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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0896.120 2022-2024 p/Council silI f69 Gomm.8aC, County Clerk's Office 25 Aupuni Street Hilo,HI 96720 v c-, July 9,2024 -i Aloha, =3 My name is Robert E. Lee Jr., and I am submitting this letter in support of Kona Three receiving a favorable approval to continue their work to supply Kona with much needed housing opportunities. I was born and raised in Kona, and raised my children and numerous grandchildren here. We have,been fortunate to have been able to keep most of my children and grandchildren in Kona,but we know that is not the norm.I can't even count on two hands how many of my friends and relatives have moved away. What's even sadder for a lot of them is that their children have all had to move away in order to survive. They do not get to see their children and grandchildren grow up. Why is that?How did we get to the point where our children are unable to find a place to live in their own hometown? My niece is a single mother. She has to work two jobs in order to survive here. She and her teenage son had to move in and sleep on my daughter's couch for almost a year because she could not find anywhere to go. She works hard; 70-80 hours per week, yet there was nowhere for her to live.Nothing affordable.No options.I know she is not the only one living like this. Have any of you driven on Ane Keohokalole at night?I counted 36 cars one night parked,just between the civic and Hina Lani.Nice cars too,'not vagrants. This is where my niece might have ended up had she not had family that was able to give her someplace to stay.Now someone is offering to provide an opportunity for affordable housing and the answer is no?I cannot understand this. The council is here to be the voice of the people! I ask the council to consider all the voices of those that have been forced to move away as well. The ones that would love to move back home again. Think about them and work towards a solution with Kona Three so this project can become an opportunity for people to stay home. My mother, Elizabeth Lee,was a well known Hawaiian cultural practitioner and beloved kupuna in Kona. I will always work to protect,preserve and perpetuate the Hawaiian culture. I have reviewed the archeological data provided to the council by Kona Three. They have met and exceeded my expectations with not only their commitment to discover and preserve the archeological artifacts significant to the area,but I also feel like they have been transparent and have done everything that has been asked of them. There is nothing nefarious going on here. They have proven to me that their intentions for Kona are honorable. The proposed projects for this area has dragged on for years! I know; I'm a contractor in Kona.Now,you fmally have a group of people that are trying to bring this Comm. No 1 U. 0 Ref. To: P 111R1 VI Ref. Date JUL _1 0.202 . to fruition, and they are being held accountable for the many sins of the previous developers?That's not fair,nor does it equate to favorable progress in our community. We cannot change what has already been done and mistakes already made by other people. As Hawaiians say,we must holomua.Move forward. I have sat in on many of the hearings between Kona Three and the council. The testimony often provided in opposition is deplorable. One after the next I heard people,not from here originally,talking about their concerns for themselves. The traffic inconvenience, their fear their property value will go down,me,me,me. They finally have their dream home and "this project will negatively affect the life they've built here over the past 7 years". As a Hawaiian,their words and their selfishness offends me. Who is the council here for?The people from Kona or those who just decided this would be a great place to spend their retirement. In conclusion, as a native Hawaiian,I ask the council who exactly are you trying to save Hawaii for?The Hawaiians are no longer able to live here because there is nowhere affordable for them to live.Embellished archeology without solid factual data does not equate to reality now or historically. Kona Three has provided factual archeological data. Not what they"believe"could possibly have occurred in the area. I love my culture and respect my ancestors and believe in the preservation of the history of our people,but the native Hawaiian people are the culture. Without them you just have a lot of undeveloped, overgrown land that those who can afford it from other places can now come to call home. Let the Hawaiian people at least have a chance to live in the place they are from. There is no Hawaii without Hawaiians. Work Together. Compromise. Figure it out. Mahalo for your time, Robert E. Lee Jr.