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WESTERN <br /> UNIVERSITY College of the Environment <br /> MAKE WAVES. Arntzen Hall 217-MS 9085 <br /> 516 High Street,Bellingham,Washington 98225 <br /> (360)650-3284-Fax(360)650-7702 <br /> Urban&Environmental Planning&Policy <br /> 4 March 2025 <br /> Jeffrey W.Darrow <br /> Director, County of Hawaii Planning Department <br /> East Hawaii Office <br /> 101 Puahi Street, Suite 3 <br /> Hilo,Hawaii 96720 <br /> Re: Change of Zone Application(PL-REZ-2024-000070)request for Agricultural-10 Acres (A- <br /> 10a)to Agricultural-5 Acres (A-5a)by the Applicant: Ho'oulu-Lahui on Tax Map Key: (3) 2 2- <br /> 048:013 (por.) at Pana`ewa Farm Lots South Hilo,Hawaii. <br /> Aloha mai kakou, <br /> I am writing to express my full support for Ho'oulu Lahui's application for change of zoning <br /> (PL-REZ-2024-000070)from Ag-10 to Ag-5 in order to support the continuity of Kua o ka La <br /> Public Charter School (KOKL). <br /> As a professor of urban planning at Western Washington University and a registered Architect <br /> in Hawaii,Oregon,and Washington,I bring both professional expertise and cultural perspective <br /> to this endorsement.As a Kanaka Maoli architect and planner, I reached out to Susie Osborne <br /> and Kua O Ka La after learning about the loss of their Puna campus to Pele during the 2018 <br /> Kilauea eruption and lava flows to offer my kokua and mana'o in support of recovering this vital <br /> educational institution for the community. <br /> Since 2019,I have supported the concept design and planning for the Nanawale education <br /> center for Ho'oulu Lahui (HL) and have assisted HL with strategic planning for the KOKL <br /> campus in my capacity as a principle of Metaamo Studio.My involvement with this project has <br /> given me intimate knowledge of both its challenges and its tremendous potential for the <br /> community. <br /> While it is not possible to return to the 600-acre coastal campus where students could learn <br /> directly from the 'aina,the facilities at Nani Mau Gardens provide many similar aspects, <br /> including greenhouses and ponds,to support a land-based pedagogy that honors Hawaiian <br /> culture and values.This location represents a vital opportunity to ensure the school's long- <br /> term stability after the devastating loss of its original campus. <br /> 1 <br />