HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-06 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Cassandra Werner Opposition Testimony From: Cassandra
To: W PCtesti mony
Subject: opposition building in Ka"u
Date: Wednesday,March 6,2024 3:09:27 PM
Aloha my name is Cassandra Werner and I oppose developers building a commercial center,
retail shops, and a golf course in Punalu'u, Ka'u. Punalu'u is home to rare and endangered
native animals, including Hawksbill sea turtles, Green sea turtles, Hawaiian monk seals, and
Native bees. This project has the potential to create overdevelopment and a rise in land taxes,
forcing local people out. Punalu'u is one of the few places left untouched in Hawai'i and one of
the very last breeding places for the endangered Hawaiian Hawksbill turtles. We need homes
for Native Hawaiians to live here and keep Hawai'i Hawaiian. Without the native species and
native people there will be no Hawai'i. Please do not build resorts and golf courses. The
damage to the land is irreversible, the pollution will destroy this place like it has all over
Hawai'i Islands. The use of our precious resources will be compromised. Learn from the
mistakes made in Hawai'i history. Enough with the accommodations for tourism, we need
homes for locals and sanctuaries for native species.
Mahalo,
Cassandra Werner