2018-11-07 Hearing Transcript - William Quinn (Pahoa Farm & Garden) SPP 18-199

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CLARKSON: Well, I don't know whether—are you going to ask a question of the testifiers? YEE: No, I'm not asking a question. CLARKSON: Oh, hold on a second then. Are there any further questions for the testifiers here? If not, thank you. Please be seated. Go ahead. YEE: I want to clarify my term of floodgates. I think it's really important. You know, within the Planning Department, we see numerous requests to do things on ag land because it typically is the cheapest land that we have on the island, so everybody has the greatest idea `cause it's the cheapest land they can get, and so we get a bunch of ideas for things. So, it's not necessary I expect a huge multi-million dollar project to be going all along the bypass, but it will invite every person who has some kind of bright idea `cause it's cheap and it's certainly the land's probably not getting more expensive recently, to want to invite a Special Permit idea. Okay, so that's what I meant by that. I also wanted to be clear that part of what led me to the denial recommendation is the absence of an access study. Right? If safety is such a big issue, you know, trying to have that to, to be able to analyze that would certainly be critical. I totally understand that as a small business owner, you're not a big developer, trying to expend funds before you have a permit is difficult, okay? Sometimes, impossible. I acknowledge that. I also during the presentation you heard that, you know, typically in an Urban zoned area, we take a look at rezones over a Special Permit. It doesn't always have to happen, but there were these other avenues, and we heard Christian start off that, you know, we had warned against kind of where we're at early on. The Applicant still wanted to bring it forward, and so, in the absence of some of these things, we still went with the denial. And, finally, there was a comment around all the substandard lots in the Puna area. I really want to be clear that Puna is substandard. Lack of water, lack of sewer. Recently, I was accused that I have a bias against Puna. It's not that I have a bias against Puna, but through General Plan, through CDP, we have tools which we can use to increase the growth rate or decrease the growth rate, and when we have substandard areas, we look at tools that possibly could slow down the growth rate because we can't keep up with, with, you know, the demands in the substandard area. So, we're in this job of trying not to, try to provide for folks while trying not to perpetuate a greater problem for the County, and it's a difficult challenging situation. The lava eruption certainly has exasperated trying to find that correct balance. So, no easy answers but I wanted folks to understand my perspective on this. CLARKSON: If there are noI think we'll wait Zendo until there's discussion. Let's get through the closing of public testimony if there's a motion for that. IKEDA: Move to close public testimony. EXHIBIT E 21