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

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home will continue to increase.” And the North Kona profile in Section 9 states, “In the North Kona District, housing problems for the low and moderate income groups have been particularly acute.” So in my application, I noted that providing, or their approving, my zoning change request will provide me the option of providing a build lot to one of our adult children. So this is really what it comes down to for us. The CDP allows for rezoning of areas currently zoned Agricultural, which “allows only a small number of additional lots, consistent in scale with the transfer of lots to family members.” And that, you know, that, consistent in scale, that is something that probably needs to be further determined, it sounds like. But it appears that the CDP recognizes the need for additional housing and made the provision for family to help family. And if my request doesn’t stay within those guidelines, I don’t know what does. So, yeah, I guess I, the Director acknowledges the “transfer of lots to family members” in the provision, but then states the same policy was intended to prevent the rezoning of agricultural property to allow agricultural subdivisions where the primary objective of the lot owner will be to have a residential estate. So my property is on Hiona Street, which is Keopu, it’s called Keopu Heights. This has long ago been established as a subdivision of residential estates within an agriculturally zoned area. I believe approving my zoning request will do nothing to negatively impact the agricultural use within the subdivision or the outlying area. I live in a residential neighborhood where farming is more of a novelty than a way of life. People on that street, they are not farmers. There are 35, there are already, of the, there are 35 one-acre lots already on Hiona Street, and five more adjoining mine directly to the south are between one-and-a-half and one-half acres. There’s many other neighborhoods and properties like ours already established on the slopes of Hualālai within the Coffee Belt. So I believe approving our request would not set any new precedents. The General Plan acknowledges that “agricultural lands are being sought for rural/residential estate use,” and that “agricultural land values have risen beyond their fair value for agricultural purposes.” I purchased my property in 2004 for 425,000 dollars. There was no agriculture growing on it; there was only cane grass, like six-foot high cane grass. Today there is avocado, we have white pineapples, lemons, limes, guava, bananas, grapefruit, oranges, we grow tomatoes, and this year our first harvest of lychee are on the branches. We do not sell these fruits; we give them away. We have planted thousands of beautiful plants, some native, on what was once nothing but overgrown cane grass. I would argue that the blanket policy that residential development within agricultural zoned lands is unfavorable, needs to be reconsidered and looked at from a different perspective. Many new residential properties on agricultural zoned lands now have more agricultural growth on it than before it was developed. Ours is one of them. The Director noted that I did not indicate that the agriculture listed above that we grow “are being sold to the extent that it would establish a viable farming activity on each of the subdivided properties,” and in the next sentence wrote, “the application does not indicate commercial agricultural plans for the newly created lot.” I’ve already said I’m convinced that viable farming is not possible there on any three-acre parcel, with land and labor costs of what they are up there. There is no form of commercial agriculture we can do there that would pay our mortgage. My wife Janet and I, we work 60 hours a week. We go to work every week to pay our mortgage. We can’t afford to not go to work; we cannot afford to farm. I was not aware that any commercial agricultural plans were required with our application. What I can tell you is if my zoning request is approved, I intend to invest in hydroponic farming equipment and, with my son-in-law, try to make 8 EXHIBIT A