HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0151.013 2008-2010
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March 30, 2009 2009 RPR 3 on 2 55
J. Yoshimoto, Chair !'l1t v ,"r
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Hawaii County Council ~OCJNT'r i .r_= He,!~/~I!
25 Aupuni St.
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Chairman Yoshimoto and Hawaii County Council members,
The Mauka and Makai Access Committee was formed as part of the Hamakua
Agriculture plan process, which took 2 years and took into consideration input from
hundreds of Hamakua residents. Our committee continues to meet and advocate for
access to the mountains and the sea. We oppose the sale of the Hamakua lands for the
following reasons:
1. It is poor policy to sell assets to pay for operating expenses; it's like selling your
house to pay your Visa bill.
2. Hamakua residents strongly oppose the sale of these lands. Please study the
public input that was received at the meetings that Dominic Yagong hosted in
2004.
3. The Hamakua CDP should be completed before any disposition of these lands.
Hamakua residents should have the opportunity, like residents of other parts of
the island, to determine the future of their district.
4. Public accesses through these lands must be further researched and resolved so
that lateral public access across these lands can be assured. It is of significant
value to ranchers, emergency workers, hunters, and residents to be able to traverse
through these lands rather than have to travel great distances down to the highway
and then back up the mountain.
5. Existing infrastructure (especially old plantation roads) and quarries located on
these properties are valuable resources that should be preserved for public benefit.
6. Land prices are depressed; why sell in a down market?
7. The remarkable regeneration of koa in upper elevations should be studied.
8. Future possible public needs for this land (energy production, sustainable
agriculture) should be studied before any sale. The highest and best use for these
lands should be thoroughly studied.
9. In the long run, development of these lands will cost the taxpayers more than they
will gain. Studies all over the country have shown that the cost of providing
services (road improvements, police, fire and emergency services) always exceed
any increase in tax revenues..
10. Public auction will drive the prices beyond the ability of longtime residents to
afford.
Comm. No.
17 I .
Ref. To, ?r"PWad
Ref. Date 1 2003
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11. Affordable housing is sorely needed. This was expressed repeatedly in the public
meetings in 2004 referred to in # 2. Use of the County's Hamakua lands that are
closer to existing road and water infrastructure for affordable housing would
clearly serve the public's best interests.
12. Once the land is gone it's gone forever.
Sincerely yours,
Karen Clarkson, Chair
Mauka and Makai Access Committee
P.O. Box 1396, Honokaa, HI 96727
CC: Hawaii County Council Members