HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0936.007 2008-2010 Page 1 of 1
Murashige, Laura CUPP P3 Sat acts,
From: Caroline Greenwell [greenwell2c @hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 10:14 AM L l Ji1 I t SIr r1
To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Testimony regarding Amendment Chp 27 j
Attachments: Testimony- Amendment Chp 27.pdf
Please accept the attached document as my written testimony requesting your committee to pass the
recommendations amending Chapter 27, to remove the 50 foot buffer zones related to special flood hazard areas.
I have also sent this via fax to 961 -8912, attention Councilman Guy Enriques.
Caroline C. Greenwell
General Partner, Kalukalu Properties
Comm , q 3(o.
Ref. To it
Rai Date 1 ' 2gta
10/18/2010
Kalukalu Properties
P.O. Box 1236
Kealakekua, Hawaii 96750
Councilman Guy Enriques, Chair
Chairman of the Public Works Committee
Hawaii County Council
Address: 25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, Hawai'i 96720
RE: Proposed Amendment Chapter 27
Dear Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee,
Kalukalu Properties is a family partnership made up of the children and
grandchildren of Norman and Jean Greenwell. We own property in South Kona
that has been in our family's control since the mid 1800's. An affiliated
company, Greenwell Faints, Inc., operates one of the largest Kona coffee
operations on this property.
We strongly urge your committee to pass the recommendations to amend
Chapter 27, article 2, section 27 -12 of the Hawaii County and eliminate the
unnecessary 50' buffer zones related to special flood hazard areas.
Many of the recognized flood hazard areas currently delineated in North and
South Kona are based on very old studies and need revision. Simply adding an
additional 50 feet on either side of these lines does not necessarily protect the
community. In our case, the requirements of the 2006 revision to the Hawaii
County Code have harmed our ability to renovate the Old Kona Meat Market
(located on TMK 3 -8 -1- 04:52) for use by our affiliate, Greenwell Farms, This is
a building that has stood the test of time through many flood events in Kona
including the significant storms of 2004 and 2005.
We believe the 2006 amendments were done in the spirit of community
concern. However, these provisions are a significant impediment to the overall
economy here on the Big Island.
We would also like to point out that, as a owner of an older building such as
the Kona Meat Market, we are directly impacted by the current language of
Chapter 27 requiring the threshold for "substantial improvement" to be 50% of
the value of the building every 10 years. This impairs our ability to bring an
older building up to current standards on an incremental basis. Reducing this
to 3 years will greatly eases the financial burden of restoring older buildings in
Kona.
Thank you for the opportunity to share our experience and views.
Respectfully Submitted,
Caroline C. GreenwelW
General Partner, Kalukalu Properties