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SOLOMON:I thank you.
<br />GALDONES:Maybe I shall do that. Ms. Solomon.
<br />SOLOMON:Yeah, thank you, thank you. I think the reason why we’re in this
<br />situation is because when I came forward with this project and being that we were first
<br />given a three-unit apartment -. So the design of the project we felt we were just really
<br />modifying the use of what the project would be. That was No. 1. So, No. 2, when I had
<br />submitted everything we had gotten the approval of the Water Department for the project;
<br />and this is why things were presented as such. And then we were notified after we
<br />received the approval letter, and I have the copy with me and I’ll be very happy to present
<br />it to the Commission, we were then notified that the Water Department didn’t realize that
<br />this was a commercial piece of property. They thought that this was a residential
<br />property. So the Water Department had advised me that if this were a residential
<br />property we’d have no problem with the five bedrooms and what we wanted to do. But
<br />because it was a commercial zone property we had to comply to higher standards, which
<br />included a greater water flow requirement for the fire to meet the Fire Code. So this is
<br />why we’re in this situation. Because the family was operating under the premise that it
<br />was okay to proceed with this idea, because this was the kind of idea that we were going
<br />to do with the three-unit apartment.
<br />So at last minute I think, when was that, I think like last week, we were notified that we
<br />were unable to proceed with three separate units, that we have to go forward now with a
<br />single unit, residential unit, and then that way we would be able to comply. Because,
<br />unless the family was willing to get the property downzoned to residential, then they
<br />would allow this project to proceed, which would be the five bedrooms for the B&B. So
<br />this is why this is adding to a lot of confusion, you know, on the property itself. But the
<br />bottom line, if the family is willing to downzone that property to residential, they would
<br />allow, this five bedroom B&B would be a permitted use.
<br />Now when I made that proposal to my mother and my father, you know, their manao
<br />was, well, if we wanted to buy a residential property in Niulii that’s what we would have
<br />bought; but we bought 20 years ago a piece of property that was zoned commercial.
<br />And, if I may add at this time, the old Karisma Store that was standing there had a larger
<br />square footage than what the family is proposing to do today. The two-story structure, I
<br />think, was close to almost 3,000 square feet, you know. And it had, that’s true, it had a
<br />service station, it had a pool hall, it had a little store, you know, or whatever. Because we
<br />had rented that home out to the Holeso family, cause they were related to the Pules. You
<br />know, they were family friends of us at that time. But the square footage of the original
<br />structure was close to 3,000 square feet, you know. And if you were to add all the square
<br />footage of what we’re proposing to do, it’s substantially less.
<br />So, you know, I don’t want the community to think, you know, that I’m the one that’s
<br />kind of pushing this agenda in terms of trying to confuse the community, because we’re
<br />not doing that. You know, we had gone with the procedure; and it was the Water
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