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of think about how the development is being planned for the future and put these things <br /> together in a way that works for the entire community so that we don't just keep kicking <br /> down the road these critical infrastructure concerns. And that, for me, is the constant <br /> dilemma when we are entertaining these ideas for developments, is that we do, if we're <br /> going to increase the density in this area so that there are more people, then we also have <br /> to think about how to serve those families and what the impact of those extra families <br /> means on the community infrastructure. So, I, it is this dilemma, and I— <br /> DEFRANCO: Right, but we're also looking at the law that is saying that they've said <br /> that a septic system is okay. They're saying this to us. They've accepted that idea that the <br /> septic system is okay. <br /> VITOUSEK: Yes, after, after quite a bit. Initially they said that they must connect to the <br /> sewer and then they said that they should do it in the small batch system, and then after a <br /> long period of time they agreed to that. So, it was clear to me that the preference was not <br /> for individual wastewater systems, but rather— <br /> DEFRANCO: Right, as ours isn't either. <br /> VITOUSEK: Yep. <br /> DEFRANCO: Right? Okay, we're all on the same page there, but we're also talking with <br /> the person who's like putting up the money to do it and he's saying to us that that is <br /> prohibitive. So, you know, we—okay. <br /> PIPAN: If I may. Department of Environmental Management from the start said require <br /> connection to the sewer. And we pushed back on that requirement showing the difficulty <br /> and the distances involved and having to go through someone's living room and bedroom <br /> to get to the property on the shortest 300-foot route. They replied to that with, "okay, if <br /> you don't connect to the sewer, Department of Health says you have to connect to a <br /> wastewater treatment plant of your own design and construction." That's not true. We <br /> went to Department of Health for their first comment on this project, which they hadn't <br /> yet submitted, and they said, "No, we don't require wastewater treatment plant. Septic <br /> systems are okay." <br /> Department of Health is the ultimate authority here. If I could allow a little bit of latitude <br /> here,please, Chair. Earlier this year, the UH Economic Resource, UHERO Research <br /> Organization, they published a study measuring the housing burden regulation, sorry, it's <br /> a mouthful, of land use regulations here in Hawaii. And they showed that applying this <br /> Wharton Index, which is a way to measure the extent of land use regulation in an area in <br /> their government drives up the price of housing in that area. We've got over two and a <br /> half times the national average median house price here in Hawaii. And of the Hawai`i <br /> 28 <br /> EXHIBIT F <br />