2003-11-21 TCONTINENTAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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WISE:My name is Tracey Wise. My residence address is 28-2890 Kapehu Place. I first would like to, starting off that IÓll be kind of nervous. This the first th time that I did a testimony so please excuse me. I went to a m with the Pepeekeo Community when I first found out about the gated community that is planning to come around the Kulaimano Subdivision. And some of my concerns is that most of the population in the Kulaimano Subdivision is elderly in age and are on fixed incomes; and I know that based on the information that was provided, properties were sold in the range of $150- to $300,000, based on the acreage that was bought. And my main concern is, is that itÓs an assumption that the houses that are coming up is going to be expensive homes and this will raise the property tax for individuals that are already there. Within the last week, as I went to talk with the neighbors, some of my neighbors range from 65 to older, 93 years old, they didnÓt even know that this development was occurring around them and how it was going to affect them. At this meeting, Mr. Henderson, the younger Henderson, had said that shoreline access was going to be provided for the community. However, heÓs the developer and not the buyer of the parcel; and so thereÓs nothing, at this point, written in the agreement saying that the buyer is going to give a shoreline access. IÓm not sure if any one of you, at this point, has gone down to these gated areas, and itÓs not like how it used to be before. My grandparents have lived in this community all their life, theyÓre the Nueva family. We have gone down to the mill many of times to go fishing, to go ca something that weÓre going to do, be able to do. IÓm emotional about this because IÓve seen a lot of my neighbors lose their property because of plantations closing, property tax going up, mortgage going up; and these elderly people are intimidated to step into the banks to talk about things, intimidated to even show up here. I ask the Planning Commission to give an extension so that we can sit down with Continental Pacific and come up with a working alliance so that both parties can benefit from this development. ÒCause right now I believe that it is not reasonable, because itÓs not affordable housing for the people that live in this community who would like to return and for the people that are presently homeless on the Big Island. I donÓt see that much positives coming out of this right now. And I also urge th guys have to chance to make some appointments with these elderly people that have been there, that have moved in. They were the first people that moved into this community. And for them, 93 years old, to be worrying if theyÓre going to be able to pay for something -. This similar situation happened in Waipio Acres of Oahu when Mililani Town was being developed. I ask you guys to protect the people that are presently there now. Thank you. GALDONES:Thank you, Ms. Wise. Commissioners, any question of Ms. Wise? 5