2024-04-01 PL-CCI-2024-000003 Bill 121 Derinda Thatcher Testimony

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L21 The county is unfairly placing the burden of creating more housing on existing home owners. There is no evidence that limiting vacation rentals adds housing affordable or otherwise to the inventory. This seems a bit backward when zoning changes such as including duplex, 4 plex housing for example, could go a long wayto creating more affordable housing. Addressing existing antiquated infrastructure and onerous building codes should be a focus, that is being ignored. Our county council is against development and that alone creates a housing shortage . So instead of being_pro development of more affordable housing_options, county council choses to burden existing home owners. This is just wrong and short sited, affecting many who are retired or on fixed income. There is an unintended economic consequence that will also impact a micro economy such as cleaners, landscapers and service providers. One cleaner I Know, has more than 70% of her family's income is from cleaning rentals the county wants to re-classify. L31 Section 25-4-16.1 1 should be able to live in and utilize any portion of my home or property for my personal use. Bill 121 is trying to dictate which portions of my property I may live in and which I may rent. I believe this is a direct violation of my constitutional rights and private property rights. This is bad business! #4 Section 25-4-16.7 Called Registration by the countywhen truly it is not just a registration because it can be denied, it is an application process. Section 25-4-16.17 3-D The proposal requires license and signage visible from the street of subject property identifying the transient vacation rental. I believe this poses a security risk. My husband is an invalid and now in a care home. So, not only am I faced with expensive medical bills and since I now live alone, this type of signage I believe puts me at a greater risk for residential crime. This is bad Business! #6 Section 25-4-16.25 If the 180 day definition is adopted, many owners on fixed income and retired, depending on additional income to supplement the high cost of living in Hawaii will lose their owner occupant residential tax exemption! This is unacceptable and Bad Business for the residents of Hawaii. In closing, we have much greater challenges ahead for our county and State. To name a few: 1)There is not enough Senior housing and no Senior co-housing or other plan for senior living or nursing home facilities. Baby boomers are in their 60's &70's!!the time is now to focus on providing for these age groups. 2)There are huge Cesspool/Septic issues looming with major deadlines starting in 2035 that need absolute focus to make a feasible and doable plan for the residents of Hawaii Island. This will create a negative economic impact on all property owners with cesspools and the county does not yet have a plan. More sewage treatment plants need to be created if the 55,000 cesspools on our island are to be converted to septic systems, which need regular pumping, and that sewage needs to go somewhere to be processed. 3) In West Hawaii our main North South connector(I<ual<ini Hwy) is clogged throughout the day and needs expansion. The county as not even begun to claim the land it needs to widen roadways, or solve the issues plaguing the building of the Alii Bypass to alleviate traffic, etc. Leave Bill