To Jenna Carpenter re: observations on the Kauai General Plan Update process

10/19/16

Aloha Jenna,

 (In sharp contrast to the Charter Review Commission) the effort by the planning department to outreach to the people has been strong. The biggest challenge that I see is that not enough people grasp the importance of this critical document which will defines our County Zoning Ordinances. The county zoning ordinances set the precedent for what type of land use is allowed where. It very much effects the future direction of the island. The last General Plan Update valued open spaces above economic opportunity. Fifteen years later, we have largely maintained our open spaces but have exported our young generation and pushed much of our generational community out of the north shore and the Poipu-Koloa area. We have less of a middle class. My concern with the current plan is we will again amplify the disparity between the largely non-residential rich and the poor who serve them. This is a hard problem to solve. These are national problems.

The wonderful team at the planning department has worked hard to bring the effort to the people at events, localize town tours, and media promotion.  They have a website, transparency, are working hard to include people and have been quite creative and open.

I have highlighted several areas of importance in which the global economyʻs influence on Kauai creates stress points that still seem to be unresolved. 

• One of the biggest hurdles is the rising cost of real estate on our island because it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. That draws people and investors who come from an economy outside of what commerce on Kauai can support in a workforce. This cascades into a stream of problems beginning with housing instability that builds financial stress and the interconnected challenges that can foster depression, crime, drug abuse, family break-ups, under-supervision of children, incarceration, etc. We need to think outside the box on creating tiny housing units in unused commercial spaces, for example. The big challenge in all planning is the opportunities designed for the existing population risk being filled by people who move here specifically to take advantage of the fresh living spaces. First-hand participation from those most suffering is not evident in the input of the general plan development. For example, were I on the planning team, I would have a session at the Kauai Community Correctional Center to learn where the inmates saw their stumbling points.

• True food production agriculture for local consumption does not easily fit into our economic model and zoning structure. Mono-cropping is hard on the land and is high-risk for the small farmer both at a customer level and vulnerability to plant disease and market fluctuations. Diversified agriculture with a range of tree crops and annuals is the most successful model for the small-scale food production farmer. This planting style is better for the land and environment, but does not lend itself to the investment in farm machinery. Instead, farm workers are necessary and best included with inexpensive, semi-permanent, safe, clean living units on the farms. There is not yet visioning in the plan to support this need that will truly help Kauai be resilient. The present vision strives for sustainability, which means to be able to continue perpetually. Resilience means not only to continue but to improve and grow stronger over time; to be able to weather unforeseen challenges. Hawaiiʻs geographic isolation amplifies the need for wisdom in growing food on Kauai for ourselves and the other islands. Our economic model places value in profits generated in dollar$ while it does not recognize the non-monetary value of building resilience.   
  

Those are two of my key observations. I will give it thought on who to recommend for a additional perspectives. 

A challenge in this process has been that we seem to need to utilize off-island contractors to facilitate the General Plan Update. Inherently, they are less familiar with the people and the issues arising on the island. In general, they have run good meetings. An extreme problematic example was the recommendation by an otherwise talented sub-contracted consultant from San Fransisco who recommended to move the town core focus of Hanalei further to the east. Instead of including the soccer field, four churches and three schools, the design recommendation was to shift the focus and development concentration to the open areas that are in fact wetlands, a national wildlife preserve, taro fields and a buffalo pasture with an unbridged river running through it. Those challenges were pointed out to him after the presentation was concluded. He had been unaware that area was essentially a flood plane, as he mainly worked from maps at a distance. It was his first trip to Kauai and only day in Hanalei. I am not sure if he adapted his recommendation with that new knowledge. 

Thank you for your effort to gain divergent perspectives. 

Felicia