2007-01-19 twaikoloadevco - Laserfiche WebLink

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BAIL: Perhaps I can address that. Waikoloa Development Company has developed the first two golf courses, which have been subject to other requirements contained in the Permit itself, some of which were duplicates of the new conditions imposed in the new golf course management plan condition for this new course. MCCALL: I would assume that these conditions are probably somewhat more stringent than what was put forth with the first golf courses. Were they done, what, twenty years ago? BAIL: Yeah, I think some of the conditions were actually more stringent. For example, there were conditions imposed on Waikoloa to monitor water quality in the entire area and make periodic reporting to the Department of Health, and that is done on an on-going basis. And other management practice controls are implemented at the golf courses there: Native plantings to promote native species and landscape areas around the golf courses. So there is a whole series of criteria that have already been applied to the first courses that the Commission found when the original permit was granted, allowing those first two courses satisfied all of the Special Management Area rules and environmental concerns contained in the rules. MCCALL: I guess what I’m getting at, you may or may not be able to answer, is that in your opinion, would this -, with a new integrated golf course management plan, would that be more protective of the environment than what was done in the first courses, or is that something, you know, -? BAIL: I haven’t gone through to compare, so I don’t want to comment about whether it’s more stringent or not. But I think the point is that the Special Management Area rules themselves require compliance with conditions that protect the environment. Those were scrutinized in detail in the series of hearings and before the Land Use Commission to be sure that the environment would be adequately protected with the construction of these golf courses. So I think at the time the original permit was granted, those issues were addressed. I don’t know what the genesis is of this new golf course management plan requirement. This is the first time I’m seeing it, and like I said I haven’t gone back to do a line-by-line comparison of those old requirements versus the new ones. MCCALL: Thank you. W. YUEN: I think in summary from Waikoloa Homesites Ventures’ prospective, we believe that the Health Department regulations and other regulations presently in place adequately cover these requirements. But it’s the Planning Commission’s discretion to impose conditions, so we are not going to oppose it on that basis. GRAHAM: Commissioners? Taking a cue from Commissioner Watanabe, I certainly don’t want to testify either on this, but I feel like I should at least flesh out what my concerns are and why I’m, you know, belaboring the point that I have or might want to say. I think from what Mr. Torigoe said, if in fact the conditions for granting the original permit still exist today, then presumably it’s reasonable to extend the permit. And the issue I think that most concerns me in West Hawaii in general is that condition of the ocean. And like back before 1980, before the first Sheraton was built down there, I frequented EXHIBIT C 6