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WATANABE: Along with a favorable recommendation for flexibility in the affordable <br />housing as well as fair share requirements should this project materialize into a student housing <br />program. Okay, any further discussion on this? <br />DOMINGO: Mr. Chairman, I have something to say. <br />WATANABE: Yes, Mr. Domingo? <br />DOMINGO: I’m sure Mr. Fuke would be capable of presenting a fair presentation to <br />the County Council with respect to consideration on the issues that’s stated. I’d just like to <br />mention that perhaps it was about 15 or 10 years ago, might be even before that, the former <br />Councilman Jimmy Arakaki envisioned Hilo being a college town. And then he went on further <br />to say that within the proximity of the University that multiple family housing should be <br />established, a commercial area be established, so that the students can be within a college town <br />in itself so that, you know, traveling to other places that we normally travel to go to buy grocery <br />or, can be obtained within the proximity or close proximity to a college. And I think what <br />we’ve seen here is a fruition of all the efforts by, for one thing, Councilman Arakaki; and now <br />we have people who are willing to invest in this project to see that this can be done. And I think <br />it’s, I know when this is done other projects would come in which would supplement and would <br />complement the University itself. And I know that a few years ago there have been statements or <br />articles that I read with regards to other foreign investors who are willing to come and build a <br />college, provide college housing for the students at the University. But here we find someone <br />who is willing to do it and just put their foot forward or a positive foot in the right direction. I <br />totally support this effort.And I think our letter to the County Council should strongly <br />emphasize that some flexibility or consideration be made with regards to establishing this college <br />town. Because if you make it hard or really difficult for them, you know, it will stop there and <br />the plan would probably stop, will never go forward. And I think we should support initiatives <br />such as this; and the whole community will profit by it and benefit by it, as well as the whole <br />island. <br />WATANABE: Thank you. Mr. Housel. <br />HOUSEL: I had a question for Director Yuen. I want to make sure I understood what <br />you said regarding the affordable housing requirement. If later they choose not to use this as <br />student housing, would the affordable housing and impact fees apply? <br />YUEN: Well, under the terms of the ordinances we have it would apply in either <br />case. Under what they’ve written, it would apply only if they didn’t do it as student housing. <br />HOUSEL: Okay. Will that be a condition of this approval? <br />YUEN: Well, our recommendation is that we keep it as is and let them either, see <br />if they can administratively get an agreement from the Office of Housing that their project as a <br />student housing project meets a critical regional housing need, in which case then the project <br />itself would satisfy Chapter 11 without changing anything of the ordinance. It would fit <br />Chapter 11. And then as far as the fair share it would really be up to the Council to decide if <br />they wanted to waive the fair share for a student housing project. <br /> EXHIBIT D <br />9 <br /> <br />