2021-10-07 Windward Exh D Arts and Sciences Center SPP 21-000228

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REPLOGLE: You are done then? ANDREWS: Yes. REPLOGLE: Okay, thank you very much. So, John Pipan, Gail Clarke, Steve Hirakami, and Greg Gadd, please raise your right hand, so I can swear you in. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Windward Planning Commission? GADD: I do. PIPAN: Yes. HIRAKAML Yes. REPLOGLE: Okay, please state your name and the town you live in, and you may proceed with your presentation. PIPAN: John Pipan, I live just outside of Honoka`a. I'll kick it off and then we'll kind of pass the floor around. Aloha Chair Replogle, Planning Commissioners thank you very much for your service to your communities and dedication to this process. It's been a great meeting so far. I expected to be talking to you in the afternoon so it's always a nice surprise when things go smoothly and quickly. Big mahalo to the Planning Department's staff and Deputy Director Darrow. We really appreciate the favorable recommendation and respectfully request your consideration to approve this Special Permit. We also appreciate Chair Replogle you made it clear at the outset that the public testimony today was relating to Item 44 on the agenda and not this application. The Special Permit that we're talking about is proposed by the Arts and Sciences Center, which is a private nonprofit organization established in 2003. And this group has been a great pleasure to work with over the last couple years. I've been constantly impressed by their vision and commitment to serving Puna. This Special Permit is proposing to operate an elementary school on approximately 2.3 acres of land in Orchidland Estates. The application is fairly straightforward and was covered well by Ms. Andrews. We feel that we've thoroughly pressed out any wrinkles and left this one in the oven for ample time to ensure it isn't under done. The proposed school will be served by the County water system and permitted septic systems with adequate capacity for the proposed use. And the State Department of Transportation (DOT) confirm the results of our traffic study prepared for the project and is not requiring any improvements to be made to the intersection at Orchidland Drive and Kea`au-Pahoa Road. This is largely due to the planned construction of a roundabout at that intersection. So, even though the DOT is not requiring any improvements, the applicants intend to contribute to the roadway improvements and ongoing maintenance along this important and heavily use section of lower Orchidland Drive. This site has been designed for smooth traffic flow and the school will implement as we just recently discussed these traffic demand management strategies, sorry kind of a mouthful. Including shuttles, after school programs, offsetting school hours from 5 EXHIBIT D