NORTH KOHALA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLAN ADVISORY GROUP
DATE: Monday, August 3rd, 2026, 4:30 pm
PLACE: Kohala Senior Center (behind the statue)
AGENDA
CALL TO ORDER – Please put all cell phones on silent mode.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PUBLIC COMMENTs ON AGENDA ITEMS: Members of the public are welcome and are invited to speak to any items on the agenda. Public comments and input are welcome at designated periods at the beginning and end of each meeting. People may, however, speak during AG discussions, if the situation warrants. Please raise a hand to be recognized. Comments should be limited to three (3) minutes in length per agenda item, subject to the discretion of the chair. We typically have a lot of information to get through, so please respect everyone’s time. The chair may table lengthy discussions to be continued after the meeting officially closes. Recommendations for agenda additions for the next meeting should be made during the input session at the meeting end.
APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Affordable Housing (Homes For Kohala)
Meeting focused on strategies to preserve local housing stock and advance community development.
The Kohala Community Land Trust (KCLT) hired Seb Choe as program director to organize their upcoming educational workshops for homeowners and prospective buyers.
Residents are encouraged to support Bill 163, which proposes the ‘Āina Kūpuna Dedication
Program to offer tax relief for descendants of pre-1926 landowners, helping them retain generational lands.
Upcoming Kohala Kokua project, which will provide no-cost home health and safety repairs for seniors.
Discussions included exploring the transfer of public land from the State to the County for affordable housing and addressing zoning barriers. However, this has only ever been done when a prospective housing developer was already lined up.
There will be 3 upcoming workshops for existing homeowners and 1 for buyer readiness for prospective buyers.
The next meeting will be August 12th, 9 am at the Kohala Public Library.
Agriculture
Agribusiness Development Corporation’s (ADC) Halaula Parcel project. Nathan Trump, an ADC board member, briefed the group on the state’s plan to purchase two parcels in North Kohala using $3 million allocated in the state budget (part of a $10M Hawaiʻi Island package). One parcel is ~49.5 acres of agricultural land in Hawi (currently home to the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Center); the other is the former Halaula sugar mill site, now zoned industrial and partially licensed to local operations. The purchase is expected to take about 18 months and includes an environmental review. About $500,000 of the budget set aside for legal, appraisal, and environmental costs.
Licensing on ADC-Purchased Land for Farmers
- ADC-purchased land would be licensed to farmers/ranchers at county-set rates (Kohala rates likely close to Kauaʻi’s: $100/acre/year)
- Licensing can go to individual farmers, small-acreage applicants, or co-ops/associations managing land collectively (as with the Kekaha Agricultural Association model).
- Actual licensing at the North Kohala site is expected to be roughly two years out. In the meantime, interested farmers can submit an Expression of Interest through ADC’s land application webpage — a strong response helps justify further land acquisition.
- Housing is not currently allowed on the agricultural parcel; workforce housing may be feasible on the industrial-zoned parcel, and ADC’s overall housing policy is still under discussion.
Planning Process and Community Engagement
- The University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center (UHCDC) is developing conceptual site plans for the properties. Their current planning funds lapse at the end of the year, making near-term community input time-sensitive. A $5 million planning budget for Hawaiʻi Island (covering North Kohala plus the Kona and Naʻalehu sites) is included for 2028.
- The “Central Oʻahu Concept” was shared as an illustrative example only (not a proposed plan for Kohala) — it shows a possible mix of EPMF manufacturing suites, a high-pressure pasteurization (HPP) facility, a DOE centralized kitchen, ag warehouses, high-tech (hydroponic) greenhouses, cold storage, and workforce housing.
North Kohala Community Market.
The market management team gave an update, now operating under Hawaiʻi Farmers Union (HFU) insurance and also covering the Wednesday night market. Vendor fees range from $20–$40 per stall with a $10 discount for HFU members. The team is considering moving the market to Sunday to avoid competing with the larger Waimea market, but is running a community survey first after pushback on an earlier attempt to change the day. A permanent relocation to a preferred nearby site remains blocked by restroom and road-access issues tied to the adjacent landowner, though County funding for restrooms could help. In the meantime, the team is improving the current site at the Kohala Village Hub mural (shade, greening, wind mitigation) and actively recruiting vendors — particularly bakers, coffee/beverage sellers, meat and dairy vendors, and entertainment — while also pursuing vendor Wi-Fi access and continuing to help vendors get compliant with insurance and licensing requirements.
The survey is available at: https://kohalacommunityplan.org/agriculture/
Next meeting August 27th, 5 pm at the Resource Center office.
Community Access (see maps on last page for locations)
Did not meet in July.
Next meeting August 6th, 4:30pm Senior Center.
Growth Management
Did not meet in July.
Next meeting is August 12th, 5pm, Senior Center.
Culture & History Advisory Group (KCHAG).
Did not meet in July.
Next meeting will be August10th 10 am at Hawaii Island retreat
Health and Wellness/WRK
Island-wide new program sponsored by Tutu and Me called Safe sleep Pepe. The program was for caregivers who are pregnant in their last trimester or up to 6 months post natal. The focus is to promote safer sleep practices and reduce incidences of SUID/SIDS on Hawaii island via parent line virtual workshops and parent education sessions with Tutu and me Ohana support programs.
Next meeting August 21st, 4:00pm. Senior Center.
Parks, Roads, Erosion Control and View-planes (PREV)
Did not meet in July.
The state plans to repave Akoni Pule Highway from Kawaihae to Hawi. Not sure when.
Beers Road– Department of Transportation resurfaced Beers Road even though the new water line has not been installed.
Planning for public meeting at Mahukona Beach Park with Parks and Recreation senior staff and our elected representatives regarding the stalled progress in replacing the pavilion. Time and date TBD- but will be in the Kohala Mountain News.
Next meeting is August 19th, 5:00pm Senior Center.
Utilities
Greenwaste Update– Brandon Balmarez of Akani Nursery met with James Hustace regarding the proposal to create a local composting facility as Aikane currently does composting of its own greenwaste and could expand this operation to create a local facility for Kohala’s greenwaste with support from the County. Group wishes to draft a proposal asking the County to divert savings to this project based on the volume and costs associated with presently trucking greenwaste from our local transfer facility to the landfill. This information has been previously requested from the County without a response.
Karl provided an article from West Hawaii Today dated 6/24/26 headlined “County Urged to Develop Composting Plan.” A primary idea includes creating a network of community-based composting systems across the island. This is a complementary idea to our proposal.
Cesspool Update – A fund of $2 million has been created by the State to assist homeowners with conversions to septic. Barbara reported that WaiHome staff visited her property for potentially installing the Mata device that intercepts and dehydrates the solids. They are possibly developing a system to deal with the liquid discharge. How this would work is unknown at present.
Next meeting is August 19th, 3:30pm Senior Center.
NEW BUSINESS:
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Hawaii Island Agrifood Summit. Aug 15, 12–5pm, Waimea District Park (toward airport)
- Kohala Resilience Fair on Saturday, August 29. This is in partnership with Hawaiian Electric, Civil Defense, and the Kohala Resilience Hub.
- Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience (OSCER) and Hawaii public health is sponsoring county-wide workshop to focus on the climate crisis and heat resilience. September 17th. 4:30-700pm, Kohala Intergenerational Center
Report From Our Council Representative, James Hustace.
- Bill 169 – Committee (7/7); refines PONC acquisition timeline and reassessment
- Bill 170 – Committee (7/7); defines data centers and distinguishes from data processing centers
- Bill 157 – Council (7/8); establishes a disaster recovery program.
- Bill 163 – Council (7/8); establishes an Aina Kūpuna real property tax program.
- Bill 164 – Council (7/8); proposes Council confirmation for Housing administrator.
- Bill 165 – Council (7/8); initiates charter amendment regarding PONC maintenance fund.
- Bill 152 – Council (7/8); initiates charter amendment regarding County Auditor staffing authority.
PUBLIC INPUT AND AGENDA SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEXT MEETING
The Next Advisory Group Meeting will be held on Monday, September 7th,4:30pm, Senior Center.
Adjournment
NOTICE: The purpose of the public hearings is to afford all interested persons a reasonable opportunity to be heard on the above items. They may also bring up another item for consideration by the AG. A person wishing to submit written testimony may email winterj@whitman.edu.
John Winter, Chair NORTH KOHALA CDP ADVISORY GROUP