HomeMy WebLinkAboutKorotie, Heather
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Heather Korotie <heatherkorotie@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, September 14, 2026 10:39 AM
To:Council Testimony
Subject:Bill 147 Oral Testimony Request and Written Testimony
I would like to request the ability to provide Oral Testimony and please also forward my written
testimony.
Mahalo ~ Heather
Aloha Chair and Members of the Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use, and Economic Development,
My name is Heather Korotie. I live in Captain Cook and operate a fruit farm and B&B farm-stay in the State Agricultural
District, recently conditionally approved by Planning. I have also advocated for agri-tourism and farms operating hosted
rentals on Hawaiʻi Island for the past five years.
As you consider Bill 147, please ensure that the Special Permit process for farm stays in the State Agricultural District is
equitable to the B&B registration process.
If a farm demonstrates active commercial agriculture and complies with the bill’s restriction against operating a hosted
rental in an additional farm dwelling, it should not face major new requirements or costs beyond those required for B&B
registration—other than the time and fees directly associated with the Special Permit itself.
I respectfully ask the Council to ask direct questions today about the full requirements and costs a farm will face when
seeking a Special Permit, and most importantly to understand if there are any differences between the requirements for a
Special Permit vs. Registration process.
These details matter. A farm may do all the work, spend the money, and successfully obtain a Special Permit, only to
discover that additional requirements that other hosted B&B operators did not have make, now make the farm-stay
operation financially impossible because our costs are so much higher. That outcome would not protect agriculture—it
could push responsible small farm stays out of business.
Please protect working farms and agricultural operations by maintaining fair standards that allow responsible hosted farm
stays to continue operating. If farm stays face vastly different requirements and costs, they may not be able to compete or
remain in operation—which would be devastating for all of us to realize after doing all the work to obtain a Special Permit.
Mahalo for your consideration,
Heather Korotie
Captain Cook (The Mango Farm)
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