The 91直播 County Council chambers rang out with criticisms Tuesday as a committee meeting meant to consider a long-term planning document devolved into accusations, lawsuits and conspiracy theories.
These heated arguments monopolized the Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Economic Development鈥檚 deliberations over Bill 66, which adopts the 91直播 County General Plan 2045. After hearing from a long procession of roughly two dozen testifiers 鈥� both in support and opposition 鈥� the committee voted unanimously to postpone its decision on the bill until its May 4 meeting.
The General Plan is a 20-year comprehensive policy document guiding land use, growth, public services and transportation on the island. Its current edition was adopted in 2005 and has come to the end of its functional lifespan, prompting the Planning Department to submit a 310-page revision to the County Council in March of last year.
This lengthy update is typically referred to as the 鈥�2045 Plan鈥� 鈥� a byproduct of years of public hearings, meetings and exhaustive public comment periods, with thousands of comments collected about the draft document and its associated maps. The 2045 Plan calls for climate change adaptation, strives for net-zero carbon emissions, and focuses growth in urban centers in order to protect rural, agricultural land. It also contains stricter land use controls, provisions for increasing mass transit, and requirements for renewable energy adoption.
However, the plan鈥檚 slow and steady progress was turned on its head last month when Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz sent her fellow council members a 71-page proposal that would abridge the significantly longer and more detailed plan submitted by the Planning Department. In a letter sent by Kierkiewicz to the council two weeks later on March 19 attempting to justify the changes, she argued the objectives of her 鈥�2026 Plan鈥� are the same as the document it seeks to replace.
鈥淭he 2026 Plan maintains the core intent of the 2045 Draft,鈥� she wrote, accusing the longer plan of being a 鈥渃atch-all for every worthy goal the county might pursue,鈥� creating a long list of expectations that are impossible to live up to.
鈥淲hen too much is placed into a General Plan, the document begins to overpromise, and the county is left to underdeliver,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淚f every concept is treated as a priority, nothing is.鈥�
Pushback to the changes has been substantial. Planning Director Jeff Darrow described it as a 鈥渃omplete rewrite鈥� ignoring the input from more than 100 community meetings.
Former Planning Director Chris Yuen wrote in a Tribune-Herald op-ed on April 5 that Kierkiewicz鈥檚 revision discards 鈥測ears of effort,鈥� asserting that 鈥渨ay too much was taken out.鈥�
Yuen testified at the committee meeting Tuesday via Zoom and took issue with the abbreviated plan鈥檚 lack of maps and land use provisions.
鈥淢y specific criticisms of the 2026 Plan are that it downgrades the role of the General Plan maps and implies, and in fact it states, that they鈥檙e not binding on zoning decisions 鈥� the primary and most important function of the General Plan maps,鈥� he said.
He also expressed concern about its reduction of zoning categories from 14 to just four.
鈥淭here is absolutely no way that this provides good guidance for land use with just four categories. It just simply can鈥檛 be done,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 differentiate between where you have resort or commercial, single-family, multi-family, industrial zoning.鈥�
Other testifiers opposing the 2026 Plan claimed it is the product of a rushed, nontransparent process that has 鈥渞eceived almost no public attention or publicity鈥� in violation of 91直播鈥檚 鈥淪unshine Law鈥� 鈥� a regulation requiring government bodies to conduct their business in public.
This sentiment was shared by Mountain View resident Aaron Zeeman, who testified in-person at the meeting.
鈥淢y position is simple: When the operating General Plan has been materially altered, and when there are serious questions about whether the public and reviewing bodies have been given a fair chance to evaluate those changes, the responsible action is not to rush the vote,鈥� Zeeman said.
Earlier that day Zeeman, with the help of a process server, brought a lawsuit to the Office of Corporation Counsel 鈥� the county鈥檚 department of legal advisers 鈥� naming the County Council as defendant and asking the Circuit Court for a preliminary injunction to stop the council鈥檚 vote on Bill 66 鈥渦ntil the legality of the underlying General Plan process can be heard and decided.鈥�
鈥淭his matter is now before the court,鈥� he told the council. 鈥淐orporation Counsel has been served.鈥�
Kailua-Kona resident Janice Palma-Glennie testified via Zoom and claimed the 2026 Plan 鈥渋nsults community process and responsible leadership.鈥�
鈥淚t is in-fact a dangerous nonplan that throws the baby out with the bathwater,鈥� Palma-Glennie said.
鈥淎 General Plan is the county鈥檚 guiding legal land use document,鈥� she said. 鈥淵et, we have a small band of well-meaning but poorly informed activists who have become partners in undermining decades of positive community effort and successes achieved by thousands of people who have stood up for better proactive land use planning like the ordinances in General Plan 2045.鈥�
She then directed her condemnation toward the 2026 Plan鈥檚 author.
鈥淢s. Kierkiewicz does no one a favor by introducing dangerous and democracy-stifling sleight of hand legislation to gut and replace that plan,鈥� she said. 鈥淭his effort seems designed to bamboozle those who believe that their 鈥榙on鈥檛 tread on me鈥� philosophy is good for anyone but big bucks special interests, particularly the real estate and development industries. (She) would have us believe that locking us into the sprawl, traffic, decimation of shorelines and culture that thousands of residents have been fighting to emancipate themselves from is somehow freedom. Again, freedom from whom?鈥�
There were testifiers in support of the 2026 Plan, like Hilo resident Donna Grabow.
鈥淭he GP 2045 was an attempt to reset society by removing private property rights, controlled travel and health, and citizens would be subjected to new fees, regulations and fines, basically treated like probationary criminals 鈥� the 2026 (Plan) doesn鈥檛 have this,鈥� Grabow said. 鈥淭he backbone of GP 2045 is a 鈥� new world order of connectivity or Big Brother monitoring with cameras to maintain control over citizens.鈥�
When testimonies finally wrapped up, Kierkiewicz attempted to justify her proposal.
鈥淚 thought long and hard about my time on the council and everything that the county is trying to do, and being really just realistic about what we can afford and the county鈥檚 capacity 鈥� and our inability to just do things,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd it really had me questioning what鈥檚 appropriate within our General Plan, and I was on a quest to trim the fat.鈥�
She pushed back on claims from testifiers like Zeeman who claimed her plan lacked public input.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want anybody to think that the community feedback that was provided over the last decade was disregarded,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檇 like to think that the 2026 Plan is the distillation of the community鈥檚 best ideas, and it is articulated in a way that is simple, is clear, is concise and is enforceable. You know, some folks have commented, 鈥極h my God, it鈥檚 only 72 pages.鈥� You know what? It doesn鈥檛 make it any less serious.鈥�
Email Stefan Verbano at stefan.verbano@hawaiitribune-herald.com.