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PLANNING COMMISSION <br />COUNTY OF HAWAII <br />HEARING TRANSCRIPT <br />JULY 18, 2008 <br />A regularly advertised hearing on the COUNTY COUNCIL INITIATED CHANGE OF ZONE <br />(REZ 08-000079) was called to order at 10:15 a.m. in the Sheraton Keauhou Bay Resort and <br />Spa, Keauhou III and IV, 78-128 Ehukai Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, with Chairman Rodney <br />Watanabe presiding. <br />PRESENT: C. Kimo Alameda <br />Takashi Domingo. <br />Shelly Ogata <br />Alvin Rho <br />Rodney Watanabe <br />Rell Woodward <br />Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel <br />Christopher Yuen, Planning Director <br />Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager <br />Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner <br />Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner <br />Maija Cottle, Staff Planner <br />Andrew Iwashita <br />Rene' Siracusa <br />And approximately ten people from the public in attendance. <br />INITIATOR: COUNTY COUNCIL (REZ 08-000079) <br />Change of Zone for 37.88 acres of land from aSingle-Family Residential 15,000-squaze foot <br />(RS-15) to a Residential and Agricultural 15-acre (RA-15a) district. The property involved, <br />owned by Kohala LLC, is located along the southwest (makai) side of Akoni Pule Highway and <br />the Kohala Ranch Subdivision, Kahua ls`, North Kohala, Hawaii, TMK: 5-9-1:8. <br />WATANABE: This is a very interesting one; Agenda Item No. 3 is a very interesting one. <br />We've already addressed this in the past. The original application was one that we struggled <br />with from Kohala LLC, and I think you are all familiar with the circumstances here. It was <br />passed on to the County Council, and now we have a County Council initiated Change of Zone <br />recommendation, REZ 08-000079. Now, earlier I had been informed by the applicant's <br />representative that he had already prepaid for vacation and he wasn't able to back out without, <br />you know, a substantial financial loss; and he'had requested a continuance, I believe, through the <br />August 22"d - I believe it is -yes, August 22"d meeting. It's my understanding that the Director <br />is recommending an unfavorable recommendation on this. I didn't feel it was within my <br />authority to make a decision as to whether we would continue it on our own without approaching <br />all of the Commissioners; so here we are at this juncture where we need to decide whether we <br />need to continue it or not. Typically, we do continue. However, before we take a vote on that, <br />let me take a little latitude here, and let the Director present us with his side. <br />ABSENT & EXCUSED: Lani Bowman <br />