HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0739.327 2016-2018 P/Pc-
cOUHTYCLER
Siff (08
COUNTY OF HAWAII
From: Penny Lee
To: Council Testimony 2618 9 5 . 11. 09
Subject: Bill 108 draft 5-Economic Devastation for Puna LEi Ct OCT1 B
Date: Monday,October 15,2018 8:37:07 AM
Aloha Council members, •
Bill 108 is STILL written to totally eliminate vacation rentals specifically in AG zoning,
to "sunset" not to regulate them. This is what anyone can see who reads the bill: It
has many draconian pitfalls for grandfathered vacation rentals to loose their permit
FOREVER and no new vacation rentals allowed in AG zoning. Allowing vacation
rentals based on resort/commercial zoning may give you the illusion of making sense
until you look at the existing zoning of the island. Puna has NO resort zoning and very
little other allowed zoning for vacation rentals. How is this fair and equitable? It is
quite obvious that this bill will have a VERY destructive effect specifically on Puna,
whose economy depends on vacation rentals.
The council has received a great amount of testimony from Puna residents explaining
the threat as well as our council member Eileen O'Hara has made it clear to the
council and that she can not support this bill as written. The planning commission
commented that they do not know what the economic impact of this bill would be.
The council has not done an economic impact study on what this will do to each
district on the Big Island. Tourists who can't afford the hotel/resort nightly rates will
just not be able to come here. If less tourists are coming, our towns and businesses
will all be hurting and forced to close.
Have you considered what this will do to the real estate market, or the property tax
receipts for the county etc?
The AG.zoning dilemma was created many years ago when speculators and the
county of Hawaii created many of the Puna subdivisions. 80,000 lots were created.
Zoning the little lots AG was convenient, so they did not have to provide the required
infrastructure and to secure maximum profits. People bought these lots and started
building single family houses (not farm dwellings). Obviously they could not run a
farm on 8,000 sft on rock. Recently the planning department wants to call every
house being build a "farm dwelling", to make it look as if they are complying with AG
zoning... But now this is the zoning mess we have and you have actual families
making a living here now who have invested their life savings. Existing vacation
rentals in AG zoning are currently NOT illegal, bill 108 would take this property right
away clandestinely. The county can not now turn around and use this fraudulent
zoning scheme that they approved against us. We support regulating vacation rentals
as a recognized and supported business across the whole island, but strongly ask the
council to do their due diligence and study the economic impacts of this bill by district
BEFORE considering it further.
Penny Lee
comm. No.TM•311
Ref.To:PIPC
Ref. Date OCT 1 5 2018