HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0426.009 2004-2006 4~J?<Y OF Nq~9
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Roy R. Takemoto
Deputy Dircelor
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PLANNING DEPARTMENT
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, Hawaii 96720-3043
(808)961-8288 Fax (808) 961-8742
October 26, 2005 =
Ms. Dorothy Walsh
P.O. Box 90
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
Dear: Ms. Walsh:
Subject: Bill 148 An Ordinance Amending Section 25 (Zoning Code) of the Hawaii
County Code Relating to Agricultural Tourism
This is in response to your letter dated August 23, 2005 in which you provided comments
regarding the subject bill that is currently pending before the Hawaii County Council. Please
accept our apologies for the delay in our response.
[n as much as the proposed amendment to the Zoning Code is before the County Council we are,
by copy of this letter, transmitting your comments to the Council Chair.
Should you have questions, please Ceel welcome to contact Larry Brown or Esther hnamura of
my staff at 961-8288.
Sincerely;
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CHRISTOPHEI{ YUEN
Planning Director
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Mr. Charles T. Ramos and Ellcn F. Schroeder
Page 2
October 28, 2005
xc w/letter dated 8/26/05: Chair, County Council
Dorothy Walsh
P.O. Box 90
Kealakekua, HI 96750
' ~ i (SOS) 322-3005
Dear Roy Takemo[o, August 23, 2005
My name is Dorothy Walsh and 1 have been a resident in Kona for the past 17 years. My family and
I live on a 2-acre agriculture [arm in Kainaliu where we grow plants and fruit trees. Our family is
very concerned about the potential amendments to Chapter 25 of the zoning code, which specifically
relates to agricultural tourism.
Our neighbor is Joe and Deepa Alban who own Kona Joe Coffee. They advertise on television as well
as in all the tourism publications, touting themselves as a "World Class Visitor Center." A year and
a half ago, they built a huge structure under a permit as a coffee processing facility. Most of their
structure is for the purpose of tourism and sales of coffee, chocolate, mugs, tee shirts, and other
tourist related products. They operate their agricultural tourism facility without a special use permit
and have visitors of 150 cars per day, including tour buses. Their "roadside stand° consists of a
structure much greater than 1000 square feet. On several occasions [hey have had special events on
their property. In addition, their advertisement signs on Mamalahoa Highway blatantly seek out
other coffee farmers from which they can buy coffee. Dcesn't this bring up the question about
agricultural tourism straying into the path of literally becoming a commercial operation?
Our family has been adversely affected by the noise of their coffee processing which is 75 feet from
our home, as well as numerous tourist traffic. Because they have no special use permit, they have
had no reason to be concerned with noise levels or consideration of the neighbors. I want to make an
appeal that as you consider Chapter 25 of the Hawaii County Code related to Agricultural Tourism,
that you would be considerate of situations like ours where neighborhoods are adversely impacted.
Please limit the number of annual visitors and have specific guidelines in which you would protect
neighbors. I believe that the abatement of noise is a very important issue that needs to be addressed
by those involved in agricultural tourism. If specific guidelines and parameters are established and
indeed enforced, then problems will not arise like those we are dealing with on a daily basis.
1 understand that tourism is vital to our state's economic success, however I do believe that when
tourism operations such as our neighbors are allowed to continue without standardized guidelines,
our state is disregarding the numerous other agricultural neighbors that make Hawaii so wonderful.
There are numerous Pandora's boxes that are presently opened and need to be dealt with. That
means that some sort of enforcement of these parameters will need to be actually carried out.
Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter, which is crucial to preserving our
agricultural (ands. Please support agricultural farmers like ourselves who do not wish to participate
in agricultural tourism.
Sincerely yours,
Dorothy Wa sh