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DELIMA: You know when we did the conceptual plan, it was envisioned that the Ban—that
<br /> Uncle Billy's site and the Country Club site would be a motel or timeshare type of, with
<br /> commercial mixed in it. Is the Request For Interest open or does it just limit it to just a hotel
<br /> aspect? I'm just, I'm hoping it to be as general as possible so that people who have the
<br /> interest
<br /> TSUJI: Yeah, it, we just had the draft come out, literally handed to me before I got on the plane.
<br /> So I think the concept we were told before we wanted to see another resort, but it can easily be
<br /> drafted to allow mixed use or any kind of commercial. And then at one point, there was I think
<br /> before the land map was adopted, there was a prior draft that had like open space along that area
<br /> as well.
<br /> DELIMA: Yeah, we changed that, but you know, the thought was that when we had the public
<br /> comment and discussion, at first there was the thought that, you know, why would anyone want
<br /> to look at the harbor and the public comment and the discussion at the Agency was that you're
<br /> looking at the ocean and it's a nice view, and other areas where people have apartments, they
<br /> would welcome being able to look at the harbor. It's not a bad view; it's actually a nice view
<br /> when you're next to the ocean. But the thought was that, especially for maybe people who
<br /> wanna retire, that coming to Hilo to live in a condominium or you know type of development,
<br /> senior living situation might be of interest because you have—you can walls that area, you know,
<br /> it's a nice area. And then if you had mixed commercial use, you'll have much better
<br /> opportunities for people to invest. So it wouldn't just be necessarily to develop a hotel, but to
<br /> develop something that would lead to be attractive to people who might wanna move here and
<br /> live here.
<br /> TSUJI: And we can do that because it'll be a Request For Interest and we can ask. In fact, that
<br /> was what the draft says right now, to provide us information of your intended use of the
<br /> property.
<br /> DELIMA: Because we want, I think we wanted to—we don't want to limit the interest and I
<br /> know, I know, I'm sorry, I know Mr. Bushor was,you know, he has a working arrangement with
<br /> Hilton and then Hilton, they have a lot of different classes of hotels, stars of hotel. They have
<br /> theI forget what they call—the Garden Inn Courtyard is Marriott, I guess, different levels, and
<br /> then Hilton has a big timeshare component to their portfolio. So I think the more broad we make
<br /> the request for interest they like the ideaso, I just, that would be my suggestion. And I view
<br /> the Redevelopment Agency as just a mechanism to facilitate investment in our community. And
<br /> I think the Mayor's comments, from the first time I've talked to him about the conceptual plan, is
<br /> that we're not wed to that conceptual plan. We're, we are, I think everyone is interested in what
<br /> makes sense for the community. And I think the Mayor hits the nail on the head. We want the
<br /> community to be utilizing and welcoming in terms of that area and at one of the first meetings
<br /> we talked about like, there really is no playground in Banyan Drive. There really is no activities
<br /> for teenagers to do in the Banyan Drive area. There is no, someone said, there's no real sports
<br /> type, other than the golf course, there really is no type of place you can take your family other
<br /> than to the Reed's Bay Beach, there's no—well Coconut Island; you can run around there, but
<br /> Anyway, that was some of the comments and I think we're all open to any suggestions.
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<br /> Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency
<br /> October 25,2017 Minutes
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