2007-08-31 TSTANFORDCARR - Laserfiche WebLink

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huge impact on it. The Mauna Lani Resort was not developed to have a high density of use. If you look at the roadways, the way they were designed, they are not like the Waikoloa Resort; for the Waikoloa Resort has wide parkways with separated walkways for pedestrians. The Mauna Lani Resort has none of that; it wasn’t intended to be developed in that way. So it’s really inappropriate. This project would perhaps be appropriate in Honolulu or in Kihei on Maui or perhaps in Kailua-Kona, but to put it at the corner of the Mauna Lani Resort is going to ruin 20 years of careful development in South Kohala. And frankly, this developer appears to be taking this parcel and simply subdividing it and flipping it. And if you give him the right to do this, it’s like you are giving him a gift of millions of dollars. And then they will walk away, and the Mauna Lani Resort, the people of those of us who live there will have to live with this for the next 50 years, next 100 years. It will change the character of the Mauna Lani Resort. So I urge you to really take a hard look at this. The densities that are being proposed, the heights for the residential units, are above those that are in use in that area at the resort. They’re proposing three-story tall condominiums and there are no three-story tall condominiums on that whole side of the resort, nothing like that there. The densities of actual use that they will have, because of this being a timeshare type of use, are actually going to be higher than the unit numbers that you are being presented with. So the impacts on the local beaches are going to be substantial. Right now, for example, virtually the only beach area that the owners at the Mauna Lani Resort get to use is a little beach called Beach Club. It has limited parking; there are I believe about 50 parking spaces; there is no room for expansion. It’s a little tiny enclave beach with only 75 yards of beach front; there are 100 beach chairs out there. And right now at peak usage times with just the people are using it now, it’s crowded. And if we put this sort of a development there, with timeshare people coming to use it, which is going to be a higher density of use even in a normal use that’s being used right now around the resort, it’s going to be like Coney Island. There will be two to three times as many people going into the water, two to three times as much suntan lotion. The reef at the Mauna Lani Resort at Makaiwa Bay is one of the finest reefs in Hawaii. My wife and I have spent thousands of hours in our work in the reefs around Hawaii, and it is one of the finest reefs that we have. And it’s important that we not grant someone the right to do something that will permanently affect that kind of resource. This is the way you get to the things that have happened badly on Oahu or in portions of Maui where the conditions have been degraded. So I urge you to think very, very carefully before you give Stanford Carr Associates (sic) the entitlement to do this. At the very least they should -. This parcel will get developed; I think no one feels that it won’t be. But it should be developed at an appropriate density and in a way consistent with the whole design of the Mauna Lani Resort, which actually would be at about a third to half this density. GRAHAM: All right. Thank you, Mr. Malinowski. Hold on a second. Do we have any questions from the Commissioners? I might just point out to you that before this Commission what’s the issue is a Special Management Area Permit, which falls within the Hawaii Coastal Zone Management laws. So a lot of things like density are generally controlled by the Zoning Code, and they are not here for a zoning change. So there are certain issues which are in our purview to decide and other issues which may concern you and some others, which are really not on the table for us to decide. So just be aware of that. Thank you. Mr. Robertson, would you give your name and address first, please? ROBERTSON: My name is George Robertson. The address is P. O. Box 44490, Kawaihae 96743. And I’m here today to speak on behalf of the Puako Community Association, and also personally I’m a 30-year-plus resident of Waialea Bay which is, my home overlooks the EXHIBIT H 16