HomeMy WebLinkAboutSmith, Lorrie
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Lorrie Smith <lorriesmith07@gmail.com>
Sent:Tuesday, September 8, 2026 9:49 PM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Testimony in OPPOSITION to Bills 186 and 187 (Applicant: Waikoloa Green LLC)
Aloha Chair and Members of the Hawaiʻi County Council, I am wri?ng as a Waikōloa resident in opposi?on to Bills 186
and 187. I am not opposed to housing or responsible growth. I am opposed to con?nuing to approve large developments
before our community has the infrastructure, emergency capacity, and essen?al services necessary to support that
growth.
My greatest concern is wildfire safety and evacua?on. We do not currently have the road capacity to safely evacuate all
of the residents who already live in Waikōloa during a major wildfire. We know firsthand how quickly fire can threaten
our community. Adding hundreds of addi?onal households without first addressing emergency access and evacua?on
capacity increases the risk for everyone—both exis?ng and future residents.
Waikōloa has also grown without the public services that should accompany that growth. Our elementary and middle
school is already at capacity, and our children deserve a high school in their own community. We also need an HPD
substa?on, County and human services, DMV services, expanded fire and emergency resources, and greater access to
medical and dental care. Residents should not con?nually have to travel outside of a growing community for basic
government, educa?onal, and healthcare services.
I am equally concerned about the con?nued loss of agricultural land. Hawaiʻi Island has tremendous poten?al to
strengthen local agriculture and food security. We cannot con?nue saying that Hawaiʻi needs to become more self-
sufficient and less dependent on imported food while simultaneously conver?ng agricultural land for development. Once
agricultural land is covered with homes, roads, and infrastructure, that opportunity is lost for future genera?ons.
Housing is absolutely needed, but simply building more homes is not responsible community planning. Housing must
come with roads, schools, emergency evacua?on capacity, public safety, healthcare, government services, water
infrastructure, and protec?on of the agricultural resources Hawaiʻi will need in the future.
I respec?ully ask the Council to oppose or defer Bills 186 and 187 un?l the infrastructure and services necessary to
support this level of growth are funded, planned, and secured.
Waikōloa deserves though?ul, sustainable growth—not development first and promises of infrastructure later.
Mahalo for listening to the residents who will live with the long-term consequences of these decisions.
Mahalo,
Lorrie Smith
P.O. Box 385151
Waikoloa, HI. 96738
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