HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-11 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Jaylin Grace Opposition Testimony From: is li v in23
To: Council Testimony;WPCtestimony
Subject: Testimony regarding Punalu"u,Ka"u S.M.A. permit
Date: Monday,March 11,2024 9:24:23 PM
Aloha,
I write in opposition of the proposed development of Punalu'u,Ka'u. When people come and see the untouched areas of
Hawai'i,they see the beauty but not all of them understand beyond the sight. Far too many who see the untouched beauty
decide they want to erect structures. They don't understand that it being untouched is what makes it so beautiful,so rare,and
that to erect structures would taint it,not enhance. People come from afar to escape where they were from,then try to make
this place like the place they left. It makes no sense to me.
Let us not be naive. We know and have seen photos from archives. It all starts with just one structure,maybe two,that would
supposedly be all there will be. These,then,open the floodgates and in a matter of time,the hope of preservation is
obliviated,the area raped,and the lifestyle polluted.
1 was born and raised in Kailua-Kona. When I go back,it's not home anymore. It's been overrun with these sorts of
developments. I deeply appreciate that i can still get a sense of yesteryear when I go up mauka. I would find it hard to
believe that you don't think about,and have a yearn for,how things used to be. Part of what destroyed what we wish we still
had,and wish we could share with our keiki,it is unwise developments like what is being proposed..
Living in Ka'u takes a kind of love,discipline,strength,humbleness,and dedication that not all possess or can handle. That's
part of what makes living there,and being raised there,so special. It molds you into a kind person that this world needs more
of. If you are blessed to be from Ka'u,you carry that with pride.
To live in Ka'u you must accept,embrace,and grow through the difficulty. Unfortunately,in this day and age,living there is
too hard for some.The answer is to not deface and to take away from what makes living in Ka'u,as it is,so special. The
answer is not to open the floodgates to make it like other places. The answer is not to sacrifice what is pure. Punalu'u and it's
surrounding areas are pure and should be preserved!
It's said that this development will bring jobs and economic growth to KaTn but when you stop looking at it through
desperation,you'll see the sacrificial expense of it far outweighs any possible benefit. There are existing towns and structures
in Pahala,Na'alelru,and Ocean View. Disrupting the untouched will change Ka'u and diminish how special and how rare it is.
Preserve the untouched and look to enhance the already developed.
Again,though,let us not be naive. There will always be a difficulty,a price to pay,for living in such a rare place. If it's not
for you,leave. Living in Ka'u didn't align with what my husband and I felt we needed to do. As such,we relocated but our
pu'uwai remains. We left knowing that one day,when we can,we will return. Until that day,we will fight to ensure that
when we return,it's still Ka'u. KEEP KA'U,KA'U!
Mahalo,
Jaylin Grace