2024-03-11 Minutes APPROVED - Laserfiche WebLink

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Reconvene: 1:15 p.m. (g) Sugg.24-07, Kaohe 1-3, S. Kona, Hawai'i. TMK(3)8-7-009:005 CLIFF VICTORINE spoke in support of Sugg. 24-07 as a Kuleana landowner at the bottom of Kona Paradise Subdivision adjacent to the property. He spoke of the history of the area being a fishing village; and the continuous use of the King's trail and numerous fishing trails by the public. Growing up, he was told to respect the land and the trails. He mentioned that back in 2005, Mr. McKinley had an archaeological inventory survey done. In the survey, his mother was also interviewed as to how great or what she remembered in that area. Today, multiple lots in the area is for sale. Also, it's referred to in some of the practices in the early 1980's as having access to a private beach, and everyone wants access. The misconception is that these are private areas but it's community and for everyone to use. He asked to protect this property for education and so that people can remember their heritage. MELANIE SEYLER spoke in support of Sugg. 24-07 and resides in the Kona Paradise Subdivision. She is new to this process and has been working with many community members to bring forth this property. She apologized that Roy Santana and Lily Souza were not able to be here today along with other members of their group due to community obligations. A discussion ensued between commissioners, Mr. Victorine and Ms. Seyler regarding the names and contact information listed in the application and how it relates. Cmr. Crivello asked if they can speak a little bit more towards urgency and the current trends you see happening in South Kona. Ms. Seyler replied, that yes, the property is listed and available for anyone to purchase so the urgency is there. She added that development in South Kona is kind of tricky. You see a lot of land being built, and partially developed, so to say. But you can see that there's plans. So possibly a lot of resort development, luxury homes and private beaches, and that is going to be a huge impact on the South Kona community that very much engages in a subsistence-based lifestyle. Cmr. Plunkett asked Mr. Victorine if he could clarify a couple things. In the application, it mentions the property was just listed in December, so the urgency is just in the fact that the property was listed for sale, but what I wanted to clarify is you mentioned there were multiple descendants for the acquisition of the property, but just due to timing and the amount of time it's taken for people on it to just become aware of the property sale and gather it in a short time frame sounds like a highly privatized area, and being listed for sale could likely contribute to how privatized South Kona is. Also, with the timing of everything, Minutes of March 11, 2024 Page 10