2015-06-18 Leeward Exh A (REZ 15-187)

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J. LIPPS: I’m Janet Lipps. BEAUDET: Good morning. Did you receive the Planning Director’s background report and recommendations? C. LIPPS: Yes, we did. BEAUDET: Thank you. If you could just proceed with your presentation. C. LIPPS: Okay, I’m going to try to set this \[mike\] on the table. So I’m a little nervous, so please forgive me if I stumble a little here. But I will, we are here today because we would like approval to subdivide our three-acre lot into two one-and-a-half-acre parcels. And I have read through the Director’s unfavorable recommendation, and I will as quickly as possible address the concerns. And I have, besides reading the Director’s recommendation and his report, I have also spent a lot of time reading the 396-page General Plan in an attempt to better understand its goals and policies. So with regard to the Director’s specific concerns, one of the things stated was the change of zoning is not consistent with the goals, policies, actions in the General Plan and would not result in an appropriate land use at this time. First thing I’d like to focus on is the land use. The Director states, “Important agricultural lands shall not be rezoned to parcels too small to support viable farming.” So if viable farming means economically viable, then I’m unaware of anyone in Hōlualoa that has a viable farming unit. It kind of goes back to what Commissioner, on Ag-3, what Commissioner Scott was talking about. I’ve been told by numerous people there that a minimum of five acres is required and even then it’s not possible unless the land is already paid for or you have a leasehold with very low monthly payments. The reality is that the existing land costs and paying a fair wage to these workers make viable farming impossible. I would much rather farm my land for income than what I do, but I would go bankrupt doing it. There is, I can’t, I can’t make money, I can’t make money needed to do that. So, my grandfather, he was a farmer in Indiana, and I spent many summer months out on the farm, so I appreciate farming and, but there is no way that viable farming is possible on my land in my opinion. The Director goes on to state that zoning requests are reviewed with respect to the General Plan, district goals, regional plans, and the other stuff stated by Christian. But one of the other things mentioned several times in that response was, “requested zoning in accordance with the existing or projected needs of the neighborhood” and “zoning requests shall be reviewed with respect to … public needs.” I strongly believe that one of the greatest public needs in West Hawai‘i is public affor-, is affordable housing. So 95, according to what I’ve learned on the General Plan, 95 percent of the Big Island is currently zoned conservative, Conservation or Agricultural land, and with that comes restrictions. So we have two adult children and three grandchildren living here, and they all rent. One-bedroom apartments in West Hawai‘i here right in this immediate area are 1,000 to 1,300 dollars a month for rent. So it’s very expensive for them to live here. And it’s impossible for them, when they are making 20 to 40 dollars an hour, to pay this kind of rent, pay everything associated with trying to have a young family, and then save ten to 20 percent that they are going to need for a down payment on land. They can’t do it, there is just no way that they can do it. So the General Plan states that “the proportion of the resident population requiring some assistance in purchasing a 7 EXHIBIT A