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July 10, 2007 <br /> The Honorable Pete Hoffman <br /> Council Chair & Presiding Officer <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni Street <br /> Hilo, HI 96720 <br /> By Fax: 808-961-8912 and E-Vlail: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us <br /> RE: BILL 112 -Relating to Affordable Housing -OPPOSE WITH COMMENT <br /> Hawai i County Council Meeting, Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 9AM <br /> Aloha Chair Hoffman and Councilmembers: <br /> I am Bruce Barrett, Executive Vice President of Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii, Inc. <br /> Castle & Cooke strongly opposes Bill 112. In general, exactions that legitimately <br /> address project impacts should he imposed as explicit, upfront conditions to obtaining <br /> entitlements at State land use or County zoning, and not conditions to subdivision. <br /> Subdivision is traditionally a ministerial process after substantial planning and investment <br /> have already occun~ed in reliance upon entitlements. Castle & Cooke submits that as a <br /> matter of basic fairness, a costly and unforeseen affordable requirement should not be <br /> imposed on a fully entitled project already under development like our Wehilani project <br /> in Waikoloa Village. <br /> We fully support programs and legislation that provide incentives to encom'age <br /> development of affordable housing for local families. Rather than mandste the <br /> construction of affordable housing, we feel that the County should provide incentives to <br /> promote the development of affordable housing [o reduce the cost and risk of <br /> development, thereby encouraging the private sector to develop more affordable housing. <br /> We believe that Bill 112 will negatively impact the supply of housing because it makes it <br /> infeasible to complete and go forward with entitled projects already under development, <br /> like our Wehilani project. <br /> We respectfully request the County Council's consideration of the following factors and <br /> circumstances with respect to Bill 112 generally, and in particular, its unfair impact on <br /> our ability to complete the Wehilani project. <br /> [t has been Hawaii's traditional practice to exact conditions at the entitlement process; at <br /> the State land use and county rezoning processes. This practice results in predic[abihty; <br /> helps [o define land planning up front and conunitments for the future; and, allows <br /> <br /> developers and state and county governments to plan and fund development uccordingly_ <br /> Bill 1 l2 contradicts this practice by creating an affordable housing requirement at the <br /> <br />