AMR: BKolekoleSMA: 12/ 292020 COUNTY OF HAWAII PLANNING DEPARTMENT BACKGROUND REPORT COUNTY OF HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION SPECIAL MANAGEMENT AREA USE PERMIT APPLICATION( SMA 20- 000077) COUNTY OF IIAWAI` I DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION has submitted an application for a Special Management Use Permit to conduct facilities upgrades and Americans with Disabilities Act ( ADA) improvements at Kolekole Gulch Park on 5. 5 acres of land situated within the Special Management Area. The subject property is located at the Kolekole Gulch Park, makai of Old Mamalahoa Highway and underneath and mauka of Hawaii Belt Road, Kuhua, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMK: (3) 2- 8- 015: 015. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 1. Request: The County of Hawai' i Department of Parks and Recreation ( DPR) is requesting a Special Management Area ( SMA) Use Permit for its facility improvements at the 5. 5- acre Kolekole Gulch Park located along Kolekole Stream on the Island of Hawai' i. The park has been used for decades for picnics, camping and surfing access and the use of the stream. The park was closed in 2016 due to public health concerns related to potential lead contamination in the soil most likely from the Kolekole Gulch bridge structure supporting Highway 19. Plans are underway to address the contaminated soil as part of this project to allow for safe, unencumbered, and full public use of the park. To this end, ADA and facility upgrades and improvements have been planned to be limited in scale as to minimize impacts to terrestrial biological resources or the Kolekole Stream. Actions include, but may not be limited to, the following: Converting the existing restrooms into single occupant accessible restrooms and upgrading the existing associated septic system Providing a new accessible comfort station with septic systems Building one ( 1) new pavilion, demolishing one ( 1) pavilion, and repairing remaining pavilions Providing drainage improvements to divert shower runoff from stream 1- Replacing shower and picnic tables with accessible facilities Removing non-native vegetation Repaving and improving the stability and integrity of the driveway and parking area Developing an on- site potable water system and fire protection water system Landscaping improvements Other appurtenant work including remediation of lead contaminated soils and asbestos removal from existing structures. Planning Department Exhibit 1 — SMA Use Permit Application dated August 20, 2020) 2. Project Objectives: According to the applicant, the purpose of the proposed project is to eliminate architectural barriers at Kolekole Gulch Park and rehabilitate or rebuild outmoded and dilapidated facilities. Additionally, the applicant states the project will create safe, appropriate, and compliant access for all park users while improving the ability of DPR to effectively maintain the park and all improvements. The proposed action aims to satisfy the County' s obligation of its federally mandated Transition Plan relating to ADA upgrades at County facilities), while retaining and improving the ability to effectively maintain the park and ensuring long-term use and serviceability. 3. Cost/Time of Project: The current estimated cost of the improvements is $ 2, 500, 000 which will be refined as the design becomes final. The project would initiate after completion of the final design and the granting of all necessary permits. 4. Landowner: The landowner of the subject parcel is the State of Hawaii under Executive Order# 938 to the County of Hawai' i for recreational purposes. BACKGROUND INFORMATION 5. Special Management Area( SMA): March 25, 1971— Addition to Pavilions; Project exempt from SMA requirements. June 20, 1994— Kolekole Gulch Park wastewater system improvements; Project exempt from SMA requirements. March 31, 2008— Kolekole Gulch Park demolition of Pavilion # 1; project exempt from SMA requirements. 2- October 5, 2010 — Kolekole Gulch Park septic system upgrade; Project exempt from SMA requirements. October 30, 2012— Special Management Area Minor Permit ( SMM- 12- 000243) granted by Planning Department, project included installation of rescue tube devices and signage at County Parks ( including Kolekole). 6. Chapter 343, HRS: The proposed improvements are subject to the requirements of Chapter 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes, regarding Environmental Impact Statements. A Final Environmental Assessment ( FEA) was prepared for the project. A Notice of Finding of No Significant Impact ( FONSI) was published in the April 23, 2020 issue of the OEQC bulletin Environmental Notice. STATE AND COUNTY PLANS 7. State Land Use Designation: Conservation( Resource and Limited Subzones). 8. General Plan LUPAG MAP: Conservation. 9. County Zoning: A-20a ( Agricultural, minimum lot size 20-acres) and Open (0). However, County zoning does not apply within the State Land Use ( SLU) Conservation District, and any proposed land uses are regulated under Hawaii Administrative Rules HAR) Ch. 13- 5, Conservation District. 10. Hamakua Community Development Plan ( HCDP): The Hamakua Community Development Plan was adopted by the Hawaii County Council by Ordinance No. 18- 078 on August 22, 2018. 11. Special Management Area ( SMA): The project is located within the Special Management Area and therefore, the proposed development is subject to SMA review. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT AREAS AND SURROUNDING AREA 12. Subject Project Area: The County Park known as the Kolekole Gulch Park is approximately 5. 5- acres in size and is located on the subject parcel bounded by Old Mamalahoa Highway, Kolekole Stream, and the right-of-way under the State Highway 19 bridge. The topography is generally even and gently sloping both in the mauka direction and towards the gulch sides, where a steep pali demarcates the useable portion of the park property. Structures on the site consist of recreational facilities and associated 3- infrastructure including five ( 5) covered pavilions, all of which were constructed after 1962. 13. Surrounding Land Zoning/ Uses: The park property extends to the center of Kolekole Stream and is bordered on the north by the Kolekole Stream and a property with a house in the Conservation District; on the east by State Highway 19 bridge; on the south and west by the Old Mamalahoa Highway, south and west of which are three ( 3) private properties, all zoned and partially utilized for agriculture. 14. Soil Type: Soils within the project area belong to the Hilo-Rock outcrop complex which include soils that are gently steep sloping and consist of well- drained, silty- clay barns formed from volcanic ash layers. 15. Land Study Bureau' s Detailed Land Classification System: " E" or" Very Poor." 16. Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii ( ALISH) System: The project site is unclassified on the ALISH Map. 17. Flood Insurance Rate Map ( FIRM): No flood hazard has been described in the Kolekole Park area as the entire region is within Flood Zone X; however, County staff have noted occasional flooding episodes from high flows in Kolekole Stream and ponding from heavy rains. 18. Flora/ Fauna Resources: A biological survey of the park was conducted in 2018 in preparation for the proposed project. The survey found that the valley bottom at Kolekole was long cultivated in sugar cane before the park was established. No remnant of natural vegetation is present, and the vegetation is a lawn surrounded by a mixture of ornamental and weedy trees. Only a few common native plants were observed, and no plant species classified as threatened or endangered was present or would be expected at the park. The park is dominated by non-native terrestrial fauna, although there is some habitat for certain native fauna as well. The only native birds identified during the survey were one 1) waterbird ( black crowned night heron), and a common migratory shorebird ( kolea), typical of rocky shorelines. Few native forest birds would be expected to use the project site due to its low elevation, urban context, alien vegetation and lack of adequate forest resources. The endangered Hawaiian hoary bat is often found in alien as well as native vegetation in a variety of locations thought the island of Hawaii. These solitary bats are 4- often seen on The Hamakua Coast and are certainly occasionally present in the park. They are vulnerable to disturbance during summer months therefore appropriate conditions to limit tree trimming will be in place. Aquatic biology surveys were conducted at Kolekole Stream at various dates between 1967 and 2001. 19. Archaeological Resources: An archeological assessment survey of the project site and proposed project was conducted in 2018 by an agent for the applicant. According to the survey no archeological resources were identified within Kolekole Gulch Park. Field observations of past ground disturbance, combined with the results of prior studies conducted in the area, indicate that subsurface archeological resources are unlikely to be encountered in the areas proposed for park upgrades. Historical research indicated that the five (5) existing park pavilions, and some of the associated ancillary structures within the park were built shortly after the 1960 tsunami, and therefore are more than 50 years old. None are considered significant. Although the pavilions and associated park structures post-date the 1960 tsunami, their presence or construction is in no way directly associated with that event, nor are they associated with important persons of Hawaii. As a County of Hawaii park facility, Kolekole Park