2021-04-15 Leeward Exh B (Public Testimony re SPP 21-222)

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community and farmer markets et cetera the local vendors. Our community is trying to diversify their income to stay afloat, and these neighbors oppose it. So, lastly, Audrey, Steve, Wendy, Tom, and Pam all opposed the road maintenance agreement. So, if the road is as unsafe as the neighbors say it is you would think that they would want a road maintenance agreement. That's all, thank you. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much. Moving on to Kelly Johnson. Ms. Kelly Johnson available? JOHNSON: How about unmuting. Thank you. VITOUSEK: There you are. JOHNSON: Thank you for allowing us this opportunity. My husband Phil and I are fortunate to have the Johnson Hawaii properties farm at the corner of the Mamalahoa Highway and Waiono Ranch Road, we are at the very foot of the hill. We're both long time farmers, we're familiar with and certainly celebrate the nourishing agriculture of Hawaii. It's not my intention to deny anyone the opportunity for economic prosperity and this is not at all my reason for speaking today. Those same opportunities will still exist if this operation were conducted at a different location more suitable to commercial use. From everything I've learned it's clear the Hickey's have many people who have spoken to their good character and although I never met them their quality of character is not in question. It is also important for you to understand and I'm not here in effort to try to impose my will upon anyone. It is my hope that you'll consider the views of other owners of Waiono Ranch Road in weighing your decision. Although, we may be called owners we recognize we are merely only stuards of these lands and as such have an obligation to preserve the local agricultural scene this neighborhood was formed for. We purchased our farm specifically because it was restricted to agricultural use understanding the dangers inherent in mixing non-agricultural commercial operations with the intended use agriculture industry. We played by the rules and I'm having a difficult time reconciling those requirements with the demands a commercial wedding operation would bring and in fact, have already brought. While appreciated the mitigation efforts the Hickey's have offered regrettably do not respond to the permanent nature of the consequences such an endeavor will have. I don't pretend to be an expert instead I'm relying on the Planning Commission's wisdom and can only seek to understand why a wedding venue would be considered an unusual or reasonable use of dedicated agricultural land. Especially when there's a well-known wedding venue within a stone's throw from Waiono Meadows boundary. I fear it will establish a precedent for any number of other commercial operations I mean other owners may have a similar idea. Yes, the road is not maintained by the County and we don't have to talk about it at nauseam, but it does add the potential for an unwarranted increase in liability for those of us owners who initially funded and continued to maintain it voluntarily. With no formal maintenance agreement in place or governance from the County there is an open-ended liability for these owners brought on by commercial traffic that has no ownership stake in the land and cannot possibly be measured. While I don't assume irresponsible behavior of attendees, I don't think it would be 10 EXHIBIT B