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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-06-16 Leeward Exh B (Public Testimony re SMA 21-000078) LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII TESTIMONY TRANSCRIPT JUNE 16, 2021 Public testimony regarding the application of JEKATERINA MYSIN (SMA 21-000078)was called to order at 10:11 a.m. via live stream online meeting, with Chairman Michael Vitousek presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Michael Vitousek, Barbara DeFranco, Clement"CJ" Kanuha III, Mark Van Pernis, and Faith "Faye" Yates ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Dalilah Schlueter, Esq. (Counsel for the Commission), Jean Campbell, Esq. (Counsel for the Planning Department), Jeffrey Darrow (Deputy Planning Director), Maija Jackson (Planning Program Manager), Alex Roy (Planner), and Noriko Sauer (Leeward Planning Commission Secretary) APPLICANT: JEKATERINA MYSIN (SMA 21-000078) Application for Special Management Area Use Permit to construct a six (6) unit, five (5) story condominium and related improvements on a 9,934 square foot lot situated within the Special Management Area. The subject property is located at 75-6150 Alii Drive, approximately 0.25 miles north of Royal Poinciana Drive, Puapua`a 2nd, North Kona, Hawaii, TMK: (3) 7-5-020:066. Secretary's Note: "- - -" indicates indiscernible speech due to internet/technical difficulties or simultaneous talk. VITOUSEK; Ms. McMichael, Simmy would you please proceed with your 3 minutes on item 2? Simmy it might be on mute, there you go. S. MCMICHAEL: Hello? VITOUSEK: Hello, please proceed. S. MCMICHAEL: Hello. VITOUSEK: We can hear you. S. MCMICHAEL: Okay, perfect, thank you. VITOUSEK: Yep. S. MCMICHAEL: Aloha, my name is Simmy McMichael, I created West Hawaii Surfing Association since 1986. It was to save our surf for the present and the future 1 EXHIBIT B generation. Alii Drive was a choice of our king, chief and chiefess's because of wahi pana, surf, fishing and canoeing and farming. Alii Drive is the last place we can save historic cultural and natural resources with our kuleana and I'm a kupuna and I will teach my keiki and my mo`opuna. The County's trust provision enacted by County voters in 2010 also quoted below Section 13-29, Hawaii County Charter to include wahi pana, surf spots and historic sites. From the 1960's we allowed mistakes to happen, and this was concrete buildings, walls, seawalls that have ruined our surf and white sand beaches. By hardening our shoreline, few spots are left where the ocean is visible from Alii Drive, we need to breath the ocean it's spiritual mana. Predictions of sea level rise 3.2 feet in the mid-21st century, that has already happened. 2017 Kahulu`u Beach the sewer in the ocean, 80 feet back only 20 years prior. Banyan Surf there's over an acre of lost land and so on. In the "---" state, DLNR the shoreline is in the middle of Alii Drive centerline. I submitted photos in my written testimony. CZM shoreline setback is 40 feet minimum and can go up to 1,000 feet. I measured this lot, it's only 150 feet, it's not 200 feet plus. Surreal. While I was measuring a woman on the beach questioned me. So, she just happens to be the previous owner of this lot. So, I questioned her because the letter in January between Planning Director Kern and John Pipan they mentioned a fishing shrine called Kamakaokahi. So, this was once located in this area, and she said, "there was a huge mound in the center of this lot." She noticed in February 2021 it was gone. Hewa, there's more to this. This project should never be allowed after the fact become ever a bed and breakfast or short-term vacation rental, 6 rentals equal that out, 14 bedrooms, 22 bathrooms and only 7 parkings on site. To say it's approximately 1 million, really? Not to mention swimming pool,jacuzzi's, elevator and extreme rise in the construction materials. It's more like 4 million. Current property taxes are not paid, there are penalty and interests. Who will be paying for this development? This definitely is major SMA trigger of $500,000 an EA and EIS is required and should not be exempt. Concerns of this cumulative adversity needs addressing. Kamehameha School they tore down the mistakes. Kona Lagoon Keauhou Beach now is a beautiful park. We can all breath wahi pana from Alii Drive. Please malama our `aina for the next generation not just 10 years, 20 years but now and forever. What we have is just priceless. Please Vole this. Mahalo. VITOUSEK: Thank you Simmy. Are there any questions Commissioners? Seeing none, testifier number 2 Lokelani McMichael, please state your name and town you live in. L MCMICHAEL: Aloha, my name is Lokelani McMichael, I'm from Kailua-Kona. I'm opposing the 5-story condo at Ala Ka La. The Kona Community Development Plan they want to protect natural beauty, natural resources, shoreline, and recreation. Kona CDP adopted in September 2008 by the County Council_ Hawaii County General Plan of 2005 notes regarding scenic resources in North Kona, Kona landscape is still the most the striking feature since of 2 EXHIBIT B openness and space. General Plan promote Lyman's surf spot, Kahahu`u Beach Park, Magic Sands is one of the few stretches along the southern half of Alii Drive where development does not block ocean views. A 5-story condo involve adverse impacts to scenic areas and inconsistent with relevant goals,policies and courses of action of the natural beauty section of the Hawaii County General Plan. 45 feet concrete building with walls would be inconsistent with the natural beauty of the Kona shoreline area makai of Alii Drive. We need to maintain the quality of scenic and open space resources by leaving the coastal area in an open recreational condition. We need our wahi pana surf is our cultural recreation. All of us need to practice stewardship in the protection use in development of marine and coastal resources. Alii Drive is within a coastal high hazard. We need to be proactive and take every precaution, strong waves, tsunami erosion and pollution. SMA guidelines situation of the public safety is the tsunami evacuation. The potential cumulative impact of major developments will have a substantial adverse effect. The public lives matter as well as the 700 keiki approximate 115 teachers and staff only 1 lot away at Kahakai Elementary School. Over 11,000 cars of people daily. Please say no this. Mahalo. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much. Next up we have Mele McMichael. State your name and town you live in. M. MCMICHAEL: Hi, I'm Mele McMichael and I live in Kaihua-Kona. VITOUSEK: Thank you. M. MCMICHAEL: When I go and drive Alii with family and friends. I always wonder why I can only see the ocean in and out through buildings that shouldn't even be there. Like I can see lots and vacant spots on the other side of the road where they can put buildings on instead. When you build such a big building in such a small space, you'll most likely have to destroy trees, plants, and other beautiful things to have enough space. Even so, you still may not even have enough space for enough parking. Another main issue is making seawalls which ruin beautiful sandy beaches over time. Walls walls will erode away causing fallen rocks scattering the sand making shoreline access dangerous. On top of that making another on top would just cause the same problem again. This also ruins surf and just beaches itself. Back to where I started, I really do love to see the ocean from the road, so I really love what they did with the old hotel by Kahahu`u. Now instead of seeing a big hotel I now see ocean view driving past and it's beautiful. I'm hoping that we as Hawaiian citizens can preserve as much ocean and see ocean view as we can. Mahalo. VITOUSEK: Thank you so much, is there any questions from Commissioners? Next up is Mia McMichael. Mia,please proceed and state your name and the town where you live in. S. MCMICHAEL: No, she's not here. VITOUSEK: Okay, that's right. Um' next up we have Janice Palma-Glennie. Please state your name and the town you live in. 3 EXHIBIT B PALMA-GLENNIE: Aloha, Commissioners, my name is Janice Palma-Glennie and I live in Kailua-Kona. I'm speaking to the second application as you know. I'm giving similar testimony to what I did a month ago regarding this bad plan since nothing in the plan has changed. But first I can only wonder if the request by the applicant to postpone this decision was a strategy to help insure that less members of the public would be watching the second time around, so that decision to allow this misplaced monstrosity to be built inside our community at an outsiders behest would be observed by and testified against by less members of the public. And, needless to say, the fact that this project was given a favorable recommendation by the Deputy Planning Director rather than his boss our compromise Planning Director shows another sad and glaring example of how democratic process can be twisted and undermined. Even while ostensibly "following the riles". Ditto on a project proposal that fits the zoning code but still doesn't fit. So, to restate only an insensitive speculator would come into a community to change its entire character in one fell swoop. And only a planner who doesn't understand his k-uleana of protecting the public interest would show such a lack of sense or sensitivity of what Kona residents want and need for their community as to give this proposal a favorable recommendation. As the longest volunteer participant in the Kona Community Development Plan, I spent many hours collating thousands of our region's stakeholders' comments regarding their goals and visions for their communities and I've listened for more than 25 years about how they want to see their visions implemented and their communities protected. One of the most agreed upon goals is that our residents don't want to build their town and coastlines up like Oahu has, and they're only comfortable with 3 or 4-story buildings in "village centers" which are called TOD's and TNDs. This project does not meet those requirements and in fact, goes against the wishes and visions of the majority of Kona stakeholders who asked that regional development be low rise. For that reason alone, Commissioners have that k-uleana to say "no" to this plan. This proposal is a cultural environmental boondoggle as you know but beside the negative impacts mentioned at the last hearing, it is also true that mirrored glass is not only Oahu-esque but also even more dangerous for native and migrating birds. As a person who has lived near Alii Drive for many of my 40 years here, it's clear that walking and biking have become too dangerous due to increased traffic and lack of parking. Both will be substantially exacerbated by this project which is the reverse for enhancing smart growth which aims to get people out of their cars. Was that one-minute left or what is that. JACKSON: 30 seconds. PALMA-GLENNIE: Oh, what's needed in Kona is more workforce housing and not more vacation rentals. This condominium is one person and company money-maker, not a community-builder. Our healthy future depends on upon grassroots generated growth not top-down, developer-generated, unfortunate plans like this one. Until or if this project is meaningfully modified, I asked that you use your position and integrity to say "no" to its permitting. Mahalo for your time. 4 EXHIBIT B VITOUSEK: Thank you very much for your time. Are there any questions from the Commissioners? Seeing none, moving on to Katie Lopez, please state your name and the town you live in. LOPEZ: Aloha, my name is Katie Lopez, I'm from Kailua-Kona. Thank you for allowing me to be heard today. I'm speaking in opposition of the 5-story condo proposed at 75-6150 Alii Drive which boarders our Ala Ka La public beach access. I was born and raised in Kailua-Kona and I'm a homeowner within 500 feet of the proposed building and I am also a local business owner. I'm asking the Leeward Planning Commission to deny this SMA Use permit based on the original intention of the SMA zoning and the preservation of the scenic corridor. The first point I'd like to make is public beach access. The SMA requires adequate access to public owned and used beaches. We already have such a limited public beach access. Most of these areas do not offer safe entry into the ocean for families with young children, at high tide this is limited even further. The Ala Ka La public beach access is one of the only accessible beach access points remaining and it's commonly used by surfers, fisherman, and families. The amount of parking in a 6-unit, 22 bathrooms condo would require of a significantly impact the public access to this beach. The plans have already stated that they plan to commandeer the public parking and we can also assume that residents of this condo will also have guests absorbing even more of our public parking. This does not ensure the adequate access the public owned and used beaches which an SMA requires. There is also the issue of safety and the increase of parking and traffic along this area. This is also a passing zone, not that I agree with that but there are runners, bikers, families along this road, it is a passing area we're talking about excessive parking now. The second issue I'd like to address is cultural preservation of the Alii Drive Scenic Corridor whose values are based on a vision to preserve the historical and cultural design language of the village of Kailua to Keauhou Beach Road. The renderings of this 5-story modern condo both renderings including the most recent highly contradict the cultural surroundings. The structure will stand 3 stories higher than any of its neighbors bordering Alii Drive with the design that does not align with the Scenic Corridor and it would block the public's view of the ocean from Alii Drive. Any further development on the makai side of Alii Drive must be limited. As it is there are only few areas along the scenic corridor where you can actually view the ocean due to obstruction of"—". This 5-story condo will obstruct the public's ocean view from our scenic road and yet another area of Alii Drive. My next concern is the precedent that the Leeward Planning Commission will be setting if the proposed SMA Use permit is granted. Special Management Area zoning was established because there was a need to preserve this area and it was feared that if special zoning was not set in place, excessive development would continue. The SMA was 5 EXHIBIT B established to preserve, protect and restore our cultural, our coastal areas by placing control on development. If this SMA Use permit is granted, where will it stop. Approving this application will set the precedent for future developers and outside influence to build bigger and higher in our SMA destroying what is left of our public beach. It will further, I'm sorry, I'm emotional that's why, it will further destroy our cultural preservation, natural resources and historic resources. I'm asking the Leeward Planning Commission, please deny this SMA. You have the ability to preserve what is left of Kailua-Kona for our future generation. This one negatively affects, I'm sorry. Many will be negatively affected by this construction to benefit only a select few. It will be a lasting negative affect and it will cause ripple effect for generations to come. Please deny this SMA Use permit, you have the opportunity to preserve Kailua-Kona. I'm also 7 months pregnant and little emotional. Thank you. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much for time and we appreciate you being here. Are there any questions for the testifier Commissioners? Okay, thank you again we appreciate your time. Next up is Maki Morinoue, Maki please again state your name and the town you live in for the record. M. MORINOUE: Yes, aloha, my name is Maki Morinoue I am from H61ualoa. I strongly oppose this project SMA 21-000078. Everyone's testimony so far mimics all the things that I'd like to share. So, to not to repeat, I think the Planning, the Leeward Planning Commission and County Council has the power to hit the pause button and to make big changes that will generate a positive ripple effect to protect our natural resources and cultural landscape. As we are inundated with a lot of foreigners, our cultural landscape is changing and we are seeing less of a sense of place of who we are and where we have come from. I believe that is important. It's the whole reason why people want to visit, it's the whole reason why people want to move here and we must create a balance for profit and for preservation. As I stated before, New York City is a perfect example of welcoming tourists by the millions that they can hold that there. At the same time developing their waterfront for all and had a mission to plant over 1 million trees and mitigating water, pollution, damage. Here in Hawaii, we are already beginning to see that in Hilo Bay through limu planting and oyster, native oyster um' seeding. So, I'd would love to see that as a mission going forward in developing together with nature. The warnings of building walls I think we must understand, I know Oahu is recognizing the negative downfall of building walls along the water of the shoreline, Kailua, Oahu in particular. There's no sandy beaches left. When we were young all that area was long sandy beaches. Now the sand doesn't come back because it's physics. When the water comes towards the wall and it slams and it breaks and it doesn't get to have the energy go through and back. We damage natural physics and we hit that wall in the water rakes our sand away and that is a mark of Alii Drive by the harbor, by the pier. There used to be a lot more sand. 6 EXHIBIT B So, for these reasons Leeward Planning Committee has the power to stop these types of development and to move forward in a much more cultural preservation natural resource preservation manner. And I hope you along with County Council take the time to reassess what our land will look like for generations to come. Thank you so much. VITOUSEK: Thank you for your time, are there any questions from Commissioners? Seeing none, we'll move to Kiyoko Nanni. Kiyoko can you please again state your name and town you live in for the record. NANNL Okay, my name is Kiyoko Nanni, I'm from Holualoa, Kona, Hawaii. On this SAM I strongly and oppose and deny any approval of the 5-story condo development by landowner Mysin. The planned condo is noted to be 200 feet from the shoreline which still adds to the threat of our Kona ocean water quality and increases the further laws of any shoreline conservation. While adding to potential and probable polluting of our shoreline and ocean. I want to support Simmy's testimony in which she stated Alii Drive is a path of the ali`is' used along the oceanside and so why are we building a 5- story condo which the architect decision still does not malama our island culture. This 5-story condo to me is a monstrous obstruction to the peaceful landscape of scenic Alii Drive, ancient pathway of the ali`i. Do not mainlandize our Kona for top-down consumer endeavors. Please preserve Alii Drive from more insensitive construction that take away from our cultural landscape and shoreline preservation. I plea with you to reconsider the design that has been proposed. I mean there is many other reasons which were stated by other testimonials, but this is mine. Thank you for your time. VITOUSEK: Thank you, we appreciate. Are there any questions from Commissioners? Seeing none, we will move on to Chris Clark. Will you please state your name and the town you live in. Chris, are you available? I don't see a Chris on the Zoom. JACKSON: I don't think he's joined us. VITOUSEK: Okay. Um' moving onto Setsuko Morinoue? Setsuko would you— S. MORINOUE: Hello. VITOUSEK: — please state your name and town you live in again. S. MORINOUE: Yes. VITOUSEK: Thank you. 7 EXHIBIT B S. MORINOUE: Hi, good morning. My name is Setsuko Morinoue from Holualoa. Again, I'm listening to all the testimony here. It's echoing, its same voices, and the same heart and I do hope that as Commissioners are hear it, feel it, and be with us. And because you are the chosen one for the power you have that you are representing our voice. I sent the written testimony, I do not, going to go over the details but that building structure shouldn't be even considered in developing on Alii Drive any more than we already have. The many "---" 2, 3, 30 years' time Alii Drive are changing so rapidly makai a mauka and the packing with buildings and lesser trees and open areas. And that is really telling us were going to be waiting for the big disastrous that we can handle, and we don't know we going to maybe lose a lot of people's lives. And so, anyway, and too close shorelines, too close to the shoreline and so that will trigger all the pollutions and the environment impact to the living creatures to the humans as well. And also indirect, even the mauka people way up on the hillside because the light reflects in the time of the days and blind your eyes and it's not pretty at all. So those are the things that are so much that the wide and deep issues that this is going to be creating. So, all we are saying that is to stop this kind of development on Alii Drive our beautiful roadway that use to be a scenic drive and people enjoy walking, running, biking, swimming around, surfing and picnicking and we don't have much places available and very very dangerous. Commissioners, please think 2, 3 times more before you say this case is nothing but is preserving our nature or our culture. We are destroying one after another and I don't think we should have anymore this kind of a nonsense testimony to be needed if we haven't changing the regulation, this kind of development happening so close to the water. Pretty soon, we won't be able to see the ocean for one, or cannot getting in the water because the water quality is no good or drinking water won't be able to have it for everybody to enjoy this living style here. So, it's a big, big issue it's not just one building, if you pass this thing it's going to echos okay, they did it, we can do that too. We have no excuse, and this is happening on Oahu and look at the Maui, the Kihei area, Lahaina areas all the peaceful places. Beautiful places taken away, it is not local, they can go back home but, this is our home. We cannot go anywhere, we don't have a second, third homes to go. This is the place. We don't even have a road that goes up a hill when we have a disaster comes. We cannot help those people on Alii Drive. I'm worried for them, we shouldn't build anymore, we should think more on how to preserve what we have and all the sewage systems, all that replacements have to be done. County down, the State down, the Commissioners you are all the big part of it and you're responsible for us to be part with us and thank you so much and very emotional. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much. S. MORINOUE: Make a good decision please. Thank you. 8 EXHIBIT B VITOUSEK: Thank you. Are there any questions from Commissioners? Moving on to Caroline Walsh. Caroline, please state your name and the town that you live in. WALSH: Aloha Commissioners, this is Caroline Walsh, I live in Kailua-Kona. In particular I am an owner and resident of the Ala Ka La condos. So, I have a directly vested interest in this project. I clearly echo comments made by the previous testifiers in particular Janice and the very emotional testimony by Katie. So, I appreciate their comments. I'm going to come at this from a purely personal level because that's what I can directly speak to. Um' I certainly don't support the building of a building as one could understand being in proximate nature to that. I am concerned about parking, there is only 7, we only have 8 spaces, one for each condo in our unit. This is going to be added. So, we have to ask families and friends and service providers to park on the street. This development will take away at least 3 parking spaces and I think there's only 3 and 2 across the street. So, there's only about 5 in the immediate proximate area. I also want to speak that in the event that this project should go forward, I am concerned about lava excavation. There was a 4 foot mount of lava that sits 30 feet from my front door and my neighbor's it's within 10 feet. I can't imagine the noise associated with that and I absolutely question whether or not I'm in fact going to be inhabit my condo during the excavation phase. So, I'm very concerned about that, I certainly can buy ear plugs that mitigates the noise to my ears, it certainly doesn't mitigate the ambient noise and as I conduct business remotely I will not be able to have Zoom meetings, telephone calls with business associates or family and I doubt that I'll even be able to enjoy the quiet of my home. So, you know, if this proceeds, I would ask that there would be mandatory sound barriers built and then some sort of accommodations made to the owners here in the event that they cannot, cannot handle that level of noise which would be in the excess of a 100 decibels which is very loud. And OSHA indicates that prolonged exposure to that level of decibels will cause hearing loss. So, I just put that out there, I appreciate the opportunity to comment to you and hopefully the appropriate decision will be made on behalf of the ohana here at Ala Ka La. Thank you. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much. Are there any questions from Commissioners? Moving on with Carolyn Pellett "---" okay, um' Lisa Hall. HALL: Aloha, my name is Lisa Hall "---" and I am requesting that the Leeward Commissioners absolutely deny the permit as it stands. I have walked this proposed lot many, many times. I live within 10 feet of the proposed excavation of the lava. The building that is being proposed to be built on this lot is an absolute monstrosity compared to what this lot should have available to build on it. A 5-story concrete building with mirrored glass is a little Oahu. Build this building on Oahu where it belongs, New York 9 EXHIBIT B City, LA, it does not belong on Alii Drive, it does not belong in Kona, there is not a place anywhere on our island for the proposed building that they are asking to move forward with. They do have the right to build, but this building needs to go back to the drawing board from A to Z. I vehemently am against any proposed building at this time. Are you able to hear me clearly? Sorry, Mike, I thought you were speaking. Um' along with that, um' we are going to lose the views from Alii Drive with this proposal, we are going to see more traffic on Alii Drive and as we all know the traffic already on Alii Drive is sometimes at an absolute crawl. We are losing the only parking spaces that we have on Alii Drive for our shoreline access road. I believe that Caroline said that there are 5 parking spots. They are proposing to remove 3 of them which leaves 2 parking spots for our beach line access. Our beach line access is a public right in Kona and to allow 2 families at a time to use it is absolutely unacceptable on every level. I am extremely concerned about the excavation of the lava and the noise that is going to emit from just that excavation. The, when they built whatever they build there being 10 feet away from their process I do request and I think it's a very reasonable request to have sound barriers, dust barriers constructed so that we have the noise and dust and everything else mitigated along the way. I have an elderly mother in her 80's that lives with me for parts of the year and she is not going to be able to come out here with the noise and the proposed building that comes from this. As far as our views, they are going to be completely obstructed, we will have nothing but a concrete mirrored building reflecting back at this where we now have a beautiful view of the mountains and lushed garden views. This is a monstrosity that absolutely needs to be denied. I am begging the Council, the Leeward Community Commissioners to please deny this, send them back to the drawing board and perhaps build a reasonable little tiki type building that will go within our landscape that we need here in Kona. We do not need bigger buildings, we need more of our cultural landscape be shown, not what is being proposed at this time. Thank you. VITOUSEK: Thank you very much, are there any questions from Commissioners? Seeing none, um' next up we have David Oasay? OASAY: Aloha. Thank you to the Planning Commission to allow us to voice our concerns. VITOUSEK: Can you state your name and the town you live in for the record. OASAY: Hi, I'm David Hall Oasay. I live at the Ala Ka La condos which is adjacent in fact right, within 10 feet of the proposed permit and construction of the new building. I do live in Kailua-Kona, again, thank you for, to Commission for hearing us out. A lot of the folks that have spoken today have brought up a lot of concerns and I definitely echo 10 EXHIBIT B all of those concerns. I do want to relate a little bit of you know what my experiences are. Number 1, my grandparents, and my parents grew up on Oahu and when we come in to visit them from the airport you can drive as far as the eye can see. You see sugar canes, you see open areas and that was Hawaii to me and taking a look at Oahu now um' I don't recognize it. The last time I was there I had a hard time finding my grandparents' home and you know if you allow a 5-story building in the middle of Alii Drive where it's not conducive to any of the properties or the landscape in this area. You know, I ask you know where does it end. You allow something this big in the middle of Hawaii and that's a big reason why I decided to retire and spend the rest of my life in or in Kailua- Kona is because this is the old Hawaii that I remember. Another one of my experiences is we use to live at the Kanaloa Condos adjacent to the Kona Country Club. They shut that down for about a year and a half so they can redo their sprinkler systems and all they did for a year and a half was pound out lava to redo, set up their irrigation. So we dealt with that, which is still nothing compared to the 10 feet that we're living next to and I don't know how long this project is going to be and all we got was vibrations. I grew up in the Bay area so it was earthquakes every day. The sounds and the loudness of them breaking up the lava is just basically unbearable and that was our home and that is what's going to happen again in our home here. Um' again my point is where is it going to end if you allow them to build a 5-story, basically a hotel and then you take a look at where our future is going. You know with a couple of the speakers had mentioned Oahu, Maui and Kauai where have they gone with their construction and it's unrecognizable and I don't want that to happen to our Big Island. Thank you again for the time and I appreciate you hearing me out. Aloha. VITOUSEK: Thank you for the time, appreciate your testimony. Are there any questions from Commissioners? Our last public testimony for the day, Lancer Ka`eo Keeling. Please state your name and the town you live in. KEELING: Aloha everybody, I hope everybody is having a great day. I live in, my name is Lancer Ka`eo Keeling. Born and raised in Kailua-Kona, my family is the Moses family from um' Captain Cook. I live in Kailua-Kona. I just want to say, when I saw the pictures of what they were proposed to build you know it was very sad to actually see something that, I just lost for words. I have words but I don't want to say to them in a public form if you understand what I'm saying. Um' being from Kona, um' seeing things and experiencing things with family, my grandfather um' seeing what Alii Drive was at one time and what it is now and what people want it to look like. Um' this is just a shame, it is an absolute shame to build something that, ugh, its, yeah. It's definitely Oahu, Lake Tahoe but it's not the Big Island. Um' again, parking spaces. Um' you know my family use to fish there all the time and now because of the traffic and because of the parking headaches it's dangerous. You can't walk on Alii Drive without turning around and looking behind you. Um' can't ride 11 EXHIBIT B bikes, I don't see how people can actually ride bikes on Alii Drive and feel safe about it. Um' and again that parts of the land, um' I know many people, I know everybody in Ala Ka La. They're ohana to me and I have pulled out of there. Literally I almost hit 3 bicyclists because of cars parked on the left, people coming up the left when you're trying to pull out and turn left. That's just not right and I have almost been hit by cars cause I couldn't see them either. So, to have more spaces taken away for a driveway, to go into that unit, that condo, that's just, it's going to be a nightmare. It really is, somebody's going to get killed or hurt. It's plain and simple. Um' the other thing what um' David and everybody is concerned about is the amount of construction that has to go on for that type of building in a short amount of space. If you are going to have of course it's going to be concrete, it's going to go like this you're going to have pillars going down into the ground and cheer everything up. Concrete trucks, construction trucks getting around, trying to get to where they need to making it difficult that whole thing is going to make it unbearable for everybody. Not just Ala Ka La but the other people that used to own that property adjacent to it. Now, this has to, this has to stop. There, you can't put a you know put a 12 by 12 concrete block on a 4 inch by 4 inch stand, you can't do it and that is what they are trying to do. And I will do everything I can um' just to voice my opinions everywhere in Kona if I have to. I will hold up signs every single day about this. The more this gets out to everybody in Kona the lesser chance it has to be built. And I, this is just, this is very saddening, and I hope that you, you moved here for a reason, everybody moves to the island "---" it's not to make it bigger it's to keep it the way it is and that is what we need to do. All of us need to keep it the way it was when we moved here. That's why we are here. That's why you guys came here. Plain and simple. Aloha, thank you for your time and hearing my voice. VITOUSEK: Mahalo, um' are there any questions from Commissioners? Okay, that's all we have for public testimony. The public testimony ended at 11:01 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Melissa Dacayanan-Salvador Secretary to Boards and Commissions 12 EXHIBIT B