2012-11-09 Windward Transcript Connections

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HONG: So, good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Commission. KERN: Good morning. HONG: We’re here today to ask for the Commission’s approval of the Planning Director’s favorable recommendation to the State Land Use Commission. The determination whether this project can go through will be made by the State Land Use Commission in the next few weeks. We agree with the amended recommendations from the Planning Director as circulated. As an administrative matter, as the Planning Director pointed out, there is no contested case hearing with respect to this project. th On October 12 we sent a letter to surrounding property owners informing them of the right to file a contested case hearing under the Planning Commission’s Rules of Procedure. We discovered there was an error on October 29, 2012 within the required deadline for notification. We sent an amended and revised second notice to surrounding property owners informing them that they can intervene at the State Land Use Commission pursuant to Section 205-6(d) of the Hawai‘i Revised Statutes and Section 15, 15-53 of the Hawai‘i Administrative Rules. Surrounding property owners who wish to stop the project can intervene at the State Land Use Commission level; and we apologize for any misunderstanding. We would note in terms of the land that we’re asking the Commission’s favorable recommendation for this. It’s a State Land Use District designated for Agriculture. The County zoning in the area is for Agriculture; and I’d also note that the status of the lease is that it has been approved by the Land Board. We’re waiting for the Attorney General’s Office to give us the paperwork. We are proposing a school dedicated to conservation, sustainable agriculture in the area; and that it is designed and zoned for Agriculture. The goals of our project are to promote and instill on the Connections ohana responsible stewardship of the land, treat the land a part of a community trust, education, sustainable agriculture and to be a good neighbor. To highlight some of the questions that were brought up, Mr. Au’s question that was brought up, we amended our, with respect to the community’s concerns in the several meetings that we had, we amended our plan to only develop the lower half of the property. We’re limiting the student population. We had four community meetings. Those were on April 16, 2009, June 3, 2011, August 22, 2011, April27, 2011. And I along with some of the Connections students and staff personally walked door to door along the houses on Mele Manu Street and Edita Street, handing them out information concerning the project, the proposed conception plan; and a comment card that if they had any comments they could submit it to us. We have reported any abuses and criminal acts on the property, including vandalism where the Connections School’s locks have been glued and had to be cut. We’ve reported to the police marijuana growing on the property in questions. And most recently we’ve reported the harassment of elementary and intermediate school children at their Kress building. We have taken responsibility where our trust and a contract with the develop -, contractor has been criminally abused. We’ve invited members of the community to participate as project manager and part of a design committee with respect to the building. We’ve engaged people of substance 10 EXHIBIT A