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MIYASATO: Could you please—you have three minutes—could you please state your name <br />and residence? <br /> <br />BLANK: Yes, Sharon Blank, Nīnole. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Speak into the mic, please. <br /> <br />BLANK: This is better? <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Yeah. <br /> <br />BLANK: Sharon Blank, Nīnole resident. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: You can go ahead. <br /> <br />BLANK: Okay. I speak not only for myself but for many of my neighbors who are very <br />uncomfortable appearing in this venue. Our community is an increasingly rare one, maintaining <br />a caring, rural local way of life. The values cherished by newcomers such as myself are those <br />that have sustained the families who have been here since the early plantation days. The <br />Hāmākua Community Development Plan documents have admirably captured what is unique <br />and worth preserving in this area, where aloha is still very much alive. <br /> <br />The proposed development is viewed in our neighborhood with dismay. It is a poor fit for the <br />area—much too large, and sure to bring significant traffic to an already accident-prone stretch of <br />highway. The purchasers for the new lots will undoubtedly be wealthy and not connected to the <br />existing community. Very few owners of the existing oceanfront parcels are residents. The <br />remainder of the properties are rentals or being held as investments, perhaps generating tax <br />revenue, but doing nothing to enhance our peaceful community. <br /> <br />It is not difficult to imagine a virtual wall of multi-story second homes lining the edge of the <br />cliff, as the proposed lots do not have large ocean frontages. Indeed, the foundation for such a <br />frontage spanning home has been poured nearby in a recently subdivided lot. The planning <br />documents stress preserving the natural beauty of our area along with the fundamental values of <br />our rural, local culture. The proposed development appears to be a violation of the plan--a <br />violation of the very essence of the Hāmākua Coast. Thank you. <br /> <br />MIYASATO: Commissioners, any questions? Thank you. Could you please state your name <br />and residence? <br /> <br />NISHIMOTO: Good morning. I’m here to testify regarding proposition request number three <br />which is Shropshire’s development in Nīnole at the 19-mile marker. My name is Robert <br />Nishimoto. I was born and raised in Nīnole at about the 19.3-mile marker so that gives me some <br />credibility on what I’m saying. I was born and raised in Nīnole. I left the island to get my Ph.D. <br />in marine science. I’m a retired fishery biologist by trade, and I’ve been working for say 32 <br />years and have returned to Nīnole after making the full circle. Nīnole was always a home, a very <br />precious place for me to live. <br />2 <br />EXHIBIT B <br /> <br /> <br />