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Testimony of Mahina Lorenzo <br /> March 4, 2024 <br /> OPPOSITION TO BLACK SAND BEACH LLC. <br /> Aloha Members of the Windward Planning Commision, <br /> I am writing this letter in OPPOSITION to this planned development of Punalu'u. <br /> I am Mahina Lorenzo and I was raised in Ka'u and still live in Pahala. My great grandmother is <br /> Holo Kahiki Pinao and my great grandfather is Charles E. Stone. I have relatives that are buried <br /> in the little chapel graveyard overlooking the ocean at Punalu'u. <br /> I feel it is unfair that foreign entities have the right to decide what is best for the people who live <br /> in Ka'u. Many of us have been taught since we were little children to respect and protect our <br /> aina and our precious natural resources, as well as the native species, many of them <br /> endangered, and to stop development from taking these away forever. Ka'u is one of the last <br /> isolated and pristine areas left in the state, and we who live here sacrifice convenience and <br /> "nearness to the cities and stores" because we like the country lifestyle and being able to spend <br /> our days being close to nature and living sustainably. <br /> There are more than enough resorts statewide or worldwide, for those people who wish to work <br /> in them or live near them. They can very easily move there, if they can afford it. However, once <br /> our pristine and beautiful landscapes and oceans are developed and changed, they will never <br /> be brought back to their original state. Also, the development will raise our property taxes and <br /> make rents and prices of homes even more unaffordable than they already are. It is a sad fact <br /> that local residents are forced to move away from their homeland because they cannot afford to <br /> live in the place where they were born and raised. Please vote NO to this planned development <br /> at Punalu'u. <br /> Mahalo, <br /> Mahina Lorenzo <br />