2024-03-05 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Kaweni Ibarra Opposition Testimony

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March 5, 2024 Windward Planning Commission ioi Pauahi St., Suite 3 Hilo, HI 96720 To whom it may concern, My name is Kaweni Ibarra and I am writing this letter as a private citizen, and as a noho aina who grew up in, and continues to live in,the district of Ka`u. It has come to my attention that a permit is being applied for concerning the lands known to be purchased by Eva Liu and her corporation, Black Sand Beach, LLC. This letter is to state my opinion, specifically on the proposed 225 residential and short stay units for these areas within the Punaluu and Ninole ahupuaa, and to voice my concerns regarding the resources and practices that may be impacted by such development in these lands. Growing up in Ka`u, I can remember utilizing Punaluu and Ninole areas for both gathering practices and leisure purposes since I was a child. I have also witnessed numerous others in our district use the area for similar reasons. In the short 26 years I have been alive so far, I witnessed the exponential growth of unregulated tourist activity in these lands and observed its impact on critical resources such as limu,fish, and other plant life that our community responsibly utilizes as part of our subsistence lifestyles. I have also felt, and observed,the impact that these changes leave on our kupuna (elders),parents, and children. In addition to the decaying infrastructure left behind by previous developers,the community continues to be left to deal with these obstacles that hinder local lifestyles. In the plans I have seen presented by Eva and her colleagues thus far, all variations resemble plans that promote gentrification,issues with community access, and would severely impact various cultural, religious, and traditional practices that continue on today,perpetuated by ahupuaa tenants, as well as community members.As someone who works with younger generations in Ka`u, I am worried that it would be impossible for many of the practices that I pass on to continue in places like Punaluu and Ninole if the current owners'plans were made a reality.Additionally, I would like to recognize that legally protected resources like iwi kupuna (human remains), kuleana lands, and religious sites continue to be at risk amidst the mess of conflicting documentation, cultural erasure, and those in power over Punaluu and Ninole. I close this letter by stating that I vehemently oppose the currently proposed forms of industrial development in the areas of Punaluu and Ninole, and any project that would deter our community from rightfully carrying out subsistence, cultural, and/or religious practices that are protected by HI Const. art.XII § 7. Sincerely, 4aw i Ibarra