HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0862.039 1996-1998
Maye"',~p1-98 04:07P vonnie lyons 808 322-8899 P.01
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VONNIc LYONS
PUBLIC RELATiOHs, ETC.
78-6789 Makenawai St.
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Phone: (808) 322-6809
FAX: (808) 322-8899
email: konahawdkc.juno.co-m
May 31, 1998
FAX TO: AARON CHUNG, FIFkhC'-G COMMITTEE CHAIR
HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL,
FAX NO: 969-3291
RE: RESOLUTION #279-98, SOBAY HAWAII
As a private citizen, I would like to recommend that Resolution No.
279-98, requesting the Mayor to neaotiate with SoBay Hawaii Inc. to
aquire the beachfront parcel at Wai'aha, North Kona, Hawaii,
designated as TMR:(3)7-5-018:20 ter public purposes, in a land
exchange, transfer of developm£~nt rights, and/or other means of
acquisition that may be uvailubl~ under the Hawaii County Code.
This parcel should be designated u p.z',I.ic park for use by all the
people of Hawaii and should r.at be desecrated by a 5-story, 21-unit
apartment on the small .7-acre area under consideration.
As a member of the Kailuc-. Vill:xg~z Design Commission, I voted to
recommend to the Planning Commission that it deny the permit
application by SoBay for devo:Iopiaent of this project. Honl's
Beach, as Wai'aha is known, is extensively by surfers and
their families; it has 1-; *en ,3 for the kids of Kona. There
is a lot of sentiment corn-:-,cted C(; place by residents whose
families have grown up on th;s bci,.-h e: r+. learned the cultural sport
of surfing here. This js onf= of. i.'11;, ..act remaining havens dear to
the hearts of the people t,ha :::1co'ld nct- be taken away.
From personal experience 1 era r.yrinst the development for reasons
other than those mentiont.d abov.. vihen my husband Harry and I
moved to Kona permanently in 1972, ),jr fist home was the residence
on the Gomes' property, incfiadiate:ey adj,cent to the SoBay property
on the south. Our Oceanside deck abutted the mand-made salt water
pool on the SoBay property, and ,:)u. house is on pilings, the deck
is higher than the lower e,7a.inc= a ci o:` the proposed condominium.
We moved into the house on k Mz.l lts79 and moved out on April 1980,
when employee housing be:amF v o1-:1,;bie to me at Keauhou Bay.
During the year we lived t.llrre, :isocc was no unual surf caused by
a hurrican or a tsunami.. . the surf came under the
house on a normal basis. o r rc>.:°, two occasions the winter surf
came over the deck far en.arl;. tv a it t_h large plate glass window
Qouun. Ne. _~1.3 q
F11e No.
ket. To: Presented FG
Ekd. Date JUN 2 1998
May-41-98 04:07P vonnie lyons 808 322-8899 P.02
AARON CHUNG, COUNTY COUNCIL (cont.) May 31, 1998
Page 2
in the master bedroom, and on one occasion knocked two of the
pilings off their moorings under the house. This was just NORMAL
tidal action in on year's time. We also had trouble in times of
heavy rain when runoff from mauka areas flooded Alii Drive.
There is now a water treatment plant directly across Alii Drive
from Honl's Beach. Although I am no enginner, in my opinion it is
most likely that water treatment plant is going to overflow in
heavy rains. High surf and overflowing water will drown the lower
level of the planned condominium, probably every year.
The Planning Department has tried to rebuild a former sea wall on
the property to help protect the development. This would result in
the disappearnace of the beach altogether. That sea wall has been
gone for years and the sand has been allowed to again cover the
beach. My question is, how can anyoric "rebuild" something that is
no longer there? Ir would have to be a new wall, and I strongly
object to that.
It is noted in the Hawaii Revised Statutes, Section 205A-26 Special
Mangement Area guidelines, that "No development shall be approved
unless the authority has first found: (2)(A) That the development
will not have any substantial adverse environmental of ecological
effect" ...and (D) Any development which would substantiazlly
interfere with or detract from the line of sight toward the sea..."
Under that statute, this development cannot be approved.
It will be appreciated if you will work toward the acceptance of
Resolution /279-98, work out land exchange and acquire the
property for public use.
Thank you our consideration.
~ IK~
CC: Councilman Curtis Tyi.er