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DARROW:Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Members of the Planning
<br />Commission and Mr. Chairman. If I can direct your attention to the location map, the area of
<br />this application is located within the North Kohala District of the Big Island, more specifically
<br />we’re looking at the area of Hawi and Kapaau. This road moving in a east-west direction is the
<br />Akoni Pule Highway. If you recall, previously we had a Special Permit in the area of this
<br />location, the Watkins-Sunderland Special Permit for a Hawaiian Perma-culture Retreat Center.
<br />This application is near that facility. It’s identified in yellow on the map. Access to the property
<br />would be from the Akoni Pule Highway down what is called Union Market Road or a road near
<br />Union Market. They would travel down to Pratt Road, and then they have an access easement to
<br />their property located in yellow.
<br />The Applicant in this case, Alliance Redwoods Conference Grounds, Inc., is requesting a Special
<br />Permit for a camping and retreat center on six acres of land. This is the entire property identified
<br />here, 30-plus acres. The area identified in blue would be the permit area. As you can see in this
<br />particular location, we have the access road to the property. This access road also travels down
<br />makai to the other facility we spoke about earlier.
<br />If I can just list off some of the items that’ll be a part of this camping retreat facility. They are
<br />proposing the facility will consist of 14 cabins, 4 farm worker staff cabins, 4 open air hales, a
<br />meeting and eating pavilion, an art-and-crafts center, a bathhouse, a tent campsite with a
<br />maximum capacity to accommodate 30 guests, a snack shack, a prayer cabin, an office, an
<br />additional facility, including recreational area with rope course, climbing wall, pool, organic
<br />vegetable garden, plant nursery and pasture area.
<br />The Planning Department has received several letters since this application has come to the
<br />Commissioners, including a late comment letter from the Department of Land and Natural
<br />Resources, also, numerous letters, mostly, mainly of support for this project. We did receive one
<br />letter this morning from Mike Isaacs concerning this application. And, additionally, at the time
<br />that this application was submitted to the Planning Commission, we had one Petition for
<br />Standing in a Contested Case submitted by Jean Sunderland; additionally, since that time, we’ve
<br />receive another one from Kamakani O Kohala Ohana, Inc. or Kako‘o.
<br />The Planning Director is recommending that the Planning Commission approve the request to
<br />establish a camping and retreat facility on six acres within the State Land Use Agricultural
<br />District. Are there any questions?
<br />ALAMEDA:Fellow Commissioners, any questions? Commissioner Graham?
<br />GRAHAM:Jeff, I just had one question about the soil ‘cause, you know, in our special
<br />permit, depending on the agricultural capability, we sometimes take different looks at things.
<br />And in the Background Report, I think it says on the Land Study Bureau Soil Rating, “Soils
<br />within the project site are classified as ‘B’ or ‘good’ and ‘E’ or ‘poor.’” Do you have any
<br />breakdown on what portion of that property is the “B” soils?
<br />DARROW:There are two gulches that run through the property. If I can, let me see if
<br />I actually have a picture for the identification of those areas. If I could pass this out to the
<br />Planning Commission, this is a copy of the floodway on the property. The area identified in red
<br />is the “A” Zone, “AE” Zone; and that’s the area where it identifies the “E” soils. So the area
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