HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0595.080 2020-2022 P1PC
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From: dygross
Sent: Saturday, February 19, 2022 4:13 PM 0
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Bills 112/115
RE: Bills 112/115 .
Aloha County Council Members, -
We are concerned that developing workforce housing units within the Waikoloa Beach Resort, while a meaningful
endeavor, is contradictory to the original and conceived concept of the resort master plan that was intended for
Waikoloa Beach as well as other resorts along the Kohala coast.
Adding workforce housing on Hawaii Island is much needed as there is a distinct demand for long term affordable
apartments and houses for local residents.
That said, the resorts have numerous essential qualities that make embedding workforce housing within master
planned resort communities an incompatible use for both resort owners and employees who would potentially occupy
workforce housing within a resort environment.
While there is a fractional contingent of full time, mostly retired residents who occupy single family homes and
condos within our coastal resorts,the coastal resorts were planned, designed and developed to primarily serve as
destinations to serve transient visitors with multiple resort hotels, short term vacation rental housing and time share
units, as well as second homes for part time owners.
The shopping centers that exist within Waikoloa Beach Resort and Mauna Lani Resort cater primarily to transient
visitors &tourists. There are upscale food markets and restaurants within the resort communities but there are
generally no other amenities or services that are targeted at serving full time local residents There are no local
neighborhoods with other families for social interaction, public schools, churches, day care centers, student
recreational facilities, banks, post office, etc. -services necessary to live a quality and complete life as a full
time local resident family.
Pricing is also generally higher for items sold within the resort and the shopping is generally limited to items that
primarily appeal to tourists.
To access the important amenities and services that are needed and outlined above requires travel to
Kamuela/Waimea, Waikoloa Village or Kona.
Will the workforce housing residents with limited income be able to afford to pay the currently $72 per month for
resort-level common area fees that all the residential owners and commercial owners are required to do?
The Waikoloa Village Plan was developed many years ago and one of its goals was to ensure that workforce housing
be developed in a location that was compatible and conducive to neighborhood living consistent with the actual needs
of our local residents. The workforce housing currently proposed should be built in Waikoloa Village.
The resorts were neither-planned nor designed to best serve the needs and interests of our Big Island work force In
the resorts, the small proportion of people who do live full time are generally retired and the transient visitors who
travel here and those who have invested within resort communities are focused on services that are generally not
relevant to full time employed persons with families.
While the developers admirably are offering workforce housing to fast track their development to gain project and
permit approvals and at the same time save money by buildingin n only one location it does not serve the needs of our
work force. The Kohala Coast resorts provide maijiy millions of tax dollars to the State and County coffers and create
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mann jobs both within the resorts and outside the resorts. The resorts should continue to focus on and address the
primary purposes for which they were planned and designed- as tourist destinations with hotels timeshares second
homes and income properties for part time owners and retirement residences for a small amount of full time owners
Workforce housing should be located within neighborhoods where it truly enhances the duality of life of those who
reside within these much needed housing hubs. This is an unprecedented decision(one that has never been made in
the State of Hawaii before) and the long term implications should not be taken lightly_
Please do not allow zoning changes that would allow workforce housing in the resort The developer should build
workforce housing six miles away in Waikoioa Village where it belongs We should not in effect be mitigating costs
for the developer allowing him to build solely in this one location We should be taking all steps necessary to create
social and economically viable locations for the living accommodations of our workforce-they are after all the
lifeblood of this island and they deserve to be accomodated not the developer.
Thank you for listening to our concerns.
David and Linda Gross
Kamuela, Hawaii
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