2024-03-05 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Robert E. Rutkowski Opposition Testimony

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From: Robert E.Rutkowski To: WPCtestimonv Cc: Keith Abouchar Subject: Protect Hawaii's Punalu'u Beach From Development, Resort,Homes,Golf Course Threaten Hawaii's Endangered Species,Cultural Practices Date: Tuesday,March 5,2024 3:21:06 AM Windward Planning Commission Hawaii County Council Chambers 25 Aupuni St. Hilo,HI, 96720 (808)961-8288 WPCtestimon a hawaiicounty.gov Re:Protect Hawai`i's Punalu`u Beach From Development,Resort,Homes,Golf Course Threaten Hawai`i's Endangered Species,Cultural Practices The Center for Biological Diversity has filed a legal intervention opposing a proposed resort development on one of Hawai`i's most renowned black sand beaches that would harm local residents and jeopardize threatened and endangered species,including green sea turtles and Hawaiian monk seals. The vibrant biodiversity and rich cultural history of Punalu`u needs to be protected for generations to come,not developed for private interests.Hundreds of people have mobilized to protect this spectacular place and protest this reckless development.The community and wildlife of Punalu`u deserve so much more. If approved by Hawaii County's Windward Planning Commission,Thursday's action will allow the Center and local residents to formally challenge the 400-acre project site development in Punalu`u, starting with the March 7 commission meeting. Developers want to build 225 residential and short-stay units,a commercial center,retail shops and a golf course that would harm local residents and Hawai`i's native threatened and endangered species. Nestled on the southeastern Ka`u coast,Punalu`u is celebrated for its breathtaking beauty,cultural significance and unique ecological diversity.This coastal haven is home to rare and endangered native animals,including hawksbill sea turtles,green sea turtles,Hawaiian monk seals,native bees and orange-black damselflies.Punalu`u's shores are vital nesting grounds for the sea turtles. Developers are relying on an outdated environmental analysis and the permit application they filed with the county fails to consider harms to the local community.Increased traffic and a surge in visitors will compromise the residents' quality of life and exacerbate existing challenges faced by Punalu`u's fragile ecosystem. There are many issues that need to be addressed before even thinking about approving the special management area use permit or considering any type of development at Punalu`u. The Ka`u community is expressing concerns about the lack of a disaster mitigation plan. Emergencies like fire,floods,tsunamis,earthquakes,and volcanic eruption have not been considered.There's no burial treatment plan in place to protect our ancestors.The sewage system is leaking into our ocean as we speak,yet the developer wants us to believe that there will be no impacts.This development will lead to overpopulation and a rise in land taxes so local people cannot stay. The decision makers have a big responsibility on their shoulders and with the proper steps taken beforehand,a disaster waiting to happen can be prevented. The legal challenge underscores the need for a thorough reevaluation of the potential environmental and cultural harms from the development.It aims to ensure that responsible and sustainable practices are adopted to protect the delicate balance of Punalu`u's ecosystem and the native species that depend on it to survive. This development goes against all the values of the Ka`u Community Development Plan.I strongly believe that the character of these developers will always put Kala(money)before the people and lands of Ka`u.This development will put the place that many love and cherish in jeopardy.