COM 0107.009 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Keola Childs 75-5648 C Mamalahoa Hwy. IIoiaa'.-vu, III X6'125 Ph (808) 896-11451 Fax (808) 322-6118 January 28, 1997 Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Ch«ir Camn;ittee on Planning 'RECEIVED Hawaii County Council nme---___--.. ~ - - 25 Au uni Street Dara___'~' ' ~ ' Hilo, HI 96720 County Council ~ G' RE: Bill 3%I - GenPial Plan simendn^^nt Oceanside 1250 Retreat esurt Ijesignation Dear Chan Leithead-Todd and Members: Thank ~ ou for scheduling a special com;nitiee meeting in Kona to accept testie~ony and deliberatr,: on Kona land use matters. ' 1 full y support tl~~e proposed suuendm.nt to the hand Use Pattern Allocation Guide 1VIap o!~ the County General Plan Co allow fora 'Retreat Resort" allocation in the fi,~e mile belt b~Cween Keauhrni and Kaawzdoa. Tare la,~dcwner of this particular prop~sriv, echo wishes to provide a retreat resort f ^iG~y, is, ~ articular, to be conunended as perhaps the first developer to se.~k out a path and process of land use approvals for a lodge-type project that directly involves the County C~~:!ncil raid its processes and sanctions, rather than skirting all written land use policies fhreugh ,eekii~~ a Special Permit from the Pla~nring Co;umisrion, rs at. exceptional us-~. I\TOt ~nl`, doCS ti ~!S Ill rthel' demci~: ti Cite Integray n dle ~alll~~^'.'Jn01", I1:-it li, 0Xp1-CSS~ S a con'idwice that, in .pie end, the deu~ca•ati~; process works. Since the ~aevelopment plan Ibr tLe 1500 acre development called °Villages at Hokuka~~.~~" was first announced to the public son;e five years ao, and public inforn:r.[;on~d meetings wer:, held by !h~~ landowner-develo,~~~r in North and South Kona - I had at.ended one of these as a citizen in early 1992 -the concept of a "lodge" of ~oughly 100 rooms has always been ;.ey, up frc;t element of ti~eir plan. This us:: was Slate( and I"~-Slal~d .n lhGll' [Ulline ah~`.llCatlOni and ?uVll'Oninental ;:SSCSStiIC?C d~~cumentc, and I believe was also identified in the archaeolobieal study and ~,~ir~ ;anon plan. For economic and practical reasons, [hip io,v-density, clustered, open s~~~..:e - brsed use - a relruat resort -was seen then, :;::d is seen today, as critical ?-o tiie viability ar~d S:i~.:CeSS Of th( pl'OpO50d ~~Vl~~t~~?P.i R' IjULl~nan0° dCVCIO~ n10nt. The development of th:: Villages at Hoinikano project will be a highly valued addition t~; o~i~ Kon conununity because of the ~xtcn~i ;c public benefits that it will provide to till: ens of the CenG•a] Kona area: a criticr:ily needed by-pays hig'iway, coast,'- access, man„ge(: pl'eSel':'_1 tlOn'~i a Signli ~:'lnt P";.. OI Ha'"^".a! aCCha~:; i:iglCa: c:CBS, and n 2.J mile public coasta~ greenbelt parii, pnval.~ly maintained, which will be unmutch~d in thB Stan.: of Hawaii ror its IBngth and wi~;th. The 17rst prase of ti:e coastal park is to :,peg with ,I:B r:,treat resort bcin prohoscd hBr.; today. Comae. Die 0 afls 2(0. ZNG~~ lief. To:Prasent~ed S i' f ~ JAN 2 8 X997