Accessory Dwelling Unit: Accessory Dwelling Unit (also known as ʻOhana Dwelling) is a second dwelling unit permitted to be built as a separate or an attached unit on a building site but does not include a guest house or a farm dwelling, as defined in the Hawaiʻi County Code. Action Committee: Action Committee (AC) is a citizen-composed committee established for an adopted community development plan and administered by the Planning Department. Actions: Actions specify how a planning policy will be implemented. Actions are meant to be refined during the process of implementation in consideration of available resources, more detailed analysis, feasibility, and other factors. Thus, these actions are not legally binding but are meant to provide specific directional guidance for plan implementation and to be implemented in good faith. Active Living Corridors: Active Living Corridor is a planned or existing linear space within a community designed to promote physical activity, active transportation, and community interaction. These corridors often integrate pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, such as sidewalks, bike lanes, and trails, connecting residential areas with key destinations like parks, schools, shopping centers, and public transit stations. The design of active living corridors prioritizes safety, accessibility, and aesthetic appeal, encouraging residents to engage in walking, jogging, cycling, and other forms of active recreation as part of their daily routines. These corridors contribute to public health by facilitating active lifestyles and reducing reliance on motor vehicles, thereby promoting sustainable and vibrant urban environments. Active Transportation: Active Transportation (also known as non-motorized transportation) refers to any way of getting from place to place that is powered by human energy, such as walking or cycling. Adaptation: Adaptation is the process of observing changes in social, environmental, and economic systems and adjusting operations to meet present and anticipated future needs. Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing consists of dwelling units that may be rented or purchased at cost levels that can be afforded by persons or families who are within the definition of “qualified households” and whose total household income is within the affordable housing income guidelines, as defined in the Hawaiʻi County Code.Agricultural Parks: Agricultural Parks are areas set aside by the State of Hawaiʻi, specifically for agricultural activities to encourage the continuation or initiation of such agricultural operations. The State’s Agricultural Parks Program makes land available to small farmers at a reasonable cost with long-term tenure. Agricultural-Based Commercial Operations: Agricultural-Based Commercial Operations are allowed on lands within the State Land Use Agricultural District. Agricultural-based commercial operations include:
•A roadside stand that is not an enclosed structure, owned and operated by a producer for the display and sale of agricultural products grown in Hawaiʻi and value-added products that were produced using agricultural products grown in Hawaiʻi.
•A farmers’ market, which is an outdoor market limited to producers selling agricultural products grown in Hawaiʻi and value-added products that were produced using agricultural products grown in Hawaiʻi. Agriculture Tourism: Agriculture Tourism (also known as agritourism) is tourism related to experiencing and appreciating agriculture products, settings, and lifestyles. Agroforestry: Agroforestry is the intentional integration of trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to create environmental, economic, and social benefits. Ahupuaʻa: Ahupuaʻa is a Hawaiian word that means a land division usually extending from the uplands to the sea, so called because the boundary was marked by a heap (ahu) of stones surmounted by an image of a pig (puaʻa), or because a pig or other tribute was laid on the altar as tax to the chief. The landlord or owner of an ahupuaʻa might be a konohiki. ʻĀina: ʻĀina is a Hawaiian word that means land or earth. Alternative Energy: Alternative Energy refers to energy sources other than fossil fuels. This includes all renewable sources. Anchialine Pool: Anchialine Pools are unique and sensitive coastal groundwater features found in Hawaiʻi and other volcanic islands. These pools are landlocked bodies of water that have varying levels of salinity due to their connection with both freshwater from precipitation and seawater from the ocean through underground channels. Anchialine pools are typically shallow and characterized by their clear, calm waters, often hosting diverse ecosystems that include endemic species adapted to the fluctuating salinity levels. They are culturally significant in Hawaiʻi and provide habitat for unique flora and fauna, making their conservation crucial for biodiversity and local ecosystems. Aquaculture: Aquaculture is the production of aquatic plant or animal life for food or fiber within ponds and other bodies of water, as defined in the Hawaiʻi County Code. Biofuel: Biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary biological processes, such as agriculture and anaerobic digestion. Biofuels can be derived directly from plants, or indirectly from agricultural, commercial, domestic, and/or industrial wastes. Biomass: Biomass includes plant material that is used to produce such things as fuel alcohol and nonchemical fertilizers. Plant biomass can be used by power plants to produce thermal energy, then steam to generate electrical power. Biosphere Reserve Buffer Zone: Biosphere Reserve Buffer Zone (BRBZ) is enacted either separately or as an overlay district for the Volcano area, to guide development within the region’s native forest through regulatory measures and economic incentives. Blighted Areas: Blighted Areas includes an area, whether it is improved or unimproved, in which conditions such as: the dilapidation, deterioration, age, or obsolescence of the buildings or improvements thereon; inadequate ventilation, light, sanitation, or open spaces, or other insanitary or unsafe conditions; high density of population and overcrowding; defective or inadequate street layout; faulty lot layout in relation to size, adequacy, accessibility, or usefulness; diversity of ownership; tax or special assessment delinquency exceeding the fair value of the land; defective or unusual conditions of title; improper subdivision or obsolete platting; existence of conditions which endanger life or property by fire or other causes; or any combination of these factors or conditions predominate, thus making the area an economic or social liability, or conducive to ill health, transmission of disease, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, or crime, or otherwise detrimental to the public health, safety, morals, and welfare. Brownfield: Brownfield is an abandoned or underused site where redevelopment or reuse is complicated by the presence or perceived presence of contamination. Bulk Regulations: Bulk Regulations are standards that govern the provisions for lots based on housing type and by zoning district. Bulk regulations include:
• Height limit
• Minimum building site area
• Minimum building site average width
• Minimum yards
• Setbacks
• Floor area ratioCapital Improvements: Capital Improvements comprise all forms of physical structures intended for long-term use by the public and include roads, water and sewer systems, communication systems, flood control structures, other forms of infrastructure, and facilities such as active recreation areas and buildings, meeting rooms, public safety operation centers, government service centers and other structures supporting public activities. Capital Improvements Budget: Capital Improvements Budget is adopted by ordinance for the ensuing fiscal year. Capital Improvements Program: Capital Improvements Program (CIP) is a six-year program of planned capital improvements that sets forth what improvements will be funded, when each will be funded, and how much each will cost. It is provided to Hawaiʻi County Council for information purposes for the ensuing six fiscal years. Cesspool: Cesspool is any buried chamber including but not limited to any metal tank, perforated concrete vault, or covered hollow or excavation, which receives or discharges sanitary sewage from a building sewer to collect solids or discharge liquids to the surrounding soil. Cesspools are not an approved method of sewage disposal under these regulations and all existing cesspools are substandard. Climate Adaptation: Climate Adaption refers to actions that adjust to actual or expected future climate with the goal of reducing risks from the harmful effects of climate change and maximizing any potential benefit opportunities. Climate Change: Climate Change refers to the long-term (usually at least 30 years) regional or even global average of temperature, humidity, and rainfall patterns over seasons, years, or decades. Human-induced climate change is resulting in global warming, the long-term heating of Earth’s surface. Climate Change Impacts: Climate Change Impacts refer to the effect on social, economic, and environmental systems that are caused by human-driven climate change including, but not limited to, increases in natural disaster severity, unstable and extreme weather patterns, and loss of native ecosystems. Climate Mitigation: Climate Mitigation means actions and strategies aimed at reducing the risk of harm and damage to human communities, natural ecosystems, infrastructure, and the economy due to the impacts of climate change. These actions and strategies include but are not limited to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Climate Resilience: Climate Resilience is the ability to is the ability to anticipate, prepare for, and respond to hazardous events, trends, or disturbances related to climate change. Improving climate resilience involves assessing how climate change will create new, or alter current, climate-related risks, and taking steps to better cope with these risks. Cluster: Cluster refers to a concentrated grouping of buildings, activities, or land uses within a defined area. The concept of clustering is used to promote efficient land use, enhance connectivity, and foster synergies among different functions or uses. Clusters can include residential, commercial, industrial, or mixed-use developments that are strategically located to optimize infrastructure and resources while minimizing environmental impacts. Planning for clusters often involves zoning regulations, design guidelines, and infrastructure investments to support compact, walkable, and sustainable development patterns. Cluster Plan Development: Cluster Plan Development (CPD) refers to a land use planning strategy where residential or commercial development is concentrated in specific areas while preserving larger portions of the land as open space or natural areas. In this approach, buildings are grouped closely together, often in a compact or clustered manner, rather than being evenly dispersed across a site. Cluster development aims to promote efficient land use, preserve natural resources, and protect sensitive environmental areas by reducing overall land disturbance and infrastructure costs. It can also foster a sense of community by encouraging shared open spaces and amenities among residents or businesses within the development. (See Hawaiʻi County Code 25-6-20) Clustered Rural Subdivision: Clustered Rural Subdivision is a type of land development where residential lots are grouped together in compact clusters or nodes within a larger rural area. This approach contrasts with traditional rural subdivisions where lots are typically larger and spread out across the landscape. Coastal High Hazard Area: Coastal High Hazard Areas include tsunami inundation, sea level, rise, and special flood hazard areas. Coastal Zone Management Area: Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Area encompasses all lands of the State of Hawaiʻi and the area extending seaward from the shoreline to the limit of the State’s police power and management authority, including the United States territorial sea. Coastal Zone Management Program: Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program was created through passage of the Federal CZM Act of 1972. The Hawaiʻi Coastal Zone Management Program is a State program that was enacted to focus on a common focus for state and county actions dealing with land and water uses and activities. As the State’s resource management policy umbrella, it is the guiding perspective for the design and implementation of allowable land and water uses and activities throughout the State. Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Chapter 205A requires the legal and operational compliance with CZM objectives and policies. Collaborative Biocultural Stewardship: Collaborative Biocultural Stewardship represents an approach to sustainable development that emphasizes collaboration and partnership building among stakeholders and refers to the integration of cultural and natural resource management strategies to promote conservation, sustainability, and resilience. Community Conservation Areas: Community Conservation Areas are natural or modified ecosystems, including significant biodiversity, ecological services, and cultural values, voluntarily conserved by local communities through customary laws or other effective means. Community Development Plan: Community Development Plan (CDP) is a regional community plan for a specific planning area, typically comprising, but not necessarily bounded by, one or more of the County’s judicial districts. Community-Based Food System: Community-Based Food System are networks of farms and food businesses that do business in order to build community health, wealth, connection, and capacity, as well as to sustain themselves financially. Cottage Industry: Cottage Industry is a small-scale industry that can be carried on at home generally by family members using their own equipment. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is a multidisciplinary approach of crime prevention that uses urban and architectural design and the management of built and natural environments. Critical Environmental Areas: Critical Environmental Areas include but are not limited to:
• Watershed and recharge areas
• Wildlife habitats (on land and in the ocean)
• Areas with endangered species of plants and wildlife
• Natural streams and water bodies
• Scenic and recreational shoreline resources
• Open space and natural areas
• Historic and cultural sites
• Areas particularly sensitive to reduction in water and air quality; and scenic resources
• Lands designated for acquisition by public agencies for conservation and natural resource protection
• Lands designated as Conservations in the State Land Use (SLU), Future Land Use maps, or Zoning maps
• Identified wetlandsCritical Facilities: Critical Facilities include public and private facilities that need to be operational during and after a hazardous event to meet public health and safety needs, or to speed economic recovery. Critical Habitat: Critical Habitat is a specific geographic area that contains features essential for the conservation of a threatened or endangered species and that may require special management and protection. Critical habitat may include an area that is not currently occupied by the species but that will be needed for its recovery. Daily Census: Daily Census is the average number of visitors present on a single day. Demand Management: Demand Management, or Transportation Demand Management, is a defined set of strategies aimed at maximizing traveler choices. Development: Development is the placement or erection of any solid material, grading, grubbing, or extraction of any materials, change in density or intensity of use of land, or construction, reconstruction, demolition, or alteration of any structure. Development Rights: Development Rights are the rights to develop land by a land owner who maintains fee simple ownership over the land or by a party other than the owner who has obtained the rights to develop. Such rights usually are expressed in terms of density allowed under existing zoning. (See Transfer of Development Rights). Digital Divide: Digital Divide is the gap between those who have affordable access, skills, and support to effectively engage online and those who do not. As technology constantly evolves, the digital divide prevents equal participation and opportunity in all parts of life, disproportionately affecting people of color, indigenous peoples, households with low incomes, people with disabilities, people in rural areas, and older adults. Digital Equity: Digital Equity is the condition in which all individuals and communities have the information technology capacity needed for full participation in our society, democracy, and economy. Digital equity is necessary for civic and cultural participation, employment, lifelong learning, and access to essential services. Digital Inclusion: Digital Inclusion includes the activities necessary to ensure that all individuals and communities, including the most disadvantaged, have access to and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Five elements are critical:
1. Affordable, robust broadband internet service;
2. Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user;
3. Access to digital literacy training;
4. Quality technical support; and
5. Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation and collaboration.
Director: Director is the Planning Director unless otherwise specified. Eco-Industrial Parks: Eco-Industrial parks include a community of firms that exchange and make use of each other’s byproducts. Ecosystem Services: Ecosystem Services include any positive benefit that wildlife or ecosystems provide to people. The benefits can be direct or indirect, small or large. Ecotourism: Eco-Tourism in Hawaiʻi refers to sustainable travel and recreation activities that prioritize the conservation of Hawaiʻi’s unique natural environment, cultural heritage, and local communities. It involves exploring and appreciating Hawaiʻi’s diverse ecosystems, such as rainforests, coral reefs, and volcanic landscapes, while supporting efforts to protect these environments. Ecotourism in Hawaiʻi encourages responsible behaviors among visitors, such as respecting wildlife, minimizing waste, and supporting local businesses that prioritize environmental stewardship and cultural preservation. This approach aims to ensure that tourism benefits Hawaiʻi’snatural and cultural resources while fostering awareness and appreciation of its unique island ecosystems. Embodied Carbon: Embodied Carbon in the building industry refers to the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the lifecycle of building materials, including extraction, manufacturing, transportation, installation, maintenance, and disposal. Endemic Species: Endemic Species are native species that are unique to a defined geographical location. They are of conservation concern because they are not widespread and may be confined to only one or two areas. Energy Producer: Energy Producer is any entity that produces energy of any kind, including (without limitation) gas or oil-fueled, coal, nuclear, hydro, chemical reaction, electromagnetic, wave or tidal action, biofuels-based, geothermal, and renewable energy production. Energy Sustainability Standards: Energy Sustainability Standards or certificates are voluntary guidelines used by producers, manufacturers, traders, retailers, and service providers to demonstrate their commitment to good environmental, social, ethical, and safety practices. (E.g., LEED) Environmental Justice: Environmental Justice means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people in the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental Stewardship: Environmental Stewardship involves the responsible use and protection of the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices to enhance ecosystem resilience and human wellbeing. Equity: Equity means the consideration of cumulative impacts on lower- and middle-income individuals and historically marginalized groups during decision-making. Firm Generation: Firm Generation is energy available on demand, which can be adjusted as needed. Food Insecurity: Food Insecurity is defined as the "limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or uncertain ability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways." Form-Based Code: Form-Based Code is a land development regulation that fosters predictable built results and a high-quality public realm by using physical form (rather than separation of uses) as the organizing principle for the code. A form-based code is a regulation, not a mere guideline, adopted into city, town, or county law. A form-based code offers a powerful alternative to conventional zoning regulation. Functional Classification: Functional Classification describes the process by which streets and highways are grouped into classes or systems according to the character of service they are intended to provide. Functional Plan: Functional Plan is typically a public agency plan that addresses a specific need, program, or issue usually prepared by the agency responsible for implementation that may but is not required to be adopted by resolution. General Plan: General Plan is the County’s policy document for the long-range comprehensive development and preservation of the Island of Hawaiʻi pursuant to provisions for its purposes and contents, as set forth in Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes and the County Charter. Geographic Information System: Geographic Information System (GIS) is a spatial system that creates, manages, analyzes, and maps all types of data. Gig Economy: Gig Economy is a labor market that relies heavily on temporary and part-time positions filled by independent contractors and freelancers rather than full-time permanent employees. This segment of the service economy often involves connecting clients and customers through an online platform. Green Infrastructure: Green Infrastructure uses vegetation, soils, and other elements and practices to restore some of the natural processes required to manage water and create healthier urban environments. Green infrastructure detains stormwater or directs it to engineered systems for infiltration or remediation at a slower rate before it enters groundwater, sewer systems, or aquatic or marine environments. Greenfield Development: Greenfield Development is any kind of real estate development in previously undeveloped areas.Greenhouse Gas: Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat, contributing to the greenhouse effect and influencing Earth’s climate. These gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), fluorinated gases, and water vapor. They absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range, which warms the planet’s surface and lower atmosphere. Human activities, such as burning fossil fuels, deforestation, and industrial processes, have significantly increased the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution, leading to global warming and climate change. Greenhouse Gas Effect: Greenhouse Gas Effect refers to the process by which greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere trap heat from the sun, preventing it from escaping back into space. These gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and water vapor, absorb and re-emit infrared radiation emitted by the Earth’s surface. This absorption and re-emission of energy create a warming effect, similar to how a greenhouse traps heat, hence the term “greenhouse effect”. Harden: Harden or Hardening refers to physically changing infrastructure or structures to make them less susceptible to damage from extreme wind, flooding, or flying debris. Hardening improves the durability and stability of facilities, making them better able to withstand the impacts of hurricanes and other natural events without sustaining major damage or losing functionality. High Hazard Area: High Hazard Areas include lots located in volcano risk areas 1 and 2, as well as areas of historic lava flow, including the most recent 2018 Kīlauea eruption. High Risk Hazard Areas: High-Risk Hazard Areas are areas within the Coastal High Hazard Area or Lava Flow Hazard Zones 1 or 2. Historic District: Historic District is a geographically definable area, urban or rural, possessing a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development. In addition, historic districts consist of contributing and non-contributing properties. Historic districts possess a concentration, linkage, or continuity of the other four types of properties. Objects, structures, buildings, and sites within a historic district are usually thematically linked by architectural style or designer, date of development, distinctive urban plan, and/or historic associations. Under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, Chapter 6E, a historic property is an object, district, structure, site, or building that is 50 years or older. Historic properties that meet the significance criteria and retain historic integrity may be eligible for, or listed to, the Hawaiʻi or National Register of Historic Places. Hosted: Hosted refers to a transient accommodation with an operator residing on-site during rental operations. Hub and Spoke: Hub and Spoke are a centralized location within a specific service area. The hub generally has various passenger amenities including information, shelter, benches, bicycle storage, restrooms, security, and lighting. The hubs are served by transit routes or “spokes”, which are those localized routes providing neighborhood connections to the hubs. Impact Fee: Impact Fee is a fee levied on the developer or builder of a project by the County or other public agency as compensation for otherwise unmitigated impacts the project will probably produce. Impervious Surface: Impervious Surface or Impervious Area is any hard-surfaced, man-made area that does not readily absorb or retain water. Important Agricultural Lands: Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) State Designation, enacted as Article XI, Section 3, of the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi, the State is required to conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands. Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) means those lands that: (1) are capable of producing sustained high agricultural yields when treated and managed according to accepted farming methods and technology; (2) contribute to the State’s economic base and produce agricultural commodities for export or local consumption; or (3) are needed to promote the expansion of agricultural activities and income for the future, even if currently not in production. Inclusionary Zoning: Inclusionary Zoning is a regulation which requires a minimum percentage of housing for low-income, and sometimes moderate-income, households in new housing developments. Incompatible Development: Incompatible Development, or Incompatible Land Use, is the transfer over a property line of negative economic or environmental effects. Indigenous Data Science: Indigenous Data Science applies data science principles to issues relevant to Indigenous communities while respecting their knowledge systems and cultural practices. It emphasizes data sovereignty, ensuring Indigenous control over data, and cultural relevance, aligning methodologies with Indigenous worldviews. The field prioritizes community engagement, ethical considerations, and capacity building within Indigenous communities. By integrating interdisciplinary approaches and advocating for Indigenous rights, Indigenous data science aims to empower communities and support their self-determination and governance. Infill Development: Infill Development is the development of vacant land or rehabilitation of existing structures in already urbanized areas where infrastructure and services are in place. Innovative Housing: Innovative Housing includes the efficient and creative use of spaces, features, and amenities both within the overall development and individual homes. Examples of innovative housing include factory-built homes and manufactured housing, modular and volumetric builds, panelized wall systems, accessory dwelling units (ADU), and alternatives to lumber and wood framing. Integrated Resource Plans: Integrated Resource Plans is the identification of the resources or the mix of resources for meeting near and long-term consumer energy needs in an efficient and reliable manner at the lowest reasonable cost including the need and timing of any new generation and new cross-island transmission lines. Interagency Coordination: Interagency Coordination is a program or project that requires collaboration among organizations, including those external to the County.Intergenerational Equity: Intergenerational Equity refers to the principle of fairness and justice between different generations. It emphasizes the responsibility of current generations to manage resources and make decisions in ways that do not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs. This concept is central to sustainable development, ensuring that economic, social, and environmental policies consider long-term impacts. Intergenerational equity seeks to balance the needs and rights of present and future populations, promoting sustainability and continuity over time. Invasive Species: Invasive Species are alien species that have been introduced to an area, arriving through human intervention, and cause or could cause harm in at least one of three areas: the environment, the economy, or human health. Kākou: Kākou is the Hawaiian pronoun for we (inclusive, three or more). Kuleana: Kuleana is a Hawaiian word that means right, privilege, concern, responsibility. Kūpuna: Kūpuna is a Hawaiian word that means elders. Land Study Bureau: Land Study Bureau (LSB) Detailed Land Classification is based on the Land Study Bureau of the University of Hawaiʻi’s inventory and evaluation of the State’s land resources. The Bureau grouped all lands in the State, except those in the urban district, into homogeneous units of land types; described their condition and environment; rated the land on its overall quality in terms of agricultural productivity; appraised its performance for selected alternative crops; and delineated the various land types and groupings based on soil properties and productive capabilities. Land Use Map: Land Use Map is a map that graphically delineates the extent of land use types.Large Development: Large Development is the creation of 25 or more residential units, or commercial, industrial, or resort space of 30,000 square feet of gross floor area or any combination greater than 35,000 square feet of gross floor area. (See Development)Leachate: Leachate is formed when rain water filters through wastes placed in a landfill. When this liquid comes in contact with buried wastes, it leaches, or draws out, chemicals or constituents from those wastes. Level of Service Standard: Level of Service (LOS) Standard is a measure of the relationship between service capacity and service demand for public facilities. Low- to Moderate-Income: Low- and Moderate-Income families earn less than 80 percent of the area median income (AMI) for the County of Hawaiʻi, based on 2010 or 2020 Census data. Low-Impact Development: Low-Impact Development (LID) is a general term for a wide array of site planning principles and engineered treatment practices used to manage both water runoff volume and water quality. (See green infrastructure) Low-Impact Development Best Practices: Low-Impact Development (LID) Best Practices include undisturbed pervious areas, vegetated filter strips, grass channels, rain gardens, edible landscapes, stormwater planters, dry wells, rainwater harvesting, bioretention areas, and dry swales. Low-Income Housing Tax Credit: Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) was created by the United States Tax Reform Act of 1986 and gives state and local agencies the authority to issue tax credits for the acquisition, rehabilitation, or new construction of rental housing targeted to lower-income households. Makai: Makai is a Hawaiian word that means toward the ocean.Master Plan: Master Plan is a private land-use plan focused on one or more sites within an area that identifies site access and general improvements and is intended to guide growth and development over a number of years, or in several phases. Mauka: Mauka is a Hawaiian word that means inland or toward the upland. Metes and Bounds: Metes and Bounds is a system of describing and identifying land by measures (metes) and direction (bounds) from an identifiable point of reference. Microgrid: Microgrid is a local energy grid with control capability, which means it can disconnect from the traditional grid and operate autonomously. Micromobility: Micromobility is any small, low-speed, human- or electric-powered transportation device, including bicycles, scooters, electric-assist bicycles, electric scooters (e-scooters), and other small, lightweight, wheeled conveyances. Missing Middle Housing: Missing Middle Housing is a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units, compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes, located in a walkable neighborhood. Missing Middle Housing refers to housing types that fall somewhere between a single-family home and mid-rise apartment buildings, such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and courtyard clusters. Mixed-Use: Mixed-Use is a land use pattern that integrates compatible residential, commercial, industrial, office, institutional, or other uses. Mixed-Use Development: Mixed-Use Development is a structure with multiple functions, such as residential and commercial Multimodal Transportation: Multimodal Transportation describes the practice of integrating multiple forms of transportation into the planning process. Examples include pedestrian, cycling, automobile, and mass transit. Native Species: Native Species include plant and animal species that arrived in Hawaiʻi without the assistance of humans. Natural Systems Planning: Natural Systems Planning refers to the land use planning process of working toward the goal of protecting, conserving, and improving the biodiversity and sustainability of a region’s natural systems. Net Zero: Net Zero refers to achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and the amount removed from it. This balance is typically achieved by reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and offsetting any remaining emissions through measures such as carbon removal or carbon offsetting projects. The ultimate goal of net zero is to limit global warming to a level considered safe and sustainable, aiming to stabilize the Earth’s climate by reducing the overall impact of human activities on the environment. Achieving net zero emissions is a critical component of global efforts to combat climate change and transition towards a sustainable, low-carbon future. Not In My Backyard: Not In My Backyard (NIMBY) describes opposition by residents to proposed developments in their local area, often due to concerns about potential negative impacts on the environment, property values, and quality of life. One Water: One Water is an integrated and holistic approach to managing all aspects of the water cycle—drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and other water resources—as a single, interconnected system. This framework emphasizes the interdependence of different water sources and seeks to maximize the sustainable use of water resources through coordinated management and policy-making. Open Space: Open Space is largely undeveloped land or water body which is free of structures and equipment, except for those incidental to the permitted uses. Open space may include the following: flood protection, creating a sense of special separation from incompatible land uses, areas for agricultural operations, passive recreation, active recreation, conservation uses, forests, or historical site preservation. Lands with a general slope of 20 per cent or more that provide open space amenities or possess unusual scenic qualities. Lands necessary for the preservation of forests, park lands, wilderness and beach/shoreline areas. Operating Budget: Operating Budget is a complete financial plan for the current operations of the county and its agencies and executive agencies in the ensuing fiscal year, showing all funds and reserves. Optimal: Optimal is most desirable or satisfactory. Overlay: Overlay is an area where certain additional requirements are superimposed upon a base zoning district or underlying district and where the requirements of the base or underlying district may or may not be altered. Overlay Zone: Overlay Zone is a zoning designation applied to a specific geographic area that imposes additional standards on top of the underlying zoning regulations and are used to address particular issues or goals that may not be adequately addressed by the base zoning district alone. Common purposes of overlay zones include special management area, promoting environmental conservation, managing floodplains, encouraging mixed-use development, or enhancing design standards. Paratransit: Paratransit is special transportation services for people with disabilities and the elderly, often provided as a supplement to fixed-route bus systems by public transit agencies. Performance Conditions: Performance Conditions are requirements or obligations that an applicant must complete before certain rights or obligations can take effect. Permeable: Permeable refers to a pavement system with traditional strength characteristics, but which allows rainfall to percolate through it rather than running off. Placemaking: Placemaking is a multifaceted approach to planning, design, and management of public spaces that capitalizes on a local community’s assets, inspiration, and potential to promote the health, happiness, and well-being of residents. Planned Unit Development: Planned Unit Development (PUD) refers to a zoning and development strategy that allows for flexibility in land use and design within a defined area. It typically involves a comprehensive plan for mixed-use development, including residential, commercial, and recreational spaces, with an emphasis on preserving natural resources and promoting sustainable practices. PUDs are intended to encourage innovative land use planning while ensuring compatibility with surrounding areas and meeting community needs. Planning Areas: Planning Areas are the geographical regions that define the community development plan boundaries. Planning Commission: Planning Commission refers to either the Leeward Planning Commission or the Windward Planning Commission. The two Planning Commissions consist of members appointed from within each judicial district, advise the Mayor, County Council, and Planning Director on land use matters pursuant to law and the Hawaiʻi County Charter. Pono: Pono is a Hawaiian word that means goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, behalf, equity, sake, true condition or nature, duty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, beneficial, successful, in perfect order, used in this plan to describe an aspirational course of action. Principle: Principle is a professionally accepted practice or guiding rule used by planning agencies and professional planners in formulating policies and standards for community development. Project District: Project District is a comprehensive planning method which provides for a flexible planning approach and incorporates a variety of uses as well as open space, parks, and other project uses, as further defined in the Hawaiʻi County Code. Puʻu: Puʻu is a Hawaiian word that means any protuberance including a hill, mountain, cone, peak, or elevation. Rangeland: Rangeland refers to large, natural landscapes such as grasslands, shrublands, woodlands, and deserts that are primarily used for grazing livestock and wildlife. These areas are characterized by native vegetation, open spaces, and minimal human modification. Rangelands provide essential ecosystem services, including habitat for wildlife, soil stabilization, water filtration, and carbon sequestration. They are managed to balance the needs of livestock production, conservation, and recreation while maintaining ecological health and sustainability. Regenerative Agriculture: Regenerative Agriculture is a farming approach that focuses on restoring and enhancing soil health, biodiversity, and ecosystem functions. It employs practices such as cover cropping, crop rotation, reduced tillage, and holistic grazing to improve soil structure, increase organic matter, and promote beneficial soil microorganisms. This method aims to sequester carbon, improve water retention, and reduce reliance on synthetic inputs, contributing to more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. Regenerative agriculture not only enhances farm productivity and profitability but also supports environmental health and climate change mitigation. Regenerative Tourism: Regenerative Tourism is a movement that seeks to balance the economics of tourism with the well-being of communities, natural resources, and culture. This includes attracting and educating positive-impact travelers and group attendees who are mindful of how they respect and interact with residents, or how their movement through Hawaiʻi impacts the environment positively, and of how they value and respect the Hawaiian culture and other cultures of Hawaiʻi. Regional Centers: Regional Centers are intended for mixed-use and higher-density residential, retail, commercial, employment, and/or regional one-of-a-kind facilities, such as major civic, medical, educational, and entertainment facilities. Renewable Energy: Renewable Energy refers to energy derived from natural resources that are continually replenished on a human timescale. These resources include sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves, and geothermal heat. Unlike fossil fuels, which are finite and contribute to environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, renewable energy sources are considered sustainable and environmentally friendly. Technologies used to harness renewable energy, such as solar panels, wind turbines, hydropower plants, and geothermal systems, generate electricity and heat without depleting natural resources or significantly contributing to climate change. Embracing renewable energy plays a crucial role in reducing dependence on fossil fuels, mitigating climate change impacts, and promoting energy security and economic resilience. Resilience: Resilience is the ability to withstand social, environmental, and economic shocks and stressors with minimal human, environmental, and economic costs, risks, and damages. Resort Area: Resort Area is an area with facilities to accommodate the needs and desires primarily of visitors, tourists, and transient guests. Roads in Limbo: Roads in Limbo (RIL) were built or, planned by the State or the Territorial government. They are classified into either existing or paper roads. For decades, the State and County government argued over maintenance responsibility because of limited resources. Typically, existing roads are referred to as “government roads” or “homestead roads”. Shelter-Burdened: Shelter-Burdened, also known as cost-burdened, are those who pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing and may have difficulty affording necessities such as food, clothing, transportation, and medical care. Severe rent burden is defined as paying more than 50 percent of one’s income on rent. Shoreline: Shoreline is the upper reaches of the wash of the waves, other than storm and seismic waves, at high tide during the season of the year in which the highest wash of the waves occurs, usually evidenced by the edge of vegetation growth, or the upper limit of debris left by the wash of the waves. Shoreline Setback Area: Shoreline Setback Area is the land area between the shoreline and the shoreline setback line established by the Planning Department running inland from and parallel to the certified shoreline at a horizontal plane. Silviculture: Silviculture is the development or maintenance of a forest or wooded preserve. Silvopasture: Silvopasture is the deliberate integration of trees and grazing livestock operations on the same land. Smart Growth: Smart Growth is the overall approach to development that encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and robust community engagement. Special Area Plans: Special Area Plans are plans prepared by a county department or agency for a specific area for the purpose of master planning, redevelopment planning, or other purpose that may but is not required to be adopted by resolution or ordinance. Special Management Area: Special Management Area (SMA) is the area that extends inland from the shoreline and is designated for special protections. The State of Hawaiʻi Office of Planning administers Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 205A, the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) law, and the purpose of HRS Chapter 205A is to “provide for the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and development of the Coastal Zone.” The SMA permitting system is part of the CZM Program approved by Federal and State agencies. Sprawl: Sprawl is low-density land-use patterns that are automobile-dependent, energy and land consumptive, and may lead to an inefficient and undesirable distance between residences and their needed infrastructure and services. Stakeholder: Stakeholder is any individual, group, or organization that has an interest or concern in a particular project, decision, or activity and can be affected by its outcomes. Stakeholders can include a wide range of entities, such as employees, customers, suppliers, investors, government agencies, community members, and non-governmental organizations. They can influence or be influenced by the objectives, policies, and performance of an organization or project. Effective stakeholder engagement and management are crucial for the success and sustainability of any initiative, as it helps ensure that diverse perspectives and interests are considered. Standard: Standard is a regulatory measure that defines the meaning, quality, or quantity of a policy by providing a way to measure its attainment.Sustainability: Sustainability is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability requires a balanced approach of managing present-day environmental, social, and economic needs to ensure harmony between economic growth, environmental systems, and social well-being.Sustainable Yield: Sustainable Yield, according to Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes Chapter 174C, is the maximum rate at which water may be withdrawn from a water source without impairing the utility or quality of the water source as determined by the commission. Tax Increment Financing: Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is the plan for a district submitted to and approved by the County Council, as further defined by the Hawaiʻi County Code. Time Share Unit: Time Share Unit is any multiple-family dwelling unit or hotel, which is owned, occupied or possessed, under an ownership and/or use agreement among various persons for less than a sixty-day period in any year for any occupant, and is regulated under the provisions of chapter 514E, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes, as amended. Traditional Ecological Knowledge: Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is a cumulative body of knowledge, belief, and practice handed down through generations and focused on the relationship of plants, animals, and humans with place-specific traditional practices and with their environment. Traditional Neighborhood Development: Traditional Neighborhood Development (TND) involves compact, mixed-use neighborhood where residential, commercial, and civic buildings are within proximity to each other. Transfer of Development Rights: Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) is a process by which development rights may be transferred from one parcel of land to another. (See Development Rights) Transient Accommodation: Transient Accommodation is the furnishing of a room, apartment, suite, single-family dwelling, or the like to a transient or transients for less than one hundred and eighty consecutive days in a Hotel; Apartment hotel; Motel; Lodge; Condominium; Timeshare; Cooperative apartment; Dwelling unit, or rooming house that provides living quarters, sleeping, or housekeeping accommodations; or Other place in which lodgings are regularly furnished to transients. Transit-Oriented Development: Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is a development of high-density mixed land use that uses a transit facility as a focal point and thereby seeks to encourage the use of public transit. Underserved Subdivision: Underserved Subdivisions are characterized by having:
• Lot sizes that do not conform to State or County standards or other zoning criteria;
• At least 10 lots; and
• Limited access to public infrastructure and services; and
• High lot vacancy rates or a pattern of “leapfrog” development; and
• Lot sizes too small for agricultural development (1/2 to 3 acres); and
• A location outside County designated preferred development areasUniversal Design Principles: Universal Design Principles aim to create environments, products, and services that are accessible and usable by all people, regardless of their age, ability, or disability. These principles emphasize inclusivity, ensuring that designs accommodate a wide range of users with varying needs and preferences. Key aspects include simplicity, flexibility, intuitive use, and equitable access, which together promote usability and accessibility for everyone. By integrating universal design principles, designers and planners create more inclusive, functional, and user-friendly solutions that benefit all members of society. Urban Development Plan: Urban Development Plan is a plan having a local scale primarily comprising one or more existing or proposed urban areas including towns, villages, resort-residential nodes and/or suburban residential neighborhoods where more intensive uses are contemplated. These may include redevelopment plans for all or part of such urban areas. Urban Forestry: Urban Forestry is the planting, maintenance, care, and protection of tree populations in urban settings. Urban forests come in many different shapes and sizes. They include urban parks, street trees, landscaped boulevards, gardens, river and coastal promenades, greenways, river corridors, wetlands, nature preserves, shelter belts of trees, and working trees at former industrial sites. Urban forests, through planned connections of green spaces, form the green infrastructure on which communities depend. Green infrastructure works at multiple scales from the neighborhood to the metro area to the regional landscape. Urban Growth Area: Urban Growth Areas (UGA) are established as land that is envisioned for future areas of urban use and should include only those lands that meet the following criteria:
•Are characterized by urban development that can be efficiently and cost-effectively served by roads, water, sanitary sewer and storm drainage, schools, and other urban governmental services within the next 20-40 years
•Respect topographical features that form a natural edge, such as watercourses and ridgelines
•Are sufficiently free of environmental constraints to be able to support urban growth without major environmental impacts
•Do not unnecessarily overlap with State Land Use Agricultural
•Shall not overlap with State Land Use Conservation District Urban Heat Island Effect: Urban Heat Island Effect is a phenomenon where the metropolitan areas are generally hotter than the surrounding countryside. Without as many trees and green cover, the impervious surfaces of man-made structures absorb sunlight and convert it into heat energy. Urban Service Area: Urban Service Area defines the geographical limits of government-supplied public facilities and services. Variable Generation: Variable Generation is energy that may not always be available or controllable. Variance: Variance, in the context of planning permits, is a legal authorization that allows a property owner to deviate from the requirements of local zoning ordinances or land use regulations. It grants permission to use the land in a way that does not strictly comply with the existing zoning rules, typically due to unique circumstances or hardships specific to the property. Vehicle Miles Traveled: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) is defined by the United States Department of Transportation as the total annual miles of vehicle travel divided by the total population in a state or in an urbanized area. This metric, along with travel times and costs, to measure vehicle travel demand and make policy decisions regarding roadways and other transportation infrastructure. Viewshed: Viewshed is the area within view from a defined observation point typically used to define a view scenic quality such as a puʻu (hill) or the coastline. Village Plan: Village Plan is a strategic document that guides the development and management of a specific community or village. It outlines goals and policies related to land use, infrastructure, environmental conservation, community services, transportation, economic development, and community character. Developed through collaboration with stakeholders, village plans serve as blueprints to ensure orderly growth, preserve natural resources, enhance community services, and maintain or enhance the unique identity of the village over time. Regular updates ensure alignment with evolving community needs and priorities. Wahi Pana: Wahi Pana means legendary place. Waste-to-Energy: Waste-to-Energy (WtE) is a process in solid waste management that involves converting non-recyclable waste materials into usable forms of energy, such as electricity, heat, or fuel, and reduces the volume of waste sent to landfills, minimizes greenhouse gas emissions, and provides a sustainable energy source, contributing to environmental protection and energy sustainability. This is achieved through various technologies, including:
•Incineration: Burning waste at high temperatures to produce steam, which can then be used to drive turbines and generate electricity. The heat generated can also be used for district heating.
•Gasification: Converting organic or fossil-based materials into carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide by reacting the material at high temperatures with a controlled amount of oxygen or steam. The resulting syngas can be used to generate electricity or produce fuels.
•Pyrolysis: Decomposing organic materials at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen, producing a mixture of solids (char), liquids (tar and pyrolysis oil), and gases (syngas). These by-products can be utilized as fuels or raw materials for chemical processes.
•Anaerobic Digestion: Breaking down organic waste in the absence of oxygen to produce biogas (primarily methane and carbon dioxide), which can be used for electricity and heat generation, or upgraded to biomethane for use as a renewable natural gas. Water Systems: Water Systems is any water system, whether publicly or privately owned and managed, that provides water for human consumption to at least 15 connections or regularly serves at least 25 individuals. Yes In My Backyard: Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) refers to a movement that describes advocates who support housing development as a response to the outcomes of restrictive zoning and planning policies. Zone of Influence: Zone of Influence in the context of drinking water refers to the area surrounding a water source, such as a well or a reservoir, where the extraction of water affects the local groundwater levels or flow patterns. This zone is crucial for managing and protecting drinking water supplies, as it delineates the region where human activities, such as pumping, can impact the quality and quantity of water available. Properly understanding and managing the zone of influence helps ensure sustainable water extraction, prevents contamination, and protects the integrity of the drinking water source.
Planning for a Sustainable Future
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