PL-SPP-2022-000016 T. FURST TESTIMONY 10.31.2022

Home

Araujo, Jaclyn From: Tim Furst <junglewagon@gmail.com> Sent: Monday, October 31, 2022 9:37 AM To: WPCtestimony Subject: re: Special Permit for TMK (3) 1-3-002:140 Planning Commission of Hawaii County Hilo, Hawaii re: Special Permit for TMK (3) 1-3-002:140 Robert J. Silber (PL-SSP-2022-000016) Dear Planning Commissioners, I own a house next door to Robert Silber's property, located at 13-6558 Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, TMK (3) 1- 3-002:095. 1 have been coming to lower Puna regularly since 1987 and purchased this house in 2012, several years before Robert Silber bought the adjacent 25 acre parcel and subdivided it. My house is the closest one to the junction of Lolia Place and Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, and therefore the house most impacted by traffic on Lolia Place. I currently rent out my house under the Hawaii County Affordable Rental Housing program. I am not against having a retreat center next door to my house. I am, however, concerned about noise impacts from an expanded retreat center, additional construction, and a new subdivision that, if approved, will add even more traffic to Lolia Place. Traffic Impacts: Lolia Place, the access road to TMK (3) 1-3-002:140, runs parallel to my driveway around 50' from my house. The gate to this private development is next to the end of my driveway around 100' from my house. Many cars drive up Lolia Place at excessive speed, trucks upshift right by my house, and those who don't have the gate code honk their horns to be let in. Traffic noise on lower Lolia Place is a major issue. After years of enduring the roar of construction vehicles, and heavy traffic whenever there were events held at Robert Silber's "retreat" center, my wife and I abandoned our idea to live there year-round. I have gotten complaints from my current and past tenants about the traffic noise on Lolia Place and occasional noise from activities at the retreat center. The Special Permit application says that the traffic impact would be "twenty to twenty-five trips... on any given day." This seems to be a reference to the retreat participants, but does not include the traffic from short-term rentals, employees and volunteers working at the retreat center, an unknown number of trips by water trucks to constantly supply 20,000 gallons of drinking water for the residents and visitors, and heavy construction vehicles for the next several years. Furthermore, Robert Silber recently purchased an adjacent 17-acre parcel. His subdivision plans for this parcel call for Lolia Place to be the access road for an additional six building lots, which will add more construction traffic as well as resident and guest traffic on Lolia Place. Current use: Rentals and events at TMK (3) 1-3-002:140 have not noticeably decreased after the Notice of Violation was issued. I would like to know whether rental activities, workshops, and retreats would be allowed to continue while the property is being brought up to code. Exactly what is the retreat center? I have been referring to the property by its TMK because I do not know what to call the "off -grid holistic education center." It has been known as "Lolia Eco Village" (and room rentals are still being offered under this name on Trip Advisor and other websites), but on the Intentional Communities website <https://www.ic.org/directory/opihikao- ecovillage-and-kipuka-temple/#Membership> it says (updated on August 30, 2022):