2024-09-25 PL-INT-2024-008786 GP 2045 Draft Comments - M. Isaac

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In addition to objections about the absence of community directives in the plan, there have been multiple flaws in the consultation process on a more technical level. Since last year I was aware of complaints from members of the public seeking to participate that the website platform used for comments and review had glitches and was experienced by those attempting to use it as cumbersome. I understand that there were even reports of the document failing to load correctly and maps being difficult to view. Most telling perhaps out of all the failures in the actual consultation process is that many of the meetings have been held without sufficient public engagement. One such recent 'final consultation' for the Hilo Community was hosted by your administration in a rented event space at 2pm on a Thursday. I've rarely seen a more disengenuous attempt to meet with community than hosting a meeting at that time of day. Unsurprisingly a little over a dozen people attended at that time on a weekday. In addition to the ridiculous time that this event was hosted, a complaint I am aware of is that at that public event, questions were not taken from the floor but were required to be 'submitted in writing' whereupon administrative officers read the questions aloud and in the process edited and omitted parts of the question. These are sadly strategies that are sometimes used during a public consultation to create the appearance of public consent where none exists. I believe that there should be some shame felt by all involved that so much time and financial resources as well as community trust has been lost due to some kind of strange 'copy paste' exercise where we see foreign jargon and foreign value systems imposed. There isn't a nicer way to say it and it is urgent that the Planning Department abandon attempts to say that this consultation process has been legitimate. Such failures as listed here may yet become the subject of litigation particularly when the public is learning that this document contains multiple pathways to legislate property seizure and that zoning of properties has occurred without prior consultation with the property owners concerned. I am attaching a PDF document with notations concerning the most grievous errors in the document. Myself and other community members have reviewed the General Plan and are citing the need for extensive edits. I would say that in my final evaluation however that the process is clearly so flawed, ethically, legally and from the point of view of the technical aspects of the platforms used that it should be scrapped and begun again once a thorough investigation is made. I will be forwarding these concerns to the County Council immediately. Please acknowledge receipt of this letter. Yours sincerely, Mahalo Megan Isaac Hilo Resident 3