2015-01-08 Hearing Transcript-Steven Schropshire _SMA 14-058_

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and buys a home, they’re gonna be protective of new people coming in, and I’ve run into that time and time again. In fact, they’re people in the audience here that have purchased my properties, and when I tried to develop their property, there were people before them that stood up and said don’t develop this property. Now, they’re here defending the property that they have saying don’t do this again. So, it’s just a natural human cycle to say I have mine, you can’t have yours. I think it’s—you know, there’s a lot of innuendos, a lot of accusations, a lot of like general information that’s been floating around about this property. The cliff stability report, it’s important to recognize that right now, I’ve agreed to a 60-foot setback. That’s substantially greater than most properties along the Hāmākua Coast. I’ve agreed to do that until such time that the Planning Director has the opportunity to review the report that I’ve submitted. If he’s satisfied with that report at some later date, then we are hoping that he will consider a 40-foot setback, but right now, this SMA application in front of you deals with a 60-foot setback. Mr. Lockwood provided, I thought, a very in-depth report. You know, if there is, there is again speculation that this cliff is not stable, I think his report contradicts that. I think it is stable. If, if we’re questioning the stability of the Hāmākua Coast, then we need to look from Honoli‛i to Honoka‛a. You know, if we’re going to start condemning land, then we need to be you know, look on this on a global scale, but I’m convinced that our property is no different than any other development along the coast, and I think a 60-foot setback gives you that ample guarantee. I’m a small business person, you know, I came to this island. I’ve invested money. I’ve invested time. I have years invested in this particular project, hundreds of thousands of dollars. I’ve been deliberate. I’ve followed the steps that have dictated me by the law. I worked with the Planning Department. I’ve gone through the various Planning Department procedures and permits. Further delaying this project creates an economic hardship for me and my family. You know, I guess the other point is that this, one of the community development plan and everybody keeps saying you know keep the country, country, and how is this you know, there’s gonna be too much density, etc., etc., but I’ve been a participant of the, of the Hāmākua Community Development Plan, active participant for the last five years, and one of the elements of that plan is locating services in existing townships where there can be, where’s there’s existing services, and so that, what that does is allows for the—stops the proliferation of, proliferation of urban or rural sprawl so that we don’t have these gentlemen farms up and down the coast taking valuable farm land, so, we are able to locate people on a smaller footprint. So, and I think that’s what this project does. There’s been some discussion about affordable housing. Two of these properties are gonna be—two or three---are gonna be, so less 30 percent of the project will be considered by law, or in the two hundred thousand dollar range is the house lot package, so that’s, that’s clearly you know meets that objective, and those are the homes that we’ve restored. I think we’ve been a responsible community participant. We’ve donated a $200,000 gift to the church next door as part of our efforts in the community. We’ve cleaned up the site. We’re trying to do the right thing. We’re trying to approach this, you know, as a conscientious community developer, and I think that our track record speaks to that already, and I hope that you’ll consider approval of our application today. Thank you. 13 EXHIBIT A