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The Planning Director is recommending a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the
<br />County Council for the Change of Zone and the State Land Use Boundary Amendment requests.
<br />And, that concludes my presentation. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
<br />HENKEL: Thanks, Maija. Any questions from the Commission? All right, will the Applicant
<br />and/or representative please come forward? Good morning, Mr. Fuke. Will you raise your right
<br />hand, please?
<br />FUKE: Sure.
<br />HENKEL: Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth in this matter before the Planning
<br />Commission?
<br />FUKE: Yes, I do.
<br />HENKEL: Thank you. Proceed.
<br />FUKE: Sure, thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Members of the Commission. The staff's
<br />Background Report, as always, is comprehensive and, you know, you really have very little to
<br />add. However, I would like to note initially that I'd like to apologize for the absence of the
<br />Applicant. He's currently in Australia—not Australia, but in Asia right now trying to generate
<br />funds for some of his planned beverage activities.
<br />Just to give you some background as far as who the Applicant is, he was one of the original
<br />founders of Hawaiian Springs, and he did the facility in Honolulu. It's called Blue Moon. It was
<br />a brewery, a microbrewery and a restaurant as well. He's also the founder of Kai Vodka and,
<br />which is distilled primarily in Vietnam right now, and actually this is—you know, he's currently
<br />right now in Vietnam.
<br />But, the reason why he's doing this is like, you know, he's had some studies done, and one of the
<br />studies showed, you know, which was done by the U.S. Geological Survey found that this
<br />particular area has one of the best artisan water system in this area; and hence, you know, you
<br />have the Hawaiian Springs. And, with the growth of the, you know, the microbrewery, you
<br />know, the interest in microbreweries, distilled, you know, vodkas, well, you know, you have like
<br />Koloa Rum. You have like Maui Vodka. And, you know, it's really becoming a very, kind of
<br />like more in vogue, and this site from his perspective is reasonably accessible to a lot of the
<br />local, agricultural tropical foods. You know, whether it's papaya, rambutan, lychee, lime. These
<br />will be all potentially, can be infused into the various distilled products or let alone, the brewed
<br />products. And, so, that's the reason why, you know, this site is selected.
<br />The zoning map might seem a little bit deceptive in the sense that you have an area which would
<br />show like an Ag -5 acre area. But, that Ag -5 acre area is where the Hawaiian Springs operation
<br />plant, operating plant is. The FA -2 acre area was, well actually rezoned to create two -acre lots
<br />because previously, there was a Special Permit also issued for brewery or beverage facility.
<br />EXHIBIT C
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