51oBwoHVv8hHtWOS9twM5ZiNeOgwsxljraCFspFSxOODnPmk3wjA5KlEt0MfkzLhuFYpYh413C96gINj479C~QndsMeilKL1hLRxsSnBWTHrPOXLTy7zP7mVrOnHLygtOlsKJaAbQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Economic Development voted to postpone further deliberations on the draft general plan until a special meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 5 p.m.

Motion: Postpone general-plan review to Oct. 8 (as moved and seconded on the record).

Motion by: Councilmember Fresh Onishi.
Seconded by: Councilmember James Eustis.

Vote: 7 in favor, 0 opposed; Councilmembers Michelle Galimba and Holaka Inaba were recorded as excused.

The motion was offered by Councilmember Onishi and seconded by Councilmember Eustis. Chair Ashley Kirkwitz called for the vote and the motion carried with seven aye votes. The committee then adjourned at 10:59 a.m.","The policy committee voted 7-0 to postpone further public-plan deliberations until a special meeting on Oct. 8; two members were excused.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Hawaii County committee reviews public facilities, urges asset management and pilots for waste diversion

Committee adds integrated-systems language to general plan draft; calls for fiscal impact statements and coordination

Committee hears draft housing chapter: plan estimates 17,000-unit need and proposes incentives, zoning changes

Committee votes to postpone general-plan review until Oct. 8