HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-04 PL-SMA-2023-000046 Dan Corippo Testimony From: Dan Corippo
To: W PCtesti mono
Subject: Punaluu Development
Date: Monday,March 4,2024 10:40:40 AM
Aloha, there are many reasons why the big development plans at Punaluu Beach should be
carefully considered.
*First,regarding public commentary,having an important community meeting on a weekday doesn't offer adequate
opportunity for the working people of Ka'u to attend.Please add an additional planning meeting on a Saturday.
*We need an Environmental Impact Statement,since the current one is more than 50 years old. Deciding to move
forward without one feels disrespectful to our community and to the aina,and does not feel in integrity or pono.
*Last summer there were five Hawaiian Hawksbill sea turtle nests at Punalu'u.We had not had a nest here since
2018.About 95%of all Hawaiian Hawksbills nest along the Ka'u coast and there are maybe 20 nesting females
TOTAL each year.They are critically endangered and they are very sensitive to light--both when nesting and when
the hatchlings are trying to make it to the ocean.Any kind of a development at Punalu'u beach would be very
detrimental to their already fragile survival.
*There is no disaster mitigation plan.Pele can be unpredictable and things can change very quickly here.The beach
is already reaching capacity and building a development that is not coastal dependent within 200 feet of the high tide
mark puts people and facilities in danger.Tsunamis,earthquakes,flooding and other potential hazards need to be
considered and anticipated—if not,there could be huge losses and liabilities.
*There is no burial treatment plan in place.
*Building condos at Punalu'u will most definitely increase our property taxes.
*There needs to be an updated shore assessment and setback.This certification is especially important when there
are plans to put a cafe about 100 feet from the beach,as seen in the proposed village diagram,#15.
*The owner has listed 143 acres as conservation,which currently is planned from one fish pond to another.If this
was extended to reach the boat ramp,it would ensure much better environmental protection for the endangered
hawksbill turtles,green sea turtles and the Hawaiian monk seal.
*The current infrastructure is very poor.How is the developer going to deal with waste water,necessary water
supplies and what fire suppression systems will be in place?