2024-02-28 PL-CCH-2023-000019 Jana Cook Additional Testimony

Home

23 Nature Pointe Drive Tijeras, NM 87059 January 9, 2024 Leeward Planning Commission County of Hawaii, East Hawaii Office 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, HI 96720 Re: SMA Use Permit Application (PL-SMA-2023-000038) TMK: 7-5-018:011 Dear Leeward Planning Commission, Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the recent SMA Use Permit Application (PL-SMA- 2023-000038) to be discussed at a Public Hearing on January 18, 2024. For the past 7 years, we have owned a condominium located at 75-5888 Ali'i Drive (Kona Reef), D-8 in Kailua Kona which is located diagonally across Kahakai Road from the proposed 100-room hotel described in the SMA application. We have reviewed the information packet provided by the Planning Consultant and have several questions and concerns regarding the proposed building that we hope you will consider and address: 1) The building site is located on a slope as the Planning Consultant knows well. While the proposed building will only be 40 feet tall as viewed from Ali'i Drive (maximum allowable height is 45 feet), it will be substantially taller(-65 feet) on the makai (west) side of the building as viewed from Kahakai Road (see attached photos). Those of us who live immediately beside (Kona Reef Condominium residents) or behind the building (Hale Kona Kai Condominium residents, 1 homeowner, and 1 business owner) would literally be overshadowed by this massive structure. We note that neither the actual height of the building on the makai side, nor artistic renderings of the resultant narrow canyon this building would create along Kahakai Road are included in the information packets provided by the Planning Consultant. We believe this information was deliberately withheld in order to downplay the huge impact this proposed building would have on adjacent residents. Furthermore, allowing a building that would be taller than the maximum allowable height of 45 feet around the majority(>60%) of its perimeter would set a dangerous precedent for the approval of future buildings. Exactly how much of a building would need to be in compliance with building regulations in order to be approved? For these reasons,we respectfully request that the maximum height of the building be limited to 45 feet as measured from the lowest ground level on Kahakai Road. 2) The proposed building plans indicate that the entrance/exit for the hotel would be on the south side of the building onto Kahakai Road. Presumably, many of the cars would exit to the left (east-bound) up the hill to the intersection of Kahakai Road and Ali'i Drive. There is already substantial car and pedestrian traffic at that 3-way intersection. Furthermore, it is hazardous for cars to turn from Kahakai Road onto Ali'i Drive because the cross-traffic does not stop, the speed limit is 35 mph, and the visibility is very limited due to adjacent structures and vegetation. While the Planning Consultant mentions that the proposed structure would be a 100-room hotel, he fails to mention that the total number of guests would be 344 at full occupancy(we had to find this number on Exhibit F, Water Use Calculation Report of the SMA application.) 1