2010-08-27 TFOULK - Laserfiche WebLink

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RUDOLPH: Aloha. My name is Shannon Rudolph. My address is Post Office Box 243, Hlualoa 96725. I just want to say thank you for opening up the room, and I hope in the future when you have contentious applications in front of you, that you plan ahead for more chairs, so it doesn’t slow things down. Thank you. I just looked the other day and saw that there were about 402 foreclosures just in town, not even counting outside of town. There’s already so many empty condos along Ali‘i Drive and other areas. I just really don’t think this housing is necessary. I don’t think it’s necessary to build more condos on the shoreline. As our area grows, we are really, really going to need more open space around town. Because the prices of gas is going up, more people are gong to move here, and people need these places to stay sane. We need this area to stay open. Thank you. CHAUL: Aloha. My name is Malia Chaul, 77-6479 Akai Street, Kailua-Kona. As Commissioners of our Leeward Land Use Commission (sic), it is your responsibility to preserve and protect Hawai‘i’s lands, and encourage those uses to which the lands are best suited. That being said, the Kona Coast currently has over 2,200 vacation rental homes and condos at which the occupancy rates are averaging 50 percent. We clearly do not need any new vacation rental developments anywhere, let alone on this precious bit of coastline.If the obvious unnecessary need for vacation rentals isn’t enough, consider the Hlualoa Royal Center. It’s a 28-acre parcel just south of this proposed development. Thankfully, due to hard work of numerous community members, like yourselves, these lands have been acquired by the State and Keolonhihi and Kekealaniwahine are now in State’s possession and our State Historical Park. The reason for the State’s acquirement of this property is clear: This is a significant archaeological district and cultural site. This area, along with the proposed development area, along with the rest of the Kona Coast, and entire coastline of our islands of Hawai‘i were cultural sites. My ancestors lived here. They worked here. And in respect to Kamoa Bay, they played there. We don’t need an archaeologist to tell us that. The point is this: Development in our not-so-sleepy Kailua-Kona is inevitable. I’ve seen building after building go up since I was a keiki, and Kona will continue to grow long after I’m gone. But my hope, and your responsibility as members of this community, is to preserve what little we have left, so that our children and our children’s children have open space to enjoy. I encourage you all members of the community to go to the Land Use Commission websites and check out the pending petitions. You’d be surprised to see what plans developers have for our island. Stay informed. Pay attention to the signage fronting these properties. We need to show up for all the land use meetings where urban zoning and developmental zoning is the goal. We need to protect our island from unnecessary development. Mahalo for your time. Thank you for letting me share my mana‘o. And again, this development is unnecessary and unwanted. The community has voiced its opinion. Please honor it. Mahalo. REEVES: Aloha. Thank you so much for today and really I appreciate all of you. It is an honor and privilege to come before you. I am Kupuna Hannah Wahinemaikai o Ka‘ahumanu Keli‘iulananioleo Kalama(kane) Reeves. I was born and raised in Hawai‘i, for generations before white men came. I’m connected to Kamehameha I and the high priest. All the people in here, the Hawaiians, they are connected to me. We are very strong people. We are not going to give up, from the mountain to the sea, the moku and ili, ahupua‘a on all the islands. I’m letting everybody know that this is my job, is to protect our people. We need the ocean. We need the 8 EXHIBIT C