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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0896.058 2022-2024 P/ LAac i� ( COUN1 CLERK GOM14.876 COUNTY OF HA V1A-,, Testimony from Brenda Ford, Former Council Member- Kona4 'M1,s, , iE 3i • 22 Oppose Bill 169 Kona Three LLC for Kona Vistas a.k.a. Royal Vistas' request for another 10-year extension- Denied. Kill this project since the applicant did not meet their commitments and terminate the application in its entirety Regarding Perpetual Extensions on subdivision permits: 1. It would be in the County's and the public's best interest to allow one single 5-year permit that includes all infrastructure. If the applicant cannot complete 100% of infrastructure and at least 40% dwellings starting with all the very low income,low-income, emergency housing.apartments, etc.,then you know the applicant is just trying to flip land and/or they do not have the financial resources to build the appropriate housing. 2. If they fail to meet these requirements within five years,their application for the permit shall be cancelled permanently, and they need to start over,which means a new application, updated archeological report,traffic report, a park and recreation report (new addition), Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPS) Report (new addition), DOT connections report, and all other required reports, etc., and funding-in other words they start from scratch and get more onerous requirements that are up-to-date! After five years,these reports should time out! Traffic and sewage requirements alone change a lot in five years not to mention 10-20 years. Remember that developers may terminate their company at the end of their project to end their liability 3. We need to get tough with these developers who lie to the Council and Commissions. Also, instead of multi-million-dollar houses,we need very-low income,low-income, and moderate income, and rental (apartment) housing! A portion (10% of the very-low-and low-income housing should be given to the County permanently to manage as rental properties. This prevents this housing from ever being"flipped" for profit making them more and more expensive. 4. If the developers can't make a profit,we don't need them because they ALWAYS come back to the Council whining about their profits and the Councils ALWAYS give in by reducing infrastructure which the County taxpayers are on the hook to build at some point in the future -Then we lack parts of infrastructure,WWTPS, County-standard roads, and no truly affordable housing for our people. All housing shall be built to the County Codes with no exceptions and include insulation to keep heat out and solar to keep electrical costs down! Regarding infrastructure: on-site septic systems are required unless they connect to our over- loaded waste-water systems which still need to be fixed. 1. During my term, I advocated consistently to fix the Waste Water Treatment Plants (WWTPs). Nothing happened although the County has been cited at least twice by the EPA for Kealakekua WWTP. I spoke to the Engineer in charge and suggested that the County use Effective Microbes or other products to digest the sludge at Kealakekua WWTP before it is disposed. I was told that it was too expensive. In the interim,wet sewage sludge is being dumped at the sanitary landfill in West Hawaii and our employees and users must walk through the wet sludge to dump garbage. Imagine when the sludge is dry and airborne, dust and bacteria will be blown through the air to be breathed by animals and humans. We have created a brown zone. 5g Comm. No. Ref. To: 8 Ref. Dote 2. Meanwhile,the Hilo WWTP is literally falling apart. Mayor Roth described spongy concrete and overflows into Hilo Bay. If you look over the years at the reports for on-island WWTPS, you will see that these problems are not new problems. New laws: a. Eliminate 99% of the word"may" in the County Code, General Plan,and Charter. Replace "may"with"shall': b. Pass a law that requires two entrances and exits from all new subdivisions including those permits which are re-applications. Remember that any infrastructure that is not built by developers must be built by the County at its cost eventually. c. Pass a law that very-low and low-income housing can be built on 3,000 square foot lots. This lowers the cost to developers and buyers. d. Create a law that requires construction of fire breaks (Firewise) around perimeters of new subdivisions. Create a fund of 0.5-2% of new construction costs to maintain old fire breaks and create new fire breaks separate from the developers work. Consider adding tax dollars to the fund in the same amount annually. Remember Lahaina! e. Create a law that disallows construction in a floodplain except for bridges over the floodplains that can handle 2-way vehicular traffic and foot bridges for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Turn the floodplain into "green" space with walking paths above the high- water level of the floodplain. Include creating and/or placing water-resistant-slowing devices to slow water flow and reduce flooding inside or outside of the floodplain. Possibly a series of short rock&concrete walls allowing pooled water to slow and seep into the land. f. Create a fund to maintain floodplains to which developers contribute (0.5-2% of total construction costs) and consider adding tax dollars to the fund in the same amount annually. Change the amount charged for dumping in a floodplain to at least$10.000 per event. Send inspectors into the North Hilo and Hamakua districts to report on dumping. The County needs to remove all debris (abandoned tires increase mosquito breeding). g. Create a law that all developers contribute (0.5-2% of total construction costs) to a new fund for construction/repair of potable water wells. Consider adding tax dollars to the fund annually in the same amount without reducing current funding to the Department of Water Supply. h. Create a law that all developers contribute (0.5-2% of total construction costs) to a Parks and Recreation fund for new parks and maintenance of existing parks. Require subdivision parks for five dwellings or more and/or contribute to a permanent fund for parks inside the subdivision or general parks outside the subdivision, or both. Consider adding tax dollars to the fund annually in the same amount without reducing current funding for existing parks. i. Create a law that assists in police,fire,and school impacts with a fund with 0.5-2% of total construction costs. Consider adding tax dollars to the fund annually in the same amount without reducing current funding for those items inside the various departments. j. Create a law that sets aside 0.5-2% of total construction costs and builds habitats for endangered species-possibly in the "green" zones but does not block the floodplains. Consider adding tax dollars to the fund annually in the same amount without reducing current funding. We might be able to get volunteers from non-profits to donate time and help to plant in "green" spaces. k. Create a law that requires a permanent maintenance fund for 0.5-2%of total construction costs funded by developers for public road maintenance along boundaries of the development. 1. Fix the leaky roof of the Kailua-Kona Gym near the swimming pool. m. Build more volley ball courts throughout Kailua-Kona. Volleyball teams can't get sufficient space or time on the few courts available.