HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL-SPP-2022-000016 T. FURST TESTIMONY 10.31.2022Araujo, 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):
"We have re -branded! We are now Hawaii Eco Retreat (HER); a women owned and operated holistic retreat center,
hospitality business, and intentional community. We host courses on Yoga, Meditation,
Communication/Relationship/Intimacy, Permaculture and many other events."
Its current website <www.hawaiiecoretreat. com> says that the retreat center is in business and offering rooms for
rent and hosting courses, in spite of being issued a Notice of Violation and Order on December 5, 2019.
1 also found a website where the property is offered for sale <https://retreathub.com/eco-retreat-for-sale-in-hawaii/>
which presents it as a retreat center with 16 bedrooms and an event space that can hold up to 200+ people, with no
mention of the fact that it is unpermitted for this use and is currently in violation.
It appears that the project is being described differently to different groups of people — on this Special Permit
Application it is called an off -grid holistic education center, on the Hawaii Eco Retreat website as a holistic retreat
center and hospitality business (offering both short-term and long-term rentals) and an intentional community that
hosts various courses and many other events, on the Intentional Communities website as having 4 current
residences and plans for 20 residences, and on line as being for sale as a retreat center that has 16 bedrooms and
can hold events for 200+ people.
Letters of support:
I noticed that none of the four letters of support were written by anyone who lives within two miles of the property,
and that none of the immediate neighbors have written in support of this project.
One of the letters of support was written by a major financial backer of the project, and another was written by a
close friend of the financial backer who was living in Lower Puna illegally and was deported in July 2017, and thus
has had no first-hand knowledge of the current situation in lower Puna or at the retreat center.
Permit decision:
I hope that the Planning Commission can clarify exactly what will be permitted on this property, that it is not an
expansion on what is currently occurring there, and that all permitted uses will be enforced. Expanding the number
of housing units, residents, and workshops would add an unacceptable level of traffic and noise to what is already a
marginal situation for the neighborhood, especially when combined with the new subdivision.
I also hope that if the project is approved, more is done to mitigate the traffic impact at and near the junction of Lolia
Place and Kalapana Kapoho Beach Road, and that the drainage of Lolia Place is improved so that it no longer
creates a lake at the bottom of my driveway whenever it rains.
I apologise that this input is submitted at the last-minute, but I did not receive notification of this permit application
from the County, and only heard about it a few days ago from a concerned neighbor.
I write this letter on behalf of myself, my wife, and my tenants.
Thank you for your consideration.
Timothy Furst
4207 1 st Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
<lunglewagon(cD_gmail.com>