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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0314.040 2020-2022 From: Tim Ward-Ward's Hardwood Floors Seat: Tuesday, August 17, 2021 8:28 AM To: Council Testimony Cc; John Pipan Subject; Response to Opposition to Bills 52 and 53 Mahalo for allowing us an opportunity to address the concerns of the council members and neighbors raised in the Aug 3 meeting regarding Bills 52 and 53. We were in the Zoom meeting, but were not called upon to respond and appreciate you taking time to read our response below. First and foremost we want to apologize for not attending the initial meetings with Mr. Inaba. We in no way meant to disrespect the process or the significance of what we are requesting. We thought Mr Pipan was the correct person to work with Mr. Inaba to understand his vision and concerns and how our request could work with the vision laid out in the county general plan. The County General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide (LUPAG) and Community Development Plan(CDP') have very specific goals for the future of Hawaii which Mr Pipan and his colleagues are very familiar with. The preservation of the artifacts is understandably a major concern for the neighbors and to us. The original decision and recommendation by SHPD allowed for data recovery and on-site preservation. Based on the testimonies, the neighbors and community seems to believe it was our idea to use data recovery, when the original idea was put in place by SHPD well before we purchased the property. We know how much passion and desire there is by the community to keep the artifacts on site, and we are fully on board with on-site preservation. Another common concern of the neighbors that testified was a request for ohanas. At the LPC there was a discussion about the fact there are actually 7 water rights. The LPC discussed whether using the 7th credit for one ohana would increase the number of available homes and help with the housing crisis. The LPC determined they did not recommend adding one ohana which is where it was left. At the July council meeting,the ability to use the 7th water right was again brought up. We are neutral either way. We are relying on you, the city leaders who best know the needs of the community. In the Aug 4 meeting, there was discussion about what we would do if the change of zoning wasn't granted. Building a "monster house"was stated. While we don't know the exact conversation between Mr. Pipan and Mr. Inaba,our conversations with Mr. Pipan about use of the land if left as Ag is that we could build one primary house in scale with typical homes in Kona Acres. Homes in Kona Acres near the lot range in size from 936 to 4,260 SF per the Hawaii County assessor website. If it's left as a farm, it would make sense that the home remain on the lower end(1,000 - 1,500 SF). Most people don't have the time, energy or money to maintain a farm and large house. In Nebraska, barns are bigger than homes for a reason. At both the July and August council meetings, there was some discussion of our hiring of Zendo Kern Planning Consultant, LLC which later became Land Planning Hawaii,LLC when he divested himself for conflict of interest. We purchased the lot back in 2019, and hired Zeno Kern's firm well before he was asked to work as a public servant for the county. Land Planning Hawaii was familiar with the lot and well equipped to continue to help us navigate this multi-year process and provide effective on-island representation. Several times the vacation rental situation has been brought up. We fully understand this lot is not in the vacation rental zone and that is not the business we ever intend to be in. Although we don't pretend to know the extent of the housing crisis, it doesn't take a genius to see how VR.BO and short term vacation rentals can devastate the long-term rental market and inflate home sale prices. The town homes we have here in Nebraska are long-term leased(12 - 24 months). With a favorable vote,whether the 6 homes are long-term rental or sold as family homes, they contribute to the range of housing choices available in the Kona area. While it is true that we are asking to develop the land into 6 home lots, we are not"developers" as we have been called in the meetings. Kay has worked at Union Pacific Railroad for 32 years. Tim is a small business owner(Ward's Hardwood Floors)which he has ran for 30+years. At the July council meeting, one of the members called us "salt of the earth" and she had no idea how right she is. Kay's from a small town in Kansas nicknamed"Salt City". Her grandmother worked in the Carey Salt mines until she retired at age 70 and her uncle retired from Morton Salt. Tim comes from a family of 13 kids who witnessed his mom make ends meet each month on a shoe string budget. We are not big-time mainland developers. We are hard working,honest"salt of the earth"people. b114i '3m ° ef.To.: 6 Def, fie Ar Kay grew up in a town home community named Terrace Gardens. One of the artifacts we are preserving is a terrace thought to be used for gardening, so it seemed to be kismet and we began referring to the—4 acres as Terrace Gardens. We envision 6 plantation style homes, each with its own name and color theme from the flowers and fruits of Hawaii. Attached is a link to some"inspiration" images. The screenshots are images of tiny homes which is not what we are proposing, but we use them to try and capture the style and vibe that we imagine this little euldesac of 6 homes could be. We also have a vision of how the mauka side of lot 6 could become an orchard with locally-sourced trees providing fruit not just for people,but to attract birds and bees_We would also plant trees on each of the other 5 lots. haps:/ldrive.google.conk/filetdhOKXSTdiUC8SmRg3s44hizkGP80g8GOeHlview`?usp=sharing In the end, it comes down to what is best for the community and the state of Hawaii. Leaving it as a—4 acre Ag lot is one use of the land and some say that leaving it as-is is the best use. After thorough review of the zoning and Land use change applications, along with consulting planning firms and legal council familiar with the county general plan,we felt that a 6 lot subdivision was very muell in-line with the county's vision for the area. We would like you to consider the positive long-term effects that 6 homes could have for the community. We want to be part of the solution of the housing crisis, but we are just 2 people. We can't fix the problem, but we would hope that providing 6 homes(whether long-term rental or family-owned)would contribute to the housing choices available and would be a small difference we could make. Mahalo again for taking time to read this. In the Aug 4 meeting, Councilman Chung was talking about his community work and said lie tells his mentees it's up to them to prove people wrong. Those are very wise words. He's right. It is up to us,Tim and Kay Ward, to prove to you, the council,the neighbors and the community that we are who we say we are and come with good intentions and a desire to be part of(not work against)the community. Kind regards, Tim and Kay Ward 2