HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0927.022 2004-2006
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June 19, 2006
Hawaii County Council Committee on Planning
K. Angel Pilago, Chair
Pete Hoffman, Vice-Chair
Re: Resolution No. 381 06
Dear Chair Pilago and Committee Members,
On behalf of the South Kona Land Owners I am submitting testimony
against Resolution No. 38106, relating to postponing Council action on rezoning
applications. The South Kona Land Owners group has been meeting informally
over the past year to discuss common concerns and interests for the future of
South Kona. The group is comprised of a broad segment of the South Kona
community many of whom have generational ties to the land that go back 150+
years. Participants include Ackerman Ranch, Buddy and Susie Norwood,
Captain Cook Ranch, Gary Ashikawa, Gary Yamagata, Greenwell Fauns,
Hokukano Ranch, Hokulia, Hookena Nursery, Kaimalino Ranch, Kamehameha
Schools, Kamehameha Investment Corporation, Kealakekua Ranch, Kealia
Ranch, Keauhou Resort, MacFarms of Hawaii, McCandless Ranch, Pali K Ranch,
Paris Ranch, Skycliff Ranch, Wall Ranch and Westpro Holdings.
Many members have actively participated in the Kona Community
Development Plan and its process from the start. Bringing forth a unique
perspective, we see ourselves as part of the solution to many of the issues that
Resolution No. 38106 seeks to address in our community. To deny a land
owner's ability to move forward through normal zoning procedures already in
place is to decisively paralyze the efforts the Planning Department and the
Hawaii County Council to balance requirements for infrastructure of all types in
exchange for zoning requests. The best solutions to our community's needs for
roads, affordable housing, public facilities, and the like will emerge when
government and the private sector work together. Resolution No. 38106
discourages that cooperation by disincentivizing the private sector to bring their
best creativity to the table.
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Resolution No. 381 06
June 19, 2006
Page Two
Secondly, without a mandated time frame to adopt the Kona Community
Development Plan by ordinance allows what amounts to a building moratorium
to go on indefinitely. We urge this Council to consider the outcomes this
resolution could potentially produce including decreased housing inventory,
escalated land prices, and growth in outlying communities, all of which only
serve to exacerbate the very issues that resolution No. 381 06 is seeking to
address.
Finallv, the Hawaii Countv Charter Section 3-15, from which the General
Plan emerged as a major policy document, states in part that the plan shall be
designed to assure the coordinated development of the county and to promote
the general welfare and prosperity of its people. Real Estate and home
construction are some of the prime economic drivers of our Big Island economy
accounting for approximately 35% of Big Island jobs. Passage of this resolution
has the potential to significantly handicap our local economy.
We oppose this resolution and ask that the County Council to consider the
disproportionate economic impact of such an idea.
Respectfully Submitted,
Greg rChun, Ph.D.
South Kona Land Owners