2024-03-26 PL-SPP-2024-000061 Applicants Response to Letters of Opposition

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property and it will take many years more for many of their fruit and timber trees to mature and produce income. As income to date has been minimal and expenses have been great, the supplemental income from their hosted rentals is what has kept the farm afloat. In consideration of Bill 121, which seeks to establish regulations around hosted transient accommodations, the applicants have decided to pursue a Special Permit to operate as a bed and breakfast. They feel that the accommodations they seek to provide would be more appropriately characterized as a bed and breakfast than a transient accommodation because they are present on the property to greet and provide a personal experience to their guests, share fruit produced on their farm and share their experiences and knowledge as big island farmers. Their goal is to target guests who are looking for a personal and enriching experience and opportunity to learn about the importance of agriculture and forestry in Hawaii by spending time on an active farm. It is noted that although hosted short-term rentals are not currently regulated in Hawaii County, and thus the applicants could continue to operate a hosted rental without any additional permitting for the time being, they have chosen to go through this exhaustive Special Permit process and have their request reviewed and vetted by the Planning Department and the Planning Commission in order to solidify their bed and breakfast as an unusual and reasonable use of their agricultural property. To this end, the proposed bed and breakfast will not convert this land to non-agricultural use, lead to the loss of land for farming and forestry, diminish agricultural productivity or increase reliance on imported food. Rather, approval of this special permit request will enable the applicants to earn vital supplemental income needed to offset their farming costs, establish a successful farm and increase awareness of the importance of sustainable agriculture in Hawai`i. Additionally, approval of a special permit to utilize a small portion of their property as a bed and breakfast will not alter the character of the community as the use and appearance of the property will remain relatively the same. The second concern raised is the environmental impact of the bed and breakfast. Again, the applicants share their neighbors' concern for the environment, biodiversity, native species and soil, water and air quality. This is precisely why they have worked so hard to preserve the forest on their land and incorporate biointensive and regenerative practices into their farming. While this is meaningful and important work to the applicants, they have struggled to earn a profit. It is through the income from their hosted rentals and with the help of volunteer agricultural workers that they have been able to improve the soil on the property and establish their farm. Thus, the bed and breakfast will not have a negative impact on the environment; rather, income from the bed and breakfast will offset the costs associated with the implementation of the biointensive regenerative practices that are restoring the soil quality on the property and the continued restoration of the forest on the property, which improves air quality through carbon sequestration and provides potential habitat for native species. Additionally, it is noted that all wastewater on the property is disposed of into Department of Health approved individual wastewater systems, mitigating the potential for any impacts from wastewater disposal. It is clear that the applicants responsibly manage their property, care deeply about the environment and are doing more than their fair share to protect it. Thus, the assertion that the applicants request will have negative impacts on the environment is unjustified. The third concern relates to infrastructure impacts, primarily traffic. Traffic generated from the bed and breakfast would be limited to registered guests of the proposed 4-bedroom bed