2018-04-12 Hearing Transcript DRAFT- Hamakua CDP DRAFT NOTATION

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I, in going through this whole process, you know, I fully support the draft Hamakua CDP with the Planning Director's recommended revisions. I think it was strengthened, and some things were even tightened up. The draft Hamakua CDP and the process has benefitted from the experience gleaned from all of the preceding regional CDP's from Kona, Puna, North and South Kohala, and Ka`u. So, we've, I've observed the process through the years. I also was with the Planning Department when we started this, so I have a little bit of history, and to see the capacity of our communities as well as the County Planning Department has been really wonderful to observe and be part of. And, we have listened to the community's voice. That was our task, and the input from the talk story sessions and the community surveys, as well as all the community meetings that we did hold throughout the process, the community adopted the Hawaiian `olelo no`eau, "what is good for the land is good for the people" as our guiding principle in identifying our common values and creating our community's vision for its future. The draft Hamakua CDP is the result of this effort, and I am proud and honored to have served with my fellow Steering Committee members. They, to me, have been exemplary examples of community members looking out for the community's greater good, and I think that was what kept a lot of us coming back in the process and sticking it out. I'd like to end with an excerpt from our values and vision statement. "Hamakua is a place where change is thoughtful and deliberate. Our deep aloha for the `aina compels and ensures smart, sustainable development, and the protection and perpetuation of Hamakua's uniqueness now and into the future." So, I humbly request that you review our draft CDP with this in mind, and help us to move forward in adopting it so that we may live and practice this aloha `aina for our beloved home. Mahalo. CLARKSON: Thank you. I'm going to ask the Commissioners to hold their questions until the first group of testifiers have spoken, and so, Susan, would you proceed, please? Introduce yourself. FORBES: Okay. CLARKSON: Thank you. FORBES: Hi, I'm Susan Forbes. I live in Hakalau, and I'm here tonight speaking on behalf of the Hakalau Point Preservation Association. And, I'm here to support the recommended Hamakua CDP. In some ways, I can just say "ditto" to what has been said before, but I will point out this is the 41" meeting related to the Hamakua CDP, and the meetings have lasted 2 to 4 or 5 hours. So, we really are invested in this. The first time I heard about the Hamakua CDP was at mochi pounding in Wailea in 2011, and Christian was there answering all sorts of questions. There was no way that the community could not be involved with the creation of the CDP. I have never really seen a process like this. There were many ways to learn things, many ways to provide feedback, and we were listened to. That's a real gift. There's been great consistency over time in the community feedback. Not that we always agree. There were contentious issues, but over time, there is consistency. And, some of this goes back EXHIBIT A 9