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<br /> Page 1 of 1 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Murashige, Laura (1`1 <br /> <br /> From: Charles Flaherty [oneheart@aloha.net] C~i6 <br /> Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 9:56 PM C, <br /> <br /> To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us 'o; s <br /> Cc: Pilago, K. Angel; 'Pete Hoffmann'; 'Bob and Julie Jacobson' <br /> Subject: Testimony regarding Bill 309 <br /> <br /> September 6, 2006, <br /> Aloha mai members of the County Council, <br /> <br /> I am sorry that I am unable to testify in person due to illness. <br /> <br /> My testimony regarding Bill 309, an ordinance amending the Hawai'i County General Plan, as adopted by <br /> Ordinance No. 05-25 is as follows: <br /> <br /> 1) For proposed E-2, except the Kaloko-Honokohau National Historic Park and the Shores of Kohanaiki <br /> SMA Permit application both requested a 100-foot buffer within the Shores of Kohanaiki along the entire <br /> boundary with the National Park. The County Planning Department and Department of Public Works <br /> have allowed housepad site elevations within 10 feet of the National Historic Park and are allowing <br /> housepad site elevations that impact the viewplane in violation of SMA Permit law. Please amend E-2 to <br /> create a 100-foot buffer within the Shores of Kohanaiki along the entire boundary with the -National Park. <br /> <br /> 2) Against proposed E-4. In April 2001, the Planning Director submitted the first draft of the revised <br /> General Plan. This revision removed the Resort nodes from 350 acres of DLNR land around Honokohau <br /> Harbor and redesignated the property as Open. For four years, the Planning Director advocated for the <br /> Open designation. During this time, over twenty public hearings and workshops were held during which <br /> the public strongly supported the Open designation. Finally, in February 2005, two years after the DLNR <br /> had submitted its RFQ/RFP to develop this property, this same Council agreed with the Planning Director <br /> and the public and voted to redesignate the DLNR Honokohau property to Open. The public assumed <br /> that this was a done deal, but one year later and for unknown reasons, the Planning Director reversed <br /> five years of support and proposed redesignation of the property to Urban Expansion. The Kona <br /> Community Development Plan public workshops made it clear that the public wants this property to retain <br /> its Open designation. This Council should support its prior vote, four years of County Administration and <br /> public support, and the KDCP by voting against E-4. Otherwise, this Council should hold a public hearing <br /> in Kona before moving against over five years of island-wide support for Open designation of the DLNR <br /> Honokohau property. <br /> 3) Against proposed F-2. This property is located at and above the 1000 foot elevation, which even Uncle <br /> Billy Paris has acknowledged is within the Kona Coffee Belt. The General Plan and a 1999 County <br /> Council resolution state that the Kona Coffee Belt is Important Agricultural Land. Important Agricultural <br /> Land specifically protected by the state constitution. Therefore, the State Land Use Commission Urban <br /> Land Use District zoning is illegal. The only legally defensible designation that this Council can make for <br /> this property is Important Agricultural Land. <br /> Mahalo, <br /> Charles Flaherty <br /> Comm. No. <br /> " 1 X04• b l <br /> Ref. To: {'reveres i <br /> Ref. Date SEP 0 7 20n6 <br /> <br /> 9/7/2006 <br />