|
then, but Punahele was a nice back street. You couldn't see the jail too much because of the
<br />growth there. Today, these residents on Punahele Street wake up and the first thing they see is
<br />the jail, all right? The State wants to do anything, you know, I would have made a
<br />recommendation to put it somewhere else, but there it sits right in front of these people's homes.
<br />And, since 2004, these people have had to live with that parcel under question having all kinds of
<br />situations going on.
<br />This is the third hearing we're having today on this rezoning. The prior two requests were
<br />denied. They weren't favorable recommendations, and we're here today again trying to deny
<br />this request. The residences, the residents here from 2004, I believe, have been fighting this
<br />issue, this parking lot—the noise, the exhaust, the illegal activities going on, swearing—all kinds
<br />of stuff going on in this lot until we said hey, do something about it. After the two hearings,
<br />there were recommendations made to Mr. Takase to help mitigate the situation and those were
<br />met with hardly any good faith and no faith at all, and this is why we've come to distrust the
<br />Applicant.
<br />If you had to live in this area, and wake up every morning looking at the jail, and having to deal
<br />with the traffic that's coming off of Komohana, you would be taken aback, I, I think. Now, they
<br />want to put in a parking structure, which is what their goal was all this time. You need to be
<br />there. You need to live there. You know, when people say not in my backyard. We can't say
<br />anything if the State wants to put something there, they have eminent domain. They have the
<br />right. But, when you have people trying to change a residence, those granting—that was granted
<br />zoning for that, then you have a problem, and it sticks right in the middle, right across the jail.
<br />These poor people have had to deal with this for years—since 2004. These reasons came up why
<br />the Commission has recommended unfavorable recommendations to the Applicant, and again,
<br />we would like to ask you to deny this request. You live in our neighborhood, you will
<br />understand. Right now, there's a gouge in the mauka side of our hill done without permit by
<br />Mauna Towers, LLC, and if you Google them, you will find their site on the web with the Hilo
<br />site. So, it seems like it's a done deal. There was no permitting done for this construction, for
<br />this big gouge. That parcel below the big gouge reaches right, right by these residents. They've
<br />had to deal with all that heavy construction, etc. when Komohana was built. They're gonna
<br />continue to be under outside forces trying to make life more difficult for them.
<br />So, I am asking you all to forward an unfavorable recommendation. These people have had to
<br />live with these situations for a long time. Cease and desist already. I would like to see, Mr.
<br />Takase, the vision for this medical center—are you going to be pac-manning every space
<br />available so that you can provide—the 24 lots, are there going to be enough for the future
<br />demands? Where's the vision? Where's the plan? We have nothing. We have failed promises
<br />from previous recommendations. That's what we have to go on. Please. Do not recommend
<br />favorably the Applicant in this, in this situation.
<br />HENKEL: Thank you, Ms. Fujii. And, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear before, but I'm going to ask
<br />you to limit your testimony to about four minutes, okay?
<br />7
<br />EXHIBIT F
<br />
|