Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz will introduce a draft ordinance that would establish a new Downtown Pahoa Commercial District, with goals to support economic development, preserve cultural heritage, and update land use regulations in the area.
The ordinance would create the special district and update zoning designations and definitions, including new categories such as “co-working and innovation hubs,” “creative media spaces” and “cultural enterprises.” These additions reflect community interest in supporting local businesses, arts and emerging industries like digital media.
Kierkiewicz, who drafted the bill, explained the need for the district partly stems from past efforts to develop a master plan for Pahoa, which stalled due to volcanic eruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic. For at least a decade, the Planning Department has attempted to finalize a plan, but these disruptions prevented completion.
She also noted the challenge of planning for an area with over 330 individual property owners, each with different visions, making a traditional master plan less feasible.
Instead, the special district ordinance would expand the types of permitted uses on private property to encourage diverse development aligned with the community’s goals.
“Folks have shared with me is this idea of having additional permitted uses in the area. … There wasn’t anything that talked about culture explicitly as an allowable use, and so culture enterprises is something that the community wants to see more of,” Kierkiewicz added.
One key aspect of the proposal is to remove off-street parking requirements, similar to what exists in downtown Hilo and Kailua-Kona, recognizing the unique walkability and available public parking at places like the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility. Kierkiewicz emphasized that this is not a light decision but hopes to formalize agreements to keep public parking lots open later to accommodate businesses and visitors.
The new district would aim to create a “dynamic town where environment, culture, commerce and community coexist harmoniously,” according to the bill. It supports locally owned businesses and emphasizes preserving Pahoa’s historical and cultural heritage through design guidelines administered by the county’s Planning Department, with input from local community groups like the Mainstreet Pahoa Association.
However, Kierkiewicz pointed out a challenge in formalizing local oversight of these design guidelines.
“One of the things that I found in this process was that there’s a committee, but it’s not an official committee. … Kailua-Kona has a business district as well, they also have design guidelines,” she said. “Their people are nominated by the mayor, confirmed by the council. So, I’m trying to understand the legislative reasoning around why Pahoa is unique in that regard, but there is supposed to be a body of downtown Pahoa folks that are part of like Mainstreet Pahoa Association and different community groups … to mobilize and review design guidelines … so this group would come together and weigh in and provide a recommendation to the Planning Department.
“I’ve asked the last three planning directors, ‘who is on this committee?’ Because it’s not formalized and nobody wants to formalize it … I think it was clearer about 10 years ago, but it’s not clear today, and that’s a problem,” she added.
Amedeo Markoff, president of the Mainstreet Pahoa Association, supports the bill and praised Kierkiewicz, saying she has led the charge in helping the county better understand the impacts to Puna from the 2018 Kilauea eruption and COVID-19.
“As the fastest growing community in the state, it’s a real disconnect sometimes for people to realize that the level of service that is normally allocated to our ever-growing population was substandard before … and the level of service has always been less than adequate. To have someone like (Kierkiewicz) hyper-focused on the well-being of our community is everything.”
Markoff also emphasized the lingering effects of recent crises on the area’s economic health.
“I am a firm believer that the backbone of the community is the economic vitality of the town in lower Puna. … The rest of the island and the state have kind of moved on from (the 2018 eruption) and COVID, but I think the impacts are still being felt here,” he told the Tribune-Herald on Tuesday.
The ordinance also would reclassify certain parcels in Puna from Village Commercial and Single-Family Residential to the new Downtown Pahoa Commercial classification, setting a 30-foot height limit and minimum building site requirements to ensure a safe and walkable environment. Residential would be permitted in connection with commercial and cultural operations.
Kierkiewicz also highlighted the need for spaces where youth can engage in creative digital media, “It is the job of the future but the future is already here,” referring to the inclusion of creative media spaces in the ordinance.
A public meeting to discuss the proposal will be held today at 5 p.m. at the Pahoa Neighborhood Facility, 15-3022 Kauhale Street, and online via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/yt9zhmne.
Email Daniel Farr at dfarr@hawaiitribune-herald.com.