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Tke K-ulaLane <br /> Association of Apartment Owners <br /> 57+1 Lower Honoapi'ilani Roan <br /> Lahaina, Hawaii 0761 <br /> May 27, 2014 <br /> To whom it may concern: <br /> This is to recommend Thorne Abbott(dba Coastal Planners LLC)for assistance and/or <br /> consulting in dealing with regulatory agencies in matters related to projects or activities on or <br /> near the shoreline of the Hawaiian Islands. <br /> The Kulakane Association of Apartment Owners is currently undertaking two significant <br /> construction projects at our oceanfront condominium complex in upper west Maui: repair and <br /> maintenance of our seawall, and replacement of the cedar shake siding on our main building. <br /> Because our complex is located close to the shoreline,the regulatory processes and <br /> requirements for obtaining permission to do nearly anything on our property have been <br /> extensive,time-consuming and complex. <br /> Thorne was recommended to us by our land use counsel. He assisted us with preparation of <br /> Special Management Area and Shoreline Setback Assessment applications(submitted to Maui <br /> County Planning Department), a Best Management Practices Plan(submitted to both the US <br /> Army Corps of Engineers and Maui County Planning) and building permit applications for both <br /> of our major projects, all of which received approval or other favorable determination from the <br /> relevant agency. <br /> As a former planner with Maui County,Thorne knows what the County expects and needs to see <br /> in applications submitted to them. He knows the systems and many of the staff involved at the <br /> County and other environmental regulatory jurisdictions in Hawaii and interacts with many of <br /> them regularly. <br /> Perhaps Thorne's most valuable efforts on our behalf were his continued monitoring and follow- <br /> up as each application or review worked its way through the relevant agency. It is not <br /> uncommon for applications to get"stuck"somewhere in agency review processes,particularly <br /> when multiple departments must sign off on a document. Incorrect document filing or routing, <br /> staff vacations,staff workload and/or poor communication can seriously slow agency <br /> processing. Thorne monitored the review processes via electronic queries of the County's <br /> permitting data base,phone calls, and often by physically visiting the County offices to check on <br /> the current status of our applications. On several occasions,he was able to help expedite the <br /> process by volunteering to hand-carry our materials from one department to another, or by <br /> discovering the location of incorrectly routed documents and getting them back on track. <br /> Sincerely, <br /> for the Board of Directors, <br /> Kulakane Association of Apartment Owners <br />