HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0595.041 2020-2022 i
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From: Kilihea Inaba
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2022 11:31 AM COIJ14TY CLERK
To: Council Testimony COUNTY fff'HAWAII
Subject: Bill 112 and Bill 115 CEIVED
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Aloha Planning Committee Members and Hawaii County Council Members,
Please accept this testimony in STRONG OPPOSITION to Bill 112 and Bill 115. The Kumu Hou project at
Waikoloa is seeking to rezone nearly 180 acres of land in the Waikoloa Resort area to allow for the development of
900 additional time share units. The Waikoloa Resort area falls under the South Kohala Community Development
Plan of which the Steering Committee states the following are the top issues that need to be addressed:
Preserve Culture/Sense of Place
Traffic and Transportation
Affordable Housing
Emergency Preparedness
Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability
t addition to the issues stated above, the South Kohala CDP General Policy future developments should:
• Provide affordable and workforce housing resources for low and moderate-income individuals, families, and
for those residents of South Kohala with special needs.
• Respect the culture, character, beauty, and history of our State's island communities
• Strike a balance between economic, social and community, and environmental priorities
• Meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
How does 900 time share units address any of these issues? It does not. It would not be irresponsible for our
county to allow this rezoning that would not only potentially, but actually worsen the issues stated above. Ultimately,
Kumu Hou must be held to the highest standard to justify why this re-zoning should be approved, other than the jobs
it might create and the addition of only 140 "affordable"units that are rent-only. Moreover, here in Hawaii County
and across the state, we continue to see developments be approved based on the promise of affordable housing and
potential job creation. In the case of Kumu Hou, while the master project's affordable housing requirement was
supposedly met over 40 years ago via a land donation, we continue to find ourselves in a housing crisis where local
families are in need of truly affordable housing with an option to purchase.
I am a firefighter/paramedic with the Hawaii County Fire Department. I work alongside respectable men and
women who serve Hawaii County and who are compensated well for doing so. Yet, I have coworkers vyho are unable
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