The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) update for Hawaii Island is currently being updated by HIEDB under contract with the State Office of Planning and Sustainable Development, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).
The CEDS serves as a “roadmap” of economic development for the next five years and is a requirement of the EDA to qualify for federal funds through the EDA Economic Adjustment and other programs. Note that other federal agencies also require initiatives/projects to be included in the CEDS to qualify for funding. This strategy will provide the current state of Hawaii County economically and socially, as well as provide goals for Hawaii County between 2022 and 2026. At a higher level, the document produced as an outcome, is meant to provide guidance and regional context for policy making here in Hawaii County.
It is important that a broad cross-section of community voices is heard and integrated into the CEDS. To achieve this, economic sector focus groups and sub-sets such as including and not limited to the following, are being convened to identify desired economic goals for Hawaii Island:
• Housing and Transportation: As these two issues are interconnected, we will look at both related to Hawaii Island and attempt to generate goals for Hawaii Island.
o Housing Inventory – Affordable, Workforce Housing – Infrastructure – Ground transportation [highways, bridges, Electrification (Electric Vehicles) and related infrastructure] – Sea transportation [shipping, harbors] – Potable water [access, availability, and distribution as related to housing] – Policies and Regulations
• Education, Workforce Development, Technology, and Innovation: We will look at goals to address the future needs of both local residents and employers, and skills beyond hard sciences, job titles, and traditional vocations.
o Agriculture – Aerospace – Astronomy – Aviation – Energy – Food Production and Security – Health and Wellness
• Social Safety Net: These are issues of inclusion, ranging from income inequality to health access, from support for the aging, for the homeless, and other issues such as food security; vulnerabilities that were revealed and exacerbated by the pandemic
o Community, NGOs, Human Services – Homelessness – Preparedness and Resiliency
• Infrastructure:
o Broadband Access: Providing faster internet speeds and internet access to everyone including rural areas, is a rising challenge; how will businesses be affected and what is the most efficient way to provide such access?
o Roads
o Solid Waste
o Water
o Wastewater
• Natural Resources: We will look at land use, population density, sea level rise, and other “environmental” issues.
• Cultural Resources
o Indigenous / Native Intelligence
• Tourism: Because of the flow of people in and through Hawaii County via air and cruise ships, as well as, residential cross-island travel, there are uses of infrastructure beyond local residents and businesses.
Leading Questions:
• What are the major issues facing Hawaii County?
• What are the goals related to specific issues?
o How and can consensus be found?
• What infrastructure or systems would help to achieve these goals?