Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 1, 1 January 1992 — Golf report calls for more planning [ARTICLE]

Golf report calls for more planning

bv Ann L. Moore

A draft report containing policy recommendations about golf course development in Hawai'i was distributed in November at public meetings by the Office of State Planning. Copies of the report are available through OSP by calling 5872846 on O'ahu.

The draft report delineates the characteristics of different types of golf courses; profiles eommunities in whieh golf courses are located or are being proposed; details planning and environmental factors related to golf courses; discusses social impact; reviews the economics of the golf industry of Hawai'i; and considerations eoneeming impact fees and mitigation measures. The report says protection of prime agricul-

ture activities has been based on the soil classification for golf course sites and fciils to consider other productive agriculture activitias. The report states that golf courses are an inappropriate use for agriculture land as the purpose of an agricultural district is to protect lands valued for cultivation. They are aIso inappropriate for conservation lands and on former eane

or pineapple land since "If they (current sugar and eane lands) were to be planned as land use, given our present knowledge regarding groundwater, erosion and runoff, air pollution from eane burning, and many other issues, such crops would probably not be sited in their present day locations." The report recommends use of native species

for landscaping and that developers should be "encouraged" to use landscaping with zerotropic plants whieh use little water. The report says the Honolulu Board of Water Supply has a strong zerotropic program and gardens whieh should serve as a basis for identifying appropriate plants. Habitat to encourage native fauna, including use of anehialine ponds, should be considered.

Concerning archeology, the report recommends contiriued preservation of significant sites and provision for adequate community input into the archeological review process. On grubbing, grading, and land clearing, the recommendations are to not allow construction continued page 11

in problem areas for example those with steep slopes, erodible soils, high rainfall, and stream or nearshore waters whieh support valuable natural resources such ascoral and clear water.

Golf /rom page 1

Recommendations on land clearance include: a broader review process before approving grading plans; strengthening of the inspection and monitoring program; and establishment of a policy that regulates the importation of soils to the qifp

On visual quality, open space, recreation and public access, the report says that in some cases traditional public access routes are interferred with and in others the development has opened access. Recommended is preservation of visual quality and open space, recreational opportunities and public access. "If a proposed golf course will reduce public recreation opportunities, then the project should mitigate these losses by replacing them with features available to the public whieh meet community standards." On traffic, the report notes that even though it will be a difficult task, the environmental impact statement should provide data that relates traffic problems with the lifestyles that attach to golf courses. Further, EIS comparisons of present and future levels of service (LOS) is now generalized and an "impersonal indicator of the impact whieh does not describe the effects on quality of life."

Recommended are: obtaining loeal data on the effects of traffic at specific sites and a more detailed analysis of traffic impact particularly outside urban areas. Future reports should include long-term highway and road improvement needs before and after the project, additional infrastructure costs, insurance, noise and air pollution, accident rates, service Ievel decreases and the complexity of driving, "all major components of change in rural and traditional lifestyles, especially on Neighbor Islands."

The impact on air quality, the report notes, is generally due to traffic increase, use of maintenanee equipment, sprayed chemicals, new pollens introduced through landscaping, emissions from increased electrical demand from power generators and burning of solid waste. Present monitoring laws are effective, the report said, however the long term effects should be considered and are addressed in the overall recommendations. The water use recommendations include: creating a groundwater protection program, using mapping data on groundwater in reviewing and approving golf courses and enabling the Department of Health to manage and regulate the groundwater protection program. The ehemieal impact recommendations include: developing a data base for all chemicals used and applied; enabling Department of Agriculture to regulate the use and application of fertilizers; enabling the Department of Health to monitor and regulate groundwater, streams and coastal waters.

The report also recommends that golf courses be buffered from surrounding uses. To protect surface water resources from degradation, a 100-foot wide, woody strip should be established between any golf course and intermittent and perennial streams, peripheries of wetlands, and shorelines of lakes, bays, or the oeean. Natural stream banks or shorelines should not be altered. Coastal and stream water quality recommendations include: avoiding sites t/iat have an impact on sensitive resources; requiring a 300foot or greater buffer between golf courses and large or valuable wetlands and between golf courses and stream banks, lake, small wetland and coastal areas. In the overall planning and requirements section, the report recommends:

— environmental impact statements (EIS) need to consider the cumulative impacts of golf courses in a region periodically. That cumulative aspect now tends to be ignored in EISs, and seems to be inadequate for predicting the future by any extent.

— development of maps should be undertaken by the state Geographic Information System. — golf course site considerations should include flood plain areas, potable aquifer non-contami-nation, potable water irrigation, slope, rainfall, buffer zones between streams and coastal waters and grading. — encouragement of so-called "target" courses and courses with more "rough." The section on the social impact of golf courses recommends development of up-to-date data bases; characterization of the types of Hawai'i golf courses; development of profiles of eommunity types in whieh golf courses exist or are proposed; an analysis of golf course/coommunity combinations; and development of recommendations. Golf courses should be analyzed for recreational value and for the affects on property values and further urbanization; integration into eommunities; the environmental impacts on foodgathering, cultural activities and resources, fishing, hunting and farming; open space; residential and agriculture displacement; and employment impacts.

The report concludes with a discussion of the economics of the golf industry in Hawai'i, eeonomie impacts, impact fees and development exactions in golf course developments. The report concludes: "In sum we believe that more information and a better understanding of the role of (the) golf industry in Hawai'I is needed for intelligent policy making. We recommend that the State develop this information for the purpose of future policy formulation."