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Home My WebLink About*Bill 186 Supports BUILDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF HAWAII 94-487 Akoki Street, Suite 213 | Waipahu, HI 96797 | (808) 629-7500 | info@biahawaii.org Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, HI 96720 August 14, 2026 Re: Letter of Support for Waikoloa Green Mixed-Use Development, South Kohala Dear Chair and Members of : My name is Roseann Freitas, CEO of the Building Industry Association of Hawaii (BIA Hawaii). Chartered in 1955, BIA Hawaii is a professional trade organization affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), representing the building industry and its associates. BIA Hawaii takes a leadership role in unifying and promoting the interests of the industry to enhance the quality of life for the people of Hawai’i. Our members build the communities we all call home. BIA Hawaii supports the Waikoloa Green project and its contribution to addressing Hawaii Island's housing needs. As the voice of Hawaii's building industry, BIA Hawaii supports projects that increase housing opportunities for local residents and workers. Waikoloa Green will provide much-needed workforce housing in South Kohala, helping to create housing opportunities closer to major employment centers. The addition of approximately 400 multifamily units represents a meaningful investment in the region's housing supply and supports efforts to retain the local workforce that is essential to the area's economy. The project will also generate construction and employment opportunities for local contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and skilled trades workers. This type of development provides important economic benefits while helping meet a critical community need. For these reasons, BIA Hawaii respectfully supports the Waikoloa Green project and encourages favorable consideration of the application. Respectfully submitted, Roseann Freitas Chief Executive Officer Building Industry Association of Hawaii Joyce Ama Lilly 29-248 Chin Chuck Road Hakalau, HI 96710 August 13, 2026 Re: Letter of Support Waikoloa Green (Change of Zone and Special Use Applications) Dear Chairperson Kimball and Members of the Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions, Waimea. I need help with affordable housing in Waikoloa. This would really help my family stop struggling. I contribute greatly to my community by helping native Hawaiian students improve their math skills in ways that develop their native Hawaiian identity through Hawaiian Culture-Based Educational strategies, a key element in moving the achievement needle in the right direction for my community and culturally- based school. My partner and I live on a farm in Hakalau because our rent is reduced in exchange for helping to mow the It is a burdensome drain on out time to mow in order to afford rent. At this time, we do not have a solution for how to afford living in the area we work as the rent amounts are WAY too high to afford. Waikoloa Green offers a real solution. Four hundred combined attainable rental or possible ownership of a home, built within a commuting distance to my place of work, designed for the workforce that makes this community run. That is not a small thing. That is a meaningful change in the right direction for meand my family of native Hawaiian ancestry. This is huge. grow food and build a livelihood on land that has sat idle for too long. I have my BA in agriculture and I the health of my family. I urge the Commission to approve Waikoloa Green. I need affordable housing and I need food security. I just need help from good leadership willing to serve our community in ways that make sense. Please vote to approve this Change of Zone. Mahalo for yourtime and for your service to our community, Joyce Lilly Augustin Kealii Lilly 29-3781 Kanna Road Hakalau, HI 96710 August 13, 2026 Re: Letter of Support Waikoloa Green (Change of Zone and Special Use Applications) Dear Chairperson Kimball and Members of the Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions, would really help me be closer to my son who lives in the Village there. At this time, I truly do not have a solution for how to afford living in the area my son lives as the rent amounts are WAY too high for me to afford. Waikoloa Green offers a real solution. Four hundred attainable rental homes. I their idea of family farm lots and food hub that will give me a path to grow food and build a livelihood on land that has sat idle for too long. I used to teach at Hawaii Community College and ran the Hawaiian Lifestyles garden there on campus for over 10 years. I know how to utilize this Waikoloa Green opportunity for the betterment of my community, and for myself and my family. I urge the Commission to approve Waikoloa Green. I need affordable housing and I need food security. I just need help from good leadership willing to serve our community in ways that make sense. Please vote to approve this Change of Zone. Mahalo for your time and for your service to our community, 68-1745 WAIKOLOA RD APT K202 MAIL BOX 21 WAIKOLOA, HI 96738-5537 August 13, 2026 Re: Letter of Support Waikoloa Green (Change of Zone and Special Use Applications) Dear Chairperson Kimball and Members of the Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions, Waikoloa Green project, and to ask the Commission to consider approving it. I have lived in South Kohala for almost 6 years. When I first moved to Waikoloa, it was because I got a security officer job at Mauna Lani. Prior to that, I was living in my childhood home in Hilo on the Waiakea side of town. Because of the long daily commute from Hilo, I slept in my truck in the Mauna Lani employee parking lot for the duration of the 5-day work week of my first year of employment there. It was so rough. Rainy season especially. Even in good weather, I would often need to strategize finding a spot to feel safe and able to rest without bright lights shining in my eyes as I tried to sleep. I was thankful for the locker rooms and cafeteria lunches provided by the hotel, but with regard to the extended days of the work week; I decided to chalk all that struggle up to building character. I eventually improved my career with the State of Hawaii hiring me to be a Conservation Resource Officer with DLNR Kona office. I now live in my They are veryaged (both are 84 years old) and L ķƚ ƓƚƷ ŷğǝĻ ğ ƭƚƌǒƷźƚƓ for how to afford living in the area I work as the rent amounts are too high to afford. This is a major source of worry for me as I need to keep my housing in order to maintain a strong reputation for reliability at work in my new career. Waikoloa Green offers a real solution. Four hundred attainable rental homes, built within a commuting distance to my place of work, designed for the workforce that makes this community run. That is not a small thing. That is a meaningful change in the right direction. grow food and build a livelihood on land that has sat idle for too long. I urge the Commission to approve Waikoloa Green. I need affordable housing and I need food security. Mahalo for your time and for your service to our community, Resident and Community First Responder for the Waikoloa Community