HomeMy WebLinkAboutJoshua Anthony Testimony 07.03.23 From: Anthonv.Joshua K
To: WPCtestimonv
Cc: JOSHUA ANTHONY
Subject: Testimony Silber project
Date: Monday,July 3,2023 11:45:20 AM
To: Windward Planning Commission
From: Joshua Anthony
P.O. Box 831104
Pepeekeo, HI 96783
Ref: APPLICANT: ROBERT J. SILBER (PL-SPP-2022-000016) Application for a
Special Permit to legitimize the operation of a holistic education center on
approximately 8.134 acres of land in the State Land Use Agricultural District. The
subject property is located at 13-2060 Lolia Place, approximately 0.3 miles
northwest (mauka) of its intersection with Kalapana-Kapoho Beach Road, Pohoiki,
Puna, Hawaii, TMK: (3) 1-3-002:140.
Dear Planning commission members,
I am writing in opposition to the special use permit for the "retreat" center proposed
by Roberts Silber. Presently I am the owner of the adjacent property TMK
130021190000 and share a fence line with the property in question.
I was fortunate enough to purchase TMK 130021190000 prior to Mr. Silber's
purchase and later development of the neighboring parcel. Since Mr. Silber's
presence in the area, I have yet to engage with him beyond email but have had
extensive dialog with multiple previous tenants of his, neighbors and concerned
community members whom I have yet to engage with even one that has positive
things to say about their interactions with him. My only direct interaction with him
and his community was when he was running late evening retreats and had
excessively loud music and expressive moaning from groups of people long past the
dark hours of the night and into the early morning. Mr. Silber brought the direct
neighboring community together, as a healthy retreat center might do, but
unfortunately it was in extreme opposition to the inappropriate commercial activity
and frequent excessively loud and all-night weeklong gatherings that were held,
As a father of a young daughter this made any evenings on the property difficult as
well as making me question the safety of raising a family there. Through the
following years I was told by multiple residents that the grounds were a proposed
clothing optional community, that there was repeated sexual misconduct on younger
women happening, and that the property was nearer a polygamist type of
community than a retreat center.
As an at-risk youth teacher/counselor here on the island I am in support of retreat
centers in general and believe heavily in most educational facilities. I
wholeheartedly wish that Mr. Silber's intentions and actions were something that
the immediate community supported and that his actions were not as volatile and
disruptive as they have been. The group of people who live in the area are quiet and
very respectful of each other. Beyond the few neighbors whom I don't know I
believe any one of them would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. I
hope that Mr. Silber can learn from their examples if he does keep the property (he
appears now to be selling it as a permitted retreat center).
I have since decided to wait to spend extensive time with family on the property
until there is a resolution with Mr. Silber and his plans for a larger scale commercial
operation. I believe that the location he has chosen, with such large numbers of
neighbors in opposition, is a poor fit for the type of retreat center that he has
proposed. I have more recently learned of the continued violations of county policy
that Mr. Silber has, which would concern me even more about giving any
temporary condition use permit as it appears he is a known offender of county and
state policy.
I still feel fortunate to own the property and continue to develop the agricultural
element of the property and feel fortunate that I have waited to raise family on the
property such that my interactions directly with Mr. Silber and his less-than-ideal
engagements in the community have been minimal.
Although Mr. Silber traveled extensively on my property with heavy equipment
without permission to put in his fence line, as a neighbor initially he seemed to
present himself as cordial (email only). That is until most recently when there was
use of firearms on his property for hunting while one of the neighbors' barbeque
grills was shot. Not only did Mr. Silber not take responsibility for the action when it
was seen by neighbors and clearly associated with him but instead fabricated an
elaborate story and tried to blame in on other people. Whilst I have allowed hunting
for pigs it has been done solely with a bow and neighbors are notified when doing
so.
Until Mr. Silber decides to develop his land in a residential/agricultural way as all
the other neighbors have, I don't feel it is a positive or safe environment to raise a
young daughter/family so ask that any commercial use permits (temporary or
permanent) not be granted.
Thank you
Joshua Anthony