HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0896.143 2022-2024 P/Counci I
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From: Cheryl Tanguay
Sent: Sunday,July 7, 2024 7:02 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: IN OPPOSITION TO BILL 169-- Bill 169 Royal Vistas C)c)
Co c .,
County Council Members:
I participated as a Community Representative on the Revision Committee of the KCDP, hoping that wi h our
recently acquired knowledge regarding a 70-ish acre parcel, mauka of Queen K and slated for dense development
of 450 housing units could be instructive to the CDP for thoughts during future permitting of similar projects.
The referenced 70 Acre site was the remainder of a 3 tiered plan of Kona Vistas,of which the first 2 sections were
built between the early nineties and nearly yesterday,with that 3rd section undeveloped AG land,steeply
sloped and bisected by 2 major drainage ways off Hualalai(which have contributed to flooding on Kuakini near the
dental offices.)The parcel remained in Ag use long after the original owner transferred the 70 acres at a pittance in
2016, long after the previous owner's development window had expired. The land should have reverted to AG
status.The new owner, represented by Zendo Kern, presented his plan for 450 mixed use units,complete with 2
swimming pools in a gated segment of the property. The thought of 900+additional vehicles crossing via Lako into
Kuakini and Queen K traffic at least twice daily was enough to spur us into action and we soon discovered many of
the existing conditions that the KCDRevised Plan lists in 4.3.1 and in Managing Our Impacts:
Flood Insurance:The 2 streams and their confluence are fully on the property as illustrated on FEMA maps of
flood zones.
Trails:2 Ancient Hawaiian Trails cross the property. Additionally,there are numerous archeological artifacts,
including parallel rock walls, petroglyphs,a sugar cane railroad trestle remnant and we transcribed several native
oral histories of using the trails. The information gathered was so persuasive that PONC selected the site for
purchase as a future mauka open space that would truly give"sense of place"to future generations, if the
developer would sell. The 70 Acre site aligns with the Holualoa Inn which has long preserved a holua segment and
displays a papa holua,the sled used to ride the holua,that was found on the Inn's property. I'm told there had
been a heiau in Holualoa near the Post Office location and beyond the makai end of the surmised holua was the
restored Heiau at the Kuakini/Queen K merge. Oral histories hold that this ahupua'a had belonged to Queen
Liliuokalani among other tong tales of royal usage that abound. The I'o ground nests are here. Hoary bats and
great moths are here.
We've often been on water use advisories and now we're experiencing"rolling blackouts"to deal with greater
electricity demands than the available supply,especially during cloudy stretches.So much for infrastructure!
When Kona3LLC applied for final approval on an extension of the development in 2019, Harry Kim warned that the
KDCP Revision might make any extension moot. Kona3LLC is not likely to be the actual builder but instead
gathering all the permits they can in order to garner a higher market price. 2 requests were made of the developer
by the Leeward LUC in Dec 2022 before they voted to submit the development to the Cultural Resources
Commission for input,1) Redraw the plat respecting all the trails and artifacts as well as 2) Perform the
study to determine at what price is market-value housing. To my knowledge, they have done
Coning.
1 Ref. To:
Ref. Date 1, 1 0 2024
neither. And, the Cultural Resources Commission returned the opinion that "the site should
remain undeveloped in perpetuity." as it contains irreplaceable history and artifacts.
Q: What does the KDCP Revised Plan mean for such an obvious case of wrong place, ever?
A: Enough so that the County Council Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions is
sending a negative recommendation to you regarding this subdivision application.
I request that the County Council oppose this subdivision application as well by opposing Bill
169- Royal Vistas.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Tanguay
Kona Vistas
Cheryl Tanguay
cheryLtanguay(�gmail.com
•
From: Cheryl Tanguay
Sent: Sunday,July 7, 2024 7:21 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: Oppose Bill 169, Kona Three LLC
County Council Members:
The inherent issues of the site under consideration for Royal Vistas have only surfaced after
years of researching the particular parcels hence illustrating the potential pitfalls of rushing to
approve any development that blithely promises low/affordable income housing. Please oppose
Bill 169 Royal Vistas.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Tanguay
Kona
Cheryl Tanguay
cheryLtanguay@gmail.com
i
From: Cheryl Tanguay
Sent: Sunday,July 7, 2024 7:22 PM
To: Council Testimony
Subject: OPPOSE BILL 169-Kona 3LLC_Bill 169 Royal Vistas
County Council Members:
Especially in this post Covid era of runaway inflation, especially for construction materials that
will require transporting, it would be important to have the developer Kona3LLC's Market
Survey to give guidance regarding the actual "affordability" of the units to be built. Please
oppose Bill 169 Royal Vistas.
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Tanguay
Kona
Cheryl Tanguay
cheryLtanguayC)gmail.com
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