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WOODWARD: Okay, if you’ll speak into the microphone, give us your name and address and
<br />then you may begin.
<br />TAI: My name is Vincent Tai. The address is 2184 Round Top Drive in Honolulu, 96822. I’m
<br />the owner of the property, and I’m also the architect. I believe the Director’s report adequately
<br />address almost all the concerns. I just wanted to add a couple of statements that, little more on a
<br />personal basis. First of all, as Maija was saying, some of the letters that came in from the
<br />neighbors were addressed to both Mr. Boscetti’s project and also my previous application which
<br />was being withdrawn. So seems like some mix-up, okay? Now I’ve nothing negative to say
<br />about Mr. Boscetti’s project, okay? Any project that is done appropriately within all zoning
<br />regulations and fits the goals of the County, executed well, would be a nice project. I’m simply
<br />saying that my project and Mr. Boscetti’s project are very different, completely different. Okay?
<br />So it cannot be put on the same level.
<br />My project, a 4-story project, is not an apartment-type building. It’s, basically it’s a town home,
<br />or town houses. And this is something I want to talk about. This is, as far as I know, town
<br />homes or town houses are not common in Hilo. As far as I know there are none in existence. If,
<br />I was told just before the meeting that perhaps there’s just one small project called Pacific
<br />Heights?
<br />LEITHEAD TODD: Pacific Heights mauka of this is town houses.
<br />TAI: Right. I was going to talk about that, yeah. But I was just made known about it, which I
<br />didn’t know. But I was told it’s a smaller project, a 12-, 13-, 15-units maybe? I haven’t seen it
<br />so I cannot say. But what I’m saying is -.
<br />LEITHEAD TODD: It’s larger.
<br />TAI: Well, maybe, okay. But it’s rare. Okay? Seems to me like town homes and town houses
<br />is a good compromise between a single family, detached single family home, and a condo. So-
<br />called condo is, you know, strato units, you know, the units that’s up in the air that belongs to
<br />you. Okay? Now I’m speaking from personal experience, people my age particularly in the
<br />sixties, in the seventies and even some in the late fifties would consider us an empty nester. You
<br />know, the kids move out, and they move back from the suburban home, bigger homes, closer to
<br />town centers. And most of them, most of the products available in other places they would be
<br />like town homes and condos. Now this is actually my personal experience because I have rented
<br />to some friends who moved to condos from a bigger home, they usually have a garden front and
<br />back, and they found it very restrictive because they had things they wanted to do. They’re still
<br />active. They want to, you know, plant some vegetables and trees, and condos won’t allow them
<br />to do that. Okay? And they want to do that, hang their own drapeseven, you know, a lot of
<br />restrictions when you live in condos. So they moved back to so-called town homes or town
<br />houses. Now town homes is called homes in town, okay. So actually in big cities they’re called
<br />row houses, okay -.Like San Francisco and New York and Boston they’re 25 feet, 30 feet wide,
<br />maybe 100, 130 feet long. The only difference between so-called single family homes that we’re
<br />used to is these are attached and not detached. Okay?
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<br /> EXHIBIT C
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