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

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Jana Cook 421 East Broad Street,Suite 4-100 75-5870 Kahakai Road Unit 509 Mineola,Texas 75775 Kailua-Kona,Hawaii 951-855-6126 JCook251@att.net January 18, 2024 Honorable Members of the Commission, As a long-time owner at Hale Kona Kai, I appreciate the opportunity to address the Commission regarding the proposed development at Ali'I Drive and Kahakai Road. Please note that I am not opposed to the development of the property. The unfinished project has been a blight on the community for far too long. However, the development must be done in a manner that is healthy for the entire community, the Kahakai Road neighborhood, and even for the applicant and any future operator of the proposed business. I have many concerns about the background report which seems incomplete with the anticipated negative impacts glossed over or omitted from the report. I urge the Commission to reject this report, returning it to the applicant to provide complete, detailed elevations and diagrams of the proposed project. For example, omitted are complete elevations of the west and north side of the complex which would give a full aspect of how the proposed building will change the entire atmosphere of the neighborhood. The proposed 40' structure on top of the existing retaining wall and parking garage will be massive and loom over the narrow Kahakai Road. A primary concern is the room construction. The provided diagrams show 100 rooms with Type A, B, C and D configurations. By my count there are 51 rooms in the Type C configuration which are two-room suites with three entry doors. Such construction will allow these rooms to be rented as two separate rooms and have the effect of creating a 151-room hotel. In the Estimated Future Water Consumption Report completed by Ramon Velazquez, PE, there are only Type A, B and C units, with Type D omitted. The Type C unit is listed as a maximum of 6 occupants, but it only calculates for 5 Type C units, not 51. By my calculations, this changes the maximum total occupancy from 344 guests to 452 guest and places Total Daily Estimated water usage at 28,874 gallons, not the 21,022 gallons listed in the report. This is approximately 25% above the water use of 22,000 gallons per day supported by the previously permitted and installed water connection. The parking provided on site is only 143 spaces. With spaces reserved for check-in, handicap, staff and other hotel parking, this is completely inadequate for the estimated occupancy of the