HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-01-12 Rebecca Melendez TDR Program, Broadband Testimony From: Rebecca Melendez
To: LPCtestimonv;WPCtestimonv;Planning General Plan
Subject: Oppose General Plan TDR Program,Broadband,Smart Grid...
Date: Sunday,January 12,2025 7:53:06 AM
I am furious that the county uses confusing sentences in their General Plan and does not fully explain
their true intentions. Please read my proof below.
I am extremely angry that the county is trying to control where and how we live through the TDR
program:
2045 General Plan Page 80
hUs://www.planning.hawaiicouniy.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/308136/63 8597487229830000
9.f Study the feasibility, issues, and opportunities related to the development of a TDR program to
strategically preserve open space and achieve density to remain consistent with the land use pattern in
accordance with the General Plan Land Use Maps.
TDR is the Transfer of Development Rights (they do not let us know this. I had to research to find out
what TDR meant)
As I understand it,the TDR program allows the county full rights to say where homes can and cannot
be built and whether private land is restricted. This restricts the right to build houses on private lands.
If the county decides that property shouldn't be developed,we will lose our rights to build on
privately owned land.
"A TDR program seeks to preserve landowners' asset value by moving the right to build a house from
a location where development is prohibited(e.g., for environmental reasons)to a location where
development is encouraged."
The county will decide the environmental reasons for incorporating land into the TDR program,
which aims to give them full control over all the lands on Big Island and tell us where we can live.
"In the place where development is encouraged under TDR, zoning is changed to permit more units to
be built." This sentence explains that a TDR program builds "units," not houses, and gives the county
full rights to tell people where they can and cannot build homes, and they will only be able to build
"units"through the TDR program.htips://njaes.rutgers.edu/highlands/transfer-development-
rights.phn
I am outraged that the county is not trying to help solve problems on the Big Island but rather trying
to create a 5G Smart City through their`Broadband and Smart Grid"that will cost billions to create
and add years of serious traffic when we already have serious traffic issues.
It's because their fibre cables(which they never mention in their GP) for their`Broadband/Smart
Grid"have to go underground and require a lot of power, and Hawaii Electric already has power
issues.
Hawai'i Electric does NOT have the kind of power a Smart Grid needs, and this WILL add more
issues to the island's already-existing power problems.
hUs://www.hawaiianelectric.com/safeiy-and-outages/an-update-on-hawaii-island-power-generation
An update on Hawaii Island power generation—how you can help
"there's no one to call on for backup-we're on our own.
That's why we will need everyone to work together over the next month, and possibly longer,to
conserve electricity. We are extremely tight on what we call our generation margin, the margin
between the demand for electricity and our ability to supply it. This demand typically peaks on
weekdays between 5 and 9 p.m. and that's when the margin is most critical."
2045 General Plan Page 149
s 30.1 Treat broadband access as a basic utility that is available to all communities.
The county doesn't mention that"broadband"is 5G. hUs://advantageslist.com/advantages-and-
disadvantages-of-broadband/
30.12 Plan for broadband infrastructure to support smart grid development
The county doesn't mention they want to turn the Big Island into a Smart City because the Smart
Grid is the first thing to implement to do this.
hUs://smartgrid.ieee.org/resources?cafid=O&ld=223
"A smart grid alone does three things. First, it modernizes power systems through self-healing
designs, automation,remote monitoring and control... Thus, a smart grid sits at the heart of the smart
city,which cannot fully exist without it".
Smart Grid Info:
hUs://minnovation.com.au/smart-cities-2/disadvantages-of-smart-cities-potential-challenges-and-
concerns/
•"Privacy and Data Security:
Smart cities rely heavily on the collection and analysis of vast amounts of data from sensors, cameras,
and connected devices. This data is crucial for optimizing city operations and services. However,the
extensive data gathering raises concerns about privacy infringement and data security. Citizens worry
about their personal information being accessed or misused."
What are Smart Grids and Smart Cities? The county does not explain this in the General Plan. It looks
like they are hoping no one will research it.hUs://www.rfwireless-
world.com/Terminology/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Smart-Grid.html
30.3 Collaborate with utility companies to incentivize the underground siting of electrical and
telecommunications facilities within public rights-of-way
This sentence is confusing because the county doesn't want us to fully understand that in order to
create"telecommunications facilities,"they must put Fibre Cable underground;hence,they use the
wording"underground siting."
"Fibre overbuilds in the 21st century are becoming a widespread problem,with more fibre cable
being laid on streets than can ever be utilised by the residents.Not only does this often cause mayhem
on the roads,with closures and roadworks slowing traffic,but Fibre overbuilds can lead to countless
negative effects on the environment, and the eventual rise in cost to the consumer and developer."
Ws://pulsefibre.co.uk/2023/06/15/when-more-is-less-the-risks-and-downsides-of-overbuild/
The county is not focusing on the island's issues,like the fact we already have serious traffic issues.
They want to create more traffic problems by laying down fibre cable that will create a
"Broadband/Smart Grid," hence a Smart City, and they are explaining this to us by using minimal
wording to confuse and obscure their true intentions.
This General Plan NEEDS TO BE OPPOSED because they want full control to be able to tell us how
and where to live,in"unites"that are explained from the link I found above explaining the TDR
program on page 80 and other pages throughout the GP.
They want to create a 5G"Broadband/ Smart Grid" on the Big Island without trying to solve the
island's traffic issues but rather spend a lot of time and money creating more traffic by laying out
Fibre Cable all over the Big Island to create their Smart City, and they are not even mentioning the
health risks or are even trying to acknowledge them.
hUs://electronics360.globalsi2ec.com/article/I I 104/the-dangers-that-come-with-a-smart-grid
Re: The Dangers That Come with a Smart Grid
41
John Endres
2018-Feb-23 2:31 PM
"One very critical danger that comes with a"smart grid"was not mentioned: the adverse health
effects from electromagnetic fields. Current estimates of people experiencing adverse health effects
from wireless technology hover at around 5%--I am one of them. After the installation of a water
utility smart meter at my place of work,I experienced an escalation of symptoms (over time)that
started with headaches and ultimately culminated in a seizure(I lost control of my legs). One month
prior to the smart meter installation I had a complete annual physical and was given a clean bill of
health. I underwent a barrage of medical tests after a week of experiencing health symptoms(thyroid,
EEG,MRI, etc.) and everything was normal. I did begin to feel some of the painful head and eye
sensations (that I would feel near wireless sources) at the end of the MRI".
The county does not acknowledge the health risks associated with their`Broadband/Smart Grid"
plan, all the associated issues due to putting the fibre cables underground, or the fact that it will cost
billions to create. They worded everything in their General Plan to sound like it would benefit
everyone, and it wouldn't!
The county NEEDS to answer ALL of my questions in my last email I sent because they are NOT
clear in what they are saying they want to do in their 2045 GP, and this plan CAN NOT go any
further UNLESS WE ALL FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR PLAN IS!
The county NEEDS to TAKE OUT ALL MENTION OF THE TDR Program because it violates our
rights to live how and where we want.
The county NEEDS TO TAKE OUT ALL MENTION OF "Broadband/Smart Grid" and start solving
traffic issues, and other island issues because this will cost billions, and add a lot more problems to
the Big Island.
Thank you,
Rebecca Melendez