South Kaua‘i Community Plan

PBR HAWAII worked with the County of Kaua‘i Planning Department to update their South Kaua‘i Community Plan (SKCP). This is the County’s guiding document for the long-range growth and development of the southern sector of the island. It won two American Planning Association, Hawai‘i Chapter awards in 2015 for Outstanding Planning and Best Practice.

Together with the community and a Mayor-appointed Citizen Advisory Committee, PBR HAWAII developed the plan to integrate projected population growth for the district with land use recommendations and a multimodal transportation network which prioritizes pedestrian, bicycle, and transit use in order to preserve South Kaua‘i’s rural two-lane roadways and lifestyle. Community surveys, workshops, charrettes, social media campaigns and walk audits were used to inform alternative solutions for South Kaua‘i’s historic towns.

The SKCP also adopts an innovative form-based code developed in partnership with Opticos Design, Inc. in order to revise zoning regulations in key town core locations to encourage development that is in tune with existing communities and best fulfill the community’s vision for future growth. The SKCP identifies cultural, natural, and historic resources for protection as well as plans for climate change and natural and coastal hazards, social and economic change, infrastructure requirements, and parks and recreational needs. It also includes an implementation and monitoring section which includes an action plan for County agencies and indicators to monitor the effectiveness of implementation of the plan over time. Cost estimates and financing and funding alternatives also provide the County with actionable items to include in their capital improvement budgets.

The Kaua‘i County Council adopted the plan with the Mayor signing the plan into law in July 2015.