2022-07-21 Leeward Exh A (Public Testimony re Items 56 Hawaii One1 PL-REZ-2022-000014 PL-SMA-2022-000012)

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HATA: Yes. MELENDEZ: Okay. Heidi, I just want to say I support you a hundred percent. I'm Rebecca Melendez. Lived in Keauhou off and on almost 30 years. My heart is, I've been, my heart goes to this island. I came here because of the aloha. I came here because of how it felt. And now I'm seeing huge changes that I don't feel, I feel the island does not have the infrastructure for or the resources for. I've seen, I've actually created a petition at change.org/save Big Island that has about eight(8) map keys that are in application process which is over 300 acres of land that is now being an application process to build. As agreed, I totally agree with the fact that we need housing for the people, we need housing for kama`aina, we need housing for locals who have been here for many, many years, and not for the newcomers who have the millions of dollars to spend. In the petition that I've created it's also saying if we could have a stipulation if there is development for those developers to have a huge percentage to only sell to locals at an affordable rate and not for the millionaire newcomers. Because honestly, that would help keep the population out of place if the State doesn't have the money to fund housing and developers are making are doing this development. To have the developers sell to locals at an affordable rate would not increase the population at a drastic rate, it would help what we have an issue with which is housing. And also, the sewer issues. We've had sewer lines break. We don't have, we have two lanes I don't know if you guys know this, but there's two lanes around the entire island. That's it. The traffic as it is right now, it could take me sometimes 20 minutes, 30 minutes to go 7 miles, to get to town during high tourism. Parking. We don't have parking. We need to have the infrastructure in place and honestly, the Big Island it doesn't have the infrastructure to turn into Oahu. Look at what's happened to Oahu. Sewer issues, traffic over 2 hours of traffic for people. Mostly newcomers coming in, rather than having affordable housing for people. You know the aloha is about the heart. You know I'm not Hawaiian, but I've fallen in love with this island, and I know what aloha is and for any of you guys who are taking a bribe, which is very corrupt for government and a lot of them I'm saying anybody is. But I'm saying if something's happened, you got to know the job for this island is to be for the island and be for the locals and not be for the money. And you know, be to support what the island has and what the Big Island is, and the Big Island cannot turn into Oahu. Because it doesn't have the infrastructure, as it is, it could take months to get a doctor's appointment. It took me 3 months to get a dentist appointment. We don't have you know it's just we just don't have the resources to increase the population at this drastic rate that all of these applications that I have in my petition are going for. And so, I just wanted to say, you know,please step back, do not you know I want to oppose any of these new developments, because the island is just it needs to slow down. All of these applications need to be opposed right now, until we get you know the locals to have housing. You know the aloha has to be there and it has to come from the heart and that's what I want to say. Thank you. VITOUSEK: Thank you. HATA: The next testifier is for Items 5 and 6, Stacy Sawyer. 3 EXHIBIT A