PL-SPP-2022-000016 T. FURST TESTIMONY 10.31.2022

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"We have re -branded! We are now Hawaii Eco Retreat (HER); a women owned and operated holistic retreat center, hospitality business, and intentional community. We host courses on Yoga, Meditation, Communication/Relationship/Intimacy, Permaculture and many other events." Its current website <www.hawaiiecoretreat. com> says that the retreat center is in business and offering rooms for rent and hosting courses, in spite of being issued a Notice of Violation and Order on December 5, 2019. 1 also found a website where the property is offered for sale <https://retreathub.com/eco-retreat-for-sale-in-hawaii/> which presents it as a retreat center with 16 bedrooms and an event space that can hold up to 200+ people, with no mention of the fact that it is unpermitted for this use and is currently in violation. It appears that the project is being described differently to different groups of people — on this Special Permit Application it is called an off -grid holistic education center, on the Hawaii Eco Retreat website as a holistic retreat center and hospitality business (offering both short-term and long-term rentals) and an intentional community that hosts various courses and many other events, on the Intentional Communities website as having 4 current residences and plans for 20 residences, and on line as being for sale as a retreat center that has 16 bedrooms and can hold events for 200+ people. Letters of support: I noticed that none of the four letters of support were written by anyone who lives within two miles of the property, and that none of the immediate neighbors have written in support of this project. One of the letters of support was written by a major financial backer of the project, and another was written by a close friend of the financial backer who was living in Lower Puna illegally and was deported in July 2017, and thus has had no first-hand knowledge of the current situation in lower Puna or at the retreat center. Permit decision: I hope that the Planning Commission can clarify exactly what will be permitted on this property, that it is not an expansion on what is currently occurring there, and that all permitted uses will be enforced. Expanding the number of housing units, residents, and workshops would add an unacceptable level of traffic and noise to what is already a marginal situation for the neighborhood, especially when combined with the new subdivision. I also hope that if the project is approved, more is done to mitigate the traffic impact at and near the junction of Lolia Place and Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, and that the drainage of Lolia Place is improved so that it no longer creates a lake at the bottom of my driveway whenever it rains. I apologise that this input is submitted at the last-minute, but I did not receive notification of this permit application from the County, and only heard about it a few days ago from a concerned neighbor. I write this letter on behalf of myself, my wife, and my tenants. Thank you for your consideration. Timothy Furst 4207 1 st Ave NW Seattle, WA 98107 <lunglewagon(cD_gmail.com>