2016-04-21 Leeward Exh C (SMA 16-063)

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JOHNSON-CAMPBELL: Aloha. My name is Amanda Johnson-Campbell. I live in Kailua-Kona. I’m presenting this testimony on behalf of my family. The Kahalu‘u area is very important to us spiritually, recreationally and culturally. I’d like to note that I support the petition from Ms. McMichael to intervene, contested case for this hearing. And I also would like on behalf of my family you to deny the SMA Permit 16-063 for this development. I’m also an archaeologist by trade, so I have some serious issues with how the cultural resources in the Kahalu‘u Historic District has been dealt with in the FEA and the historic preservation work that’s been done so far. The Historic District is obviously on the National Register of Historic Places as well as the State Register of Historic Places. But there is no analysis of how this development is going to affect the integrity of this Historic District. There are seven, there are seven aspects of integrity that a property must have to stay on the National Register of Historic Places that is location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association; none of them have been addressed by the FEA or any of the work so far. I’d also like to pick a bone with the statement that’s made in the, by the developer’s consultant that the cultural values, “The cultural values of the \[Kahalu‘u\] Historic District are primarily related to the royal residences and ceremonial structures on the landscape, which are not present on or near the subject property and will not be affected.” This is seriously lacking scholarly credibility. The sites related to the maka‘āinana, which supported the royal centers are equally, if not more, important historical and archaeological context of this area, and that needs to be addressed. There are also many iwi kupuna that are not within the cemetery area that presently has a buffer. And I’d really like to know, because apparently the developers are already testing for burials in this area. They don’t even own the land. Why? They don’t have a permit, they don’t have an SMA permit, why is this happening? Unacceptable. Iwi kupuna and archaeological sites are great value to our understanding of the past of this island. This landscape connects us to our cultural history that extends back hundreds and perhaps thousands of years, and it needs to be preserved. The social impacts of this are also many. As many people have already said 300 to 1,000 added people at Kahalu‘u will have detrimental effects to the area, to the water, to everything else. Let me just add a couple more things. There is also, there was, it was noted that there is no endangered species of plants in this area, which is, didn’t take into account the sea pink. There is also ‘ōpe‘ape‘a, there is the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat. And the study for this was done in the daytime, hello? There are bats there. They are there at the evening time all the time. Residents who live there all the time, they see them. That needs to be addressed further. And you might need, they might need to get a take permit under HIPA, I don’t know, I don’t know that. You also need to think about the lifeguards; the lifeguards are already overtaxed. They do not have enough staff to take care of the people that are in the water now. How are you going to add 1,000 people to that? Property taxes, many residents in the area who are lineal descendants do not have protections of the kuleana level of taxing. Their property taxes are going to go up. Thank — UNGER: Please summarize. JOHNSON-CAMPBELL: — thank you. UNGER: Thank you. 13 EXHIBIT C