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~€cr <br /> ~ { <br /> ~ ~ ~-r~ ~r~~~.------- - By--_~.~ <br /> ~~~il• in u€r's,~~s~~aa~•~z~ncll•c _ <br /> '~d~s~'?~°.i~~ . ~~f•!(®8ii~°~"~§n~1~,C®B'~'# C~unry (oauncil~ ;:~C. <br /> j <br /> <br /> Cbr€stc Sl~cppnx°d - Pr~idenl of tltc won C®ee C®u~ antt cof~ f~armcr 3 o~~r€au, S®uth <br /> Kong <br /> 1 am here representing the 130 rnernbers of the Kona Coffec Council, authorized by a vote: of the Board of <br /> Directors. <br /> The proposed General Pflan is an excellent body of work, and the Planning officials ~vha prepared this are <br /> much to be corrtplimented, The Kona Coffee Council urges the adoption of the plan as dclivercd, ~ ith <br /> particular etnplxasis on retaining the following issues: <br /> • °I`hc ~on~ Coffue lbelf is col Imr~ng Agric t Dads ~l~~h glut=s tltc ~ l~gher <br /> three of pt#lon. <br /> Tn past plans, the coffee belt has not received this classification due to a "mainland" classification of <br /> soil quality, and the poor capability for mechanized farming. Yet textbooks abound ~ itlt glowing <br /> references to Kona for its atrsa~ing praductivity compared to other coffee growing regions of the <br /> world. The unique soil conditions and climate provide a bountiful tree crop harvest that belies the <br /> "theoretically" poor soil quality by mainland standards, Gne has only to look out ovex the Kona <br /> landscape to see that the land is not only fertile but super-productive by any standard. <br /> And mechanization is not an issue for us, Kona has its gourmet designation precisely because it is <br /> hand-cultivated with all the additional care that that entails. <br /> Kona coffee is now protected by a Federal trademark -with this proposed General flan the County is <br /> protecting the land our most famous export grows on. <br /> • C~,serv~on .~~tl ~pcn arias Tong oar moral cofil~es- <br /> The proposed. General Plan ~ddresscs the need to protect agricultural. lands from de~?elopntent <br /> pressures by rezo€~i.ng our ad~'oinir!g coas4al lands as co~tservation or open. area;tg rKncouraging <br /> profitability for 5rstall fauns es key >:fnd allo~€~ing resort areas ad,~acent to the irnporta~~t agricultural <br /> lands increases our land value aid the subsequent taxation levels, as well as requiring more <br /> infrastructure such as roads which mould use, agricultural lands. <br /> • Atioptlo~ €s€ Rcglol Pla~:s by (Irdi~nnce <br /> Rural Kona. has different nee€ls from other areas. Regional community-based planning will be <br /> empowered by the adoption of regional plants by ordinance. This regional approach is similar to that <br /> which was adopted in the Naps: Valley to protect the Region's wine industry. <br /> Thank you for allowing me to present the views of the Kona Coffee Council ~'g`~, 7 <br /> Ref. 'l`o: ~ ~ <br /> 1~~~4~ ~ <br /> . <br /> _ _ <br /> <br />