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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-04-06 Windward Exh A (Public Testimony re Agenda Item 2) WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI`I TESTIMONY TRANSCRIPT APRIL 6, 2023 Public testimony regarding the application of HAWAIIAN OLA BREWING CORP. (PL-SMA-2022-000025) was heard at 9:18 a.m. in the County of Hawaii Council Chambers in Hilo, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawaii with Chair Dennis Lin presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Dennis Lin, Lauren Balog, John C. Cross, Louis Danielle III, Wayne De Luz, and Chantel Perrin. ALSO PRESENT: Sinclair Salas-Ferguson Esq. (Counsel for the Commission), Zendo Kern (Planning Director), Jessica Andrews (Planner), Alex Roy (Planner), Christin Kay (Planner), Clinton Mercado (Planner), Janice Hata(Zoom Host), Maija Jackson Planning Program Manager), and Melissa Dacayanan-Salvador (Windward Planning Commission Secretary). And seventeen members from the public were in attendance. APPLICANT: HAWAIIAN OLA BREWING CORP. (PL-SMA-2022-000025) Application for a Special Management Area Use Permit to convert the existing Wainaku Executive Center into a micro-distillery, restaurant, and bar, and includes grading for new parking and the installation of a wastewater system to accommodate the new uses on 12.31 acres of land situated in the Special Management Area. The subject parcels are located along the makai side of Hawaii Belt Road, approximately 200 feet south of its intersection with Hau Street, Portion of Wailua& Mokuhonua, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMKs: (3) 2-6-015:001 & 002. Secretary's Note: [indecipherable] indicates that there were technical and/or internet difficulties, which made the conversation inaudible. LIN: Okay, so going on to in-person testifiers, is there any in-person testifiers who'd like to testify now. Okay, I have the first one is Corey Harden. Okay, if you could please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Windward Planning Commission? HARDEN: Yes. LIN: Okay, please press the microphone button and speak directly and clearly into the microphone and begin your testimony by stating your name and the town you reside in, and you have three (3) minutes. HARDEN: Okay, good morning, Commissioners. I want to thank you for your volunteer service. Cory Harden for Sierra Club Hawaii Island Group, I live in Hilo. I'm talking about Item 92 the Ola Brewing project and there's many positive to the project but there's two inconvenient truths. One is that seawalls don't stop erosion. They only deflect it to other 1 EXHIBIT A shoreline areas, and they don't last because of climate change with raising seas and more severe storms. And the second truth is that one corner of the main building is only about 60 feet from the cliff edge, but the Hamakua Coast is slowly crumbling into the ocean. Everyone that knows about the house falling into the ocean at Honoli`i. I also know of a house that's just past the singing bridge and the shoreline is coming in to get it and I grew up in a house 3 miles down the coast. We were right on the cliff side with tall hollow trees and in my lifetime, I've been told all those hollow trees fell off the edge. So, when the seawall starts failing or the cliff starts crumbling closer and closer to the building the unfortunate landowner may come back to the Commission seeking permission for repairs and unfortunately some developers have been known to get a permit that's kind of questionable and then they turn around and sue a municipality when things crumble or go badly. So,please add a condition to run with the land that such permission will not be granted, and any landowner should sign an indemnification letter for any land movement, flood, or sea rise. A few other conditions, please ask that the soils stay on the site. The Division of Forestry and Wildlife talked about the risk of spreading things like rapid ohia death and fire ants, coqui frogs and invasive plant parts. I see they plan to return the public access trail to Ale`ale`a Point which I think is wonderful and I hope there's conditions that they maintained that trail and plans for sewage of course need to be approved by Department of Environmental Management. They originally talked about taking septic waste or treated water to the Hilo Sewage Plant but— MERCADO: Thirty(30) seconds remaining. HARDEN: —yeah, even if it was in good shape that plant, they couldn't handle those things and I think they are going to do sewer. I know neighbors have had concerns about noise and traffic. We hope to see bicycle lanes and space for bus stops and there's recommendations from Department of Forestry and Wildlife for seabird friendly lighting and last if there's any time extensions, please require that they have to go through County Council not just the Planning Director. Thank you. LIN: Thank you so much for your testimony. Next, I have Hannah Hartman. If you could please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Windward Planning Commission? HARTMAN: I swear. LIN: Okay, please press the microphone button and speak directly and clearly into the microphone and begin your testimony by stating your name, the town you reside in and please summarize your testimony within 3 minutes. Go ahead. HARTMAN: Okay, oh, that's much different. Okay, I'll start over. Aloha, good morning, County Council, no County Council, Commissioners, we had it the first time. My name is Hannah Hartman. I'm a master's student in Tropical Conservation Biology and Environmental Science here at UH-Hilo and Hilo is the town that I call home. I have two main concerns regarding Item 2 relating to the Ola Brew distillery. My first one is that when I first 2 EXHIBIT A moved here to Hawaii I worked for the Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization lab the SDAV Lab under Dr. Ryan Perroy at UH and I was part of the Coastal Erosion Susceptibility Analysis. I know firsthand that the Hamakua Coast is one of the quickest receding coastlines that we have here on this `aina and so I'm really concerned about the building that one corner. But mostly just the entire main building being only 60 feet or less than a 100 feet away from the coastline. Then my second biggest concern in my undergrad was I studied Wild and Soil Science and so soil is alive, it's an ecosystem and keeping it on site is one of the best things that we can do. They plan to excavate 12,000 cubic yards and if that does need to happen, we need to figure out a way where that soil can be utilized and put back into our ecosystem and that fertility kept in a way that's regenerative. Mahalo, I think those are my two main concerns. Thank you for being there today. LIN: Thank you for your testimony. Next, I have Terri Napeahi. Hi Terri, if you could please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Windward Planning Commission? [Cellphone speaking indecipherable] Phones nowadays. NAPEAHI: Thank you. My name is Terri Napeahi. I'm here representing some and a few voices of our Hawaiian community. I just wanted to disclose that I'm a Planning Department employee as a Planner and I just wanted to disclose that I am off from work now and I'm here as a public member to discuss some of the concerns that our community, our Hawaiian community had questions of. I know, Na`eha and I had short chat with her about the concerns of our community with the use that was publicized in the Hawaii Tribune Herald. Calling their okolehao product"traditional Hawaiian okolehao" and it was just something that I wanted to bring to the Commissioners ears about the use of it. Using the word"traditional Hawaii" is probably not correct because okolehao was not used traditionally in our ancient times. It was introduced when Western men arrived here and the processing of distilled alcohol. So that was just something I brought up with Na`eha and she's okay with being considerate about the idea of labeling that because I know that authenticity goes a long way. I do have a company that has a traditional imu and know that they have to take steps to authenticate the advertising of the label "traditional Hawaiian okolehao" and that was my concern. I did talk to her and she's going to take that into consideration. Mahalo. LIN: Thank you, sorry for the technical difficulties. NAPEAHI: Mahalo. LIN: All right, Commissioners, do you have any questions for the testifiers? Seeing none, are there any other testifiers that would like to testify now before any agenda item? Janice, anybody on Zoom? HATA: Yes, we have two testifiers registered here. The first testifier is James Dahlberg. 3 EXHIBIT A LIN: Okay. HATA: James if you're on a phone you can unmute by pressing star 9. [indecipherable] I asked him to unmute on Zoom, but we also have another testifier here Chris Whidden. If he's ready to provide testimony you can unmute and turn on your camera. WHIDDEN: Hello, thank you Commissioners. Can you hear me, okay? LIN: Hi Chris. So, you would like to testify now, or you would like to wait till the agenda item is called? WHIDDEN: I can honestly wait till the agenda item is called, that's fine. LIN: Oh, okay,just wanted to check. WHIDDEN: That's okay. LIN: Thank you. It's a preference so. Okay, do you want to try James again? HATA: Yes. James, can you hear us? DAHLBERG: Yes, I can. LIN: Hi James. Would you like to testify now or wait until the agenda item is called. DAHLBERG: I'll wait until the agenda item is called. Mahalo. LIN: Okay, thank you. Are there any other testifiers that would like to testify now? Okay, seeing none we'll move on. The item ended at 9:28 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Melissa Dacayanan-Salvador, Secretary Windward Planning Commission 4 EXHIBIT A