o‘ahu important agricultural lands mapping project meeting slides - april 2015

GREAT LANDS FOR GREAT O‘AHU FARMS

HOUSE RULESGive everyone a chance to talk once before you talk twice

Keep it short and stay on topic

One person talks at a time

Respect differing opinions

Always be courteous

IDENTIFY HIGH-QUALITY FARMLAND


A step to better land management


STUDY AREA SCREENING CONDITIONS (HRS, 205-47a)EXCLUDED FROM THE STUDY AREA

• Federally-owned

• State-owned (DOA & DLNR to identify public lands for IAL, HRS, 205-44.5)

• Within the State Urban or Conservation Land Use Districts

• County designated for urban use in existing land use plans and zoning

• All lands of an individual landowner, if more than 50% is already designated IAL

“Each county shall identify and map potentialIAL within its jurisdiction based on thestandards and criteria in section 205-44 and theintent of this part, except lands that havebeen designated, through the state landuse, zoning, or county planning process,for urban use by the State or county.”


MEETING AGENDA

Welcome

Remarks from DPP

Introductions

Briefing

Small group discussions

Summary/next steps

Sticky dot ranking (Adjourn by 8:30)

MEETING OBJECTIVES

Introduce the City’s IAL process

Discuss land characteristics needed for future agricultural activities

Identify additional data or information needed to identify IAL


PROJECT TEAM

MAYOR’S AGRICULTURAL LIAISON

Dr. Po Yung Lai

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND PERMITTING

George Atta, DirectorArt Challacombe, Deputy DirectorKathy Sokugawa, Randy Hara, Tim Hata

HHF Planners

Scott Ezer, Rob James, Corlyn Orr

Peter Adler Kem Lowry Bruce Plasch


GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE

HAS A BASIC UNDERSTANDING

OF THE IAL DESIGNATION

What is IAL?

How do lands get designated

IAL?

Which lands are eligible for IAL

designation?

What are the criteria for determining

IAL?

How will IAL affect

landowners and farmers?

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW• Why are we doing

this project?• What lands are

affected?• What does being

designated IAL mean?

• What is the process?


PROJECT PURPOSE AND NEED• Purpose

• To comply with State law for counties to map IAL

• Do better land planning

• Need/Objectives• Frame the long-term vision of high-quality

farm lands that will be protected from future development and used for productive agriculture

• Guide decision-making in the State Agricultural District and support the agricultural sector


STATE LAND USE SYSTEM (CHAPTER 205, HRS)


URBAN

•City-like uses•Regulated by counties' zoning ordinances

AGRICULTURAL

•Farm lands for crops, pasture or forestry•Federally-owned land•Lands suitable for recreational uses (parks, golf courses) and open space that lack the qualities to be classified as one of the other land use districts

RURAL (O‘AHU HAS NONE)

•Small farms, low-density residential

•Uses prescribed in HRS, Chapter 205

CONSERVATION

•Forest reserves, watersheds, other nature resources

ARTICLE XI, SECTION 3 CONSTITUTION OF THE STATE OF HAWAII

“The State shall conserve and protect agricultural lands, promote diversified agriculture, increase agricultural self-sufficiency and assure the availability of agriculturally suitable lands. The legislature shall provide standards and criteria to accomplish the foregoing. Lands identified by the State as important agricultural lands needed to fulfill the purposes above shall not be reclassified by the State or rezoned by its political subdivisions without meeting the standards and criteria established by the legislature and approved by a two-thirds vote of the body responsible for the reclassification or rezoning action.”

1978 State

Constitutional Convention


HAWAII REVISED STATUTES, CHAPTER 205

Provides a formal definition of IAL

Establishes policy guidance to assure the long term agricultural use of IAL

Specifies eight standards and criteria to be used in mapping IAL

Outlines processes for landowners, counties and the State to follow when identifying lands with potential for IAL

Identifies the roles and responsibilities of various state and county agencies

Requires the State and counties to provide incentives for agricultural operations on IAL


STATE IAL INCENTIVES (HRS, 205-46)Grant assistance

Tax incentives to offset operational costs, promote agricultural business viability, and promote the long-term protection of important agricultural lands

Agricultural business planning, marketing, and implementation grants

Tax incentives and programs for equity investments and financing for agricultural operations, including agricultural irrigation systems

State funding mechanisms to fund business viability and land protection programs

Water regulations and policies that provide farmers of important agricultural lands access to adequate and cost-effective sources of water

Agricultural education and training for new farmers; upgrading the skills of existing farmers and other agriculture-related employees through the use of mentoring, business incubators, and public or private scholarships; and increasing the returns of farming by adding value to food processing and other tools and methods


STATE IAL QUALIFIED AG COST TAX CREDITProvides tax credits for:

• Roads or utilities serving IAL

• Agricultural processing facilities

• Water wells, reservoirs, dams, storage facilities, pipelines or irrigation systems

• Agricultural housing

• Feasibility studies, regulatory processing, legal and accounting services related to items above

• Equipment used to cultivate, harvest or process agricultural products

• Regulatory processing, studies, and legal and other consultant services related to obtaining/retaining sufficient water for agricultural activities and retaining the right to farm on IAL

DEFINITION OF IAL (HRS, 205-42) “IAL means those lands…that: Are capable of producing sustained high agricultural yields when treated and managed according to accepted farming methods and technology;Contribute to the State's economic base and produce agricultural commodities for export or local consumption; orAre needed to promote the expansion of agricultural activities and income for the future, even if currently not in production.”

“The objective for the identification of IAL is to identify and plan for the maintenance of a strategic agricultural land resource base that can support a diversity of agricultural activities and opportunities that expand agricultural income and job opportunities and increase agricultural self-sufficiency for current and future generations.”


PROCESSES TO DESIGNATE LANDS AS IAL

Land Use Commission is the approving authority for all three processes

County Initiated•County Planning

Departments identify candidate IAL on specific lands

Landowner Initiated•Voluntary

process for landowners to petition the LUC

State Initiated•State DOA and

DLNR identify candidate IAL on State-owned, public lands


IAL APPROVED BY THE LUC• 10,271 acres on O‘ahu

designated as IAL• 111,139 acres statewide

designated as IAL (about 6% of the 1,928,034 acres in the State Agricultural District)

SOURCE: http://files.hawaii.gov/dbedt/op/gis/maps/ial_map.pdf

DR14-529,592 acres


APPROVED LANDOWNER PETITIONS, MARCH 2015Island, Region Landowner Acreage LUC ApprovalKauai, Koloa Alexander & Baldwin/Kauai

Coffee 3,869 MAR‐2009

Kauai, Koloa Mahaulepu Farm (GroveFarm)

1,533 MAY‐2011

Kauai, Haupu/Lihue Grove Farm 11,206 FEB‐2013

Kauai, Lumahai/Waipa Kamehameha Schools 190 FEB‐2014

Oahu, Waialua, Mililani and Whitmore

Castle & Cooke HomesHawaii

679 MAR‐2011

Oahu, Punaluu and North Shore

Kamehameha Schools 9,592 FEB‐2015

Maui, Central Alexander & Baldwin 27,294 JUN‐2009

Big Island,South Kohala

Parker Ranch, Inc. 56,777 SEPT‐2011

Total acreage designated by the LUC as IAL 111,139


COUNTY IAL MAPPING PROCESS

DPP prepares resource

maps

Community engagement

DPP prepares draft IAL maps

and accompanying

report

City Council

resolution

LUC issues written

decision to designate

IAL

Project purpose• Comply with State law for

counties to identify IAL


MAP OF STUDY AREA (LANDS ELIGIBLE FOR COUNTY-INITIATED IAL)

Includes 66,965 acres

Excludes 316,321 acres


IAL STANDARDS AND CRITERIA (HRS, CHAPTER 205-44)

•Land currently used for agricultural production

Current AG Production

•Land with soil qualities and growing conditions that support agricultural production of food, fiber, or fuel- and energy-producing crops

Soil Qualities and Growing Conditions

•Land identified under agricultural productivity rating systems, such as the agricultural lands of importance to the State of Hawai‘i (ALISH)

Productivity Rating Systems

•Land types associated with traditional native Hawaiian agricultural uses, such as taro cultivation, or unique agricultural crops and uses, such as coffee, vineyards, aquaculture, and energy production

Traditional or Unique Crops

•Land with sufficient quantities of water to support viable agricultural production

Sufficient Water

•Land whose designation as IAL is consistent with general, development, and community plans of the county

Consistency with County Policies

•Land that contributes to maintaining a critical land mass important to agricultural operating productivity

Critical Land Mass

•Land with or near support infrastructure conducive to agricultural productivity, such as transportation to markets, water, or power

Proximity to Infrastructure


HRS, CHAPTER 205-44

“Lands identified as IAL need not meet every standard and criteria…. Rather, lands meeting any of the criteria below shall be given initial consideration; provided that the designation of IAL shall be made by weighing the standards and criteria with each other…”


2012-2013TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC)

11 farmers

2 AG industry

organizations

2 City (ex-officio)

2 AG tech.personnel

1landowner

6Govt. agencies


COMPARISON OF CRITERIA SCORING18.8

14.2 14.2

10.59.4 8.9 8.8

8.7

6.5

15 15 15

10

5

109

8

5

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

Crit

eria

Sco

re

Criteria

AVERAGE SCORE

MEDIAN SCORE

5 6 41 2 8 3 7 9

When the median score is used, Criteria # 5, 1, 2, receive the highest ranking

Sufficient water

Current AG production

Soil qualities &

growing conditions

Proximity to infrastructure

Consistency with county

policies

Productivity rating systems

Critical land mass

Traditional or unique

crops/uses

AG easements


66,965

TAC CRITERIA MAPPINGACRESCRITERIA

9

1 Current agricultural production

2 Soil qualities and growing conditions

3 Productivity rating systems

4 Traditional or unique crops

5 Sufficient water

6 Consistency with county policies

Agricultural Easements

40,016

34,894

39,795

4,736

31,459

48,002

1,280

Qualified Lands

Excludes maps for Criteria 7

and 8


Highest Ranked Criteria


#1Sufficient

water

#2Current

agricultural production

#5Soil qualities and growing conditions

ON-LINE CRITERIA MAP VIEWER

MapOahuAgLand.com

PROJECT SCHEDULE AND NEXT STEPS


SMALL GROUP DISCUSSIONSWhat are your highest hopes once IALs have been designated?

Looking ahead 3 generations (75 years), what lands will be needed for different kinds of agriculture?

What additional data or information needs to come forward before the C&C finalizes its plan?

Do the 3 highest-ranked criteria represent the qualities that are most important for future agricultural activities? In what combination should they be administered?


Great Land For Great O‘ahu Farms | PAGE 31GREAT LANDS FOR GREAT O‘ahu FARMS

MAHALO

o‘ahu important agricultural lands mapping project meeting slides - april 2015

Presentations & Public Speaking

agricultural lands

ial designation whatis

state urban

urban use

state land use system

state agricultural district

land characteristics

owned land lands suitable