Ho'omoana Foundation v. Land Use Commission

509 P.3d 1129, 151 Haw. 166
CourtHawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 23, 2022
DocketCAAP-17-0000173
StatusPublished

This text of 509 P.3d 1129 (Ho'omoana Foundation v. Land Use Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ho'omoana Foundation v. Land Use Commission, 509 P.3d 1129, 151 Haw. 166 (hawapp 2022).

Opinion

NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

Electronically Filed Intermediate Court of Appeals CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX 23-MAY-2022 08:40 AM Dkt. 61 MO

NOS. CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX and CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX

IN THE INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS

OF THE STATE OF HAWAI#I

CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX HO#OMOANA FOUNDATION, Appellant-Appellee, v. LAND USE COMMISSION, STATE OF HAWAI#I, Appellee-Appellee, and PU#UNOA HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; AND ROSS R. SCOTT, Appellees-Appellants.

AND CAAP-XX-XXXXXXX HO#OMOANA FOUNDATION, Appellant-Appellee, v. LAND USE COMMISSION, STATE OF HAWAI#I, Appellee-Appellant, and PU#UNOA HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC.; AND ROSS R. SCOTT, Appellees-Appellees.

APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SECOND CIRCUIT (CIVIL NO. 16-1-0160(1))

MEMORANDUM OPINION (By: Hiraoka, Presiding Judge, Nakasone and McCullen, JJ.)

Appellees-Appellants Pu#unoa Homeowners Association,

Inc. and Ross R. Scott1 [collectively Homeowners], and State of

Hawai#i Land Use Commission (LUC), appeal from the Circuit Court

of the Second Circuit's (circuit court)2 January 4, 2017

"Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law, and Order Vacating [LUC's]

1 Scott was substituted for Devonne Lane, who was a co-petitioner in the administrative proceeding and an appellee in the circuit court. 2 The Honorable Rhonda I.L. Loo presided. NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

Decisions and Orders Entered on March 3, 2016" (Order) and

February 16, 2017 Final Judgment (Judgment). On appeal,

Homeowners and LUC challenge the circuit court's decision

vacating LUC's March 3, 2016 Declaratory Order, which ruled as a

matter of law that "an overnight campground . . . is prohibited

by [Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS)] § 205-4.5(a)(6) and cannot be

permitted by a special use permit." I. Background

Land in Hawai#i is divided into four use districts -

urban, rural, agricultural, and conservation. HRS § 205-2(a)

(2001). Agricultural lands are classified from "A" to "E," based

on the "soil's general productive capacity," with "'A' denoting

the highest level of productivity and 'E' the lowest."

Neighborhood Bd. No. 24 (Waianae Coast) v. State Land Use Comm'n,

64 Haw. 265, 266 n.2, 639 P.2d 1097, 1099 n.2 (1982). Because

lands classified as "A" or "B," i.e., Prime Lands, are the most

suitable for growing crops, they are restricted to certain uses.

However, a landowner may apply for a Special Permit to allow

"certain unusual and reasonable uses" or may seek a Boundary

Amendment to have the land re-classified.

The Ho#omoana Foundation (Foundation) has a long-term

lease of agricultural class B land, and sought to develop an

overnight campground for use by homeless and commercial campers.

Homeowners own property adjacent to Foundation's class B Land.

In December 2015, Homeowners petitioned LUC for a

Declaratory Order (Petition) pursuant to HRS § 91-8 (2012) and

Hawai#i Administrative Rules (HAR) § 15-15-98, to determine

whether approval of an overnight camp on class A and B land was

2 NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

obtainable through the Special Permit process or whether a

Boundary Amendment was needed.

In February 2016, Foundation filed a "Petition to

Intervene and Position Statement" (Intervention Request), arguing

that it could obtain approval to develop its proposed campground

through the Special Permit process and need not apply for a

Boundary Amendment. The State of Hawai#i Office of Planning and

the Maui Department of Planning also filed position statements

agreeing that the proposed campground could be approved through

the Special Permit process, and the Maui Department of Planning

indicated it was processing Foundation's Special Permit request.

LUC held a public meeting on the Petition, receiving

public testimony and argument from Homeowners, the Maui

Department of Planning, the Office of Planning, and Foundation.

LUC allowed only Homeowners to cross-examine witnesses or rebut

arguments.

On March 3, 2016, LUC entered a Declaratory Order

granting the Petition (Order Granting Petition), finding that

"the clear prohibition of overnight camps on class A and B rated lands is irreconcilable with the provisions of HRS §205-6

[(2017)] that permit certain 'unusual and reasonable uses' within

agricultural districts other than for which the district is

classified." To adopt otherwise "would mean that the counties

could define away completely any statutory restrictions on

agricultural uses" and "results in treating a clear and explicit

statutory prohibition as a nullity[.]" LUC concluded that the

"only way that overnight camps such as those proposed in the

Project can be allowed on the Property is to change its land use

3 NOT FOR PUBLICATION IN WEST'S HAWAI#I REPORTS AND PACIFIC REPORTER

classification to one where overnight camps would be permitted."

LUC also denied Foundation's Intervention Request as moot.

Foundation appealed, and the circuit court vacated

LUC's Order Granting Petition. The circuit court held that the

proposed campground could be approved by Special Permit and did

not require a Boundary Amendment. In doing so, the circuit court

explained that HRS § 205-4.5(a)(6) (Supp. 2015) "did not

'expressly prohibit' overnight camps within the agricultural

district" and LUC's conclusion to the contrary was incorrect. The circuit court also explained that "uses not expressly

permitted in subsection (a) of HRS §205-4.5 are prohibited unless

permitted as provided in HRS §205-6 (2017), which is the special

use permit statute, and HRS §205-8 which is the non-conforming

use statute."3 The circuit court noted that it was persuaded by

the Hawai#i Supreme Court's reasoning in Maha#ulepu v. Land Use

Comm'n, 71 Haw. 332, 790 P.2d 906 (1990), and vacated LUC's Order

Granting Petition. The circuit court also reversed the Order

Denying Intervention, and remanded the matter to LUC for further

proceedings. This appeal followed. II. Standards of Review

"In a secondary appeal, this court applies the

standards of HRS § 91-14(g) [(2012)] to determine whether the

circuit court decision was right or wrong." Mauna Kea Anaina Hou

v. Bd. of Land & Nat.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
509 P.3d 1129, 151 Haw. 166, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hoomoana-foundation-v-land-use-commission-hawapp-2022.