Vetoes fail to derail
Big Island project
HILO >> A light-industry project at Keaau will move ahead after the Hawaii County Council overrode two vetoes by Mayor Harry Kim.
Kim vetoed urban designation for the 14.9-acre Continental Pacific LLC project, saying it violates the spirit of the state land-use law. He also vetoed light-industry zoning for site, saying the bill lacks controls on traffic congestion.
Council Chairman Jimmy Arakaki, part of the 7-2 Council majority that last week overrode Kim's vetoes, said the Council, not the mayor or state, should set policy on such matters.
Keaau, south of Hilo and with 2,000 residents, used to be a bottleneck for drivers heading toward lower Puna because of the town's narrow main road.
A bypass built in the 1990s now speeds traffic makai of the town. The Continental Pacific project, which would include buildings such as warehouses, would be makai of the bypass where there is now only light industry such as fruit-processing plants.
Kim didn't object to more light industry, which doesn't generate a lot of traffic, Planning Director Chris Yuen said.
But under industrial zoning, "home-improvement centers" could also be permitted.
"A big-box outlet such as Lowe's or Home Depot would potentially generate tremendous vehicular traffic and lead to significant traffic congestion," Kim said in his veto message. Continental Pacific didn't object to a provision barring a home-improvement center, but the Council took it out, leading to Kim's veto.
The rezoning bill approved by the Council now requires a traffic study if a home-improvement center is proposed.
The project also needed a change in state land designation from agricultural to urban.
State law lets the county make the change if the parcel is smaller than 15 acres. The Continental Pacific parcel is 23 acres. But as is frequently done, the company declared that its parcel has two parts, Parcel A with 14.9 acres and Parcel B with 8 acres.
"They draw a line on the map," Yuen said.
Anthony Ching, executive officer of the state Land Use Commission, which would have jurisdiction over a 23-acre project, objected in vain. Kim said penciling in a 14.9-acre parcel, although common, violates the spirit of the law.
Kim accepted splitting the 23 acres, but supported a requirement that barred designating the 8-acre remnant as urban for five years. Continental Pacific agreed. But the Council took the provision out, which also led to Kim's veto.