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QUINN: I heard the word floodgates. I also heard Donald say he's a businessman.
<br />AGUINALDO: Yeah.
<br />QUINN: The Puna Kai Shopping Center started out with a budget of 40 million. Actually, the
<br />first owner of that property couldn't get financing. From what I heard, the budget for Puna Kai
<br />now is up to 80 million. Floodgates. With the lava activity that we're having, I don't think
<br />floodgates is an appropriate word. I think people like our family that's trying to set up a little
<br />feed and fertilizer store on the bypass might be considered crazy, but that's all I really wanted to
<br />say.
<br />AGUINALDO: Rene?
<br />SIRACUSA: Well, I wanted to say first of all that what's in black and white is calling this
<br />applicant's business commercial when in actual fact it is in agricultural support service and
<br />agricultural products, and it's going on, it's been—it's been requested for ag land. I don't see a
<br />conflict. And, I think that the objections are based on that mis-definition. And, this is a really
<br />important point because a lot of those objections would disappear if you just agree that that what
<br />it is. As a matter of fact, years ago, years ago, this applicant applied to, was considering adding
<br />on another service to the community, and it was going to be a commercial kitchen for all sorts of
<br />entrepreneurs in Puna to share. Sort of like a cooperative basis, and it would create value added
<br />products from local produce. And, the Planning Commission decided that that was an
<br />agricultural acceptable use and granted the permit. Eventually, what happened was it didn't
<br />happen, but that's another point. The point is that just for that alone, they were already granted
<br />an agricu—there isn't, I don't know how far back you looked, Michael, you know, but there was
<br />already a decision by the Planning Commission in the past to call one of their proposed projects
<br />a bonafide agricultural application.
<br />AGUINALDO: So, Commissioner and Director, what they started, the Puna CDP, of being
<br />outdated, so that would have to be whatever decisionI don't know the protocol because
<br />Director Yee is just following what was on the, you know
<br />SIRACUSA: —Its supposed to be generated from the Planning Department.
<br />AGUINALDO: Right. So, would that be updated then on our Puna CDP? How does that work?
<br />SIRACUSA: One of the considerations, I think, is, was about creating a corridor, you know, like
<br />along the bypass. They didn't want it to become all commercial, and I understand that. I totally
<br />support that, except that I don't consider this commercial, and I also feel that hey, you guys
<br />opened the floodgates when you approved Woodland Center with Longs and Burger King and all
<br />of that. So, you know, you can't close the door after the, the barn door after the horse has left.
<br />OLSON: Well, if I can just, my 2 cents, and I'll go away. The County of Hawaii and the State
<br />of Hawaii. The County—the State of Hawaii allowed, and the County of Hawaii permitted,
<br />some 40 to 50,000 lots out there surrounding Pahoa. All these subdivisions. You sold the lots.
<br />People own them. Individuals own them. You will provide the services to them. I mean, that's
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