HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-05-13 Cindy Freitas Opposition Testimony Item #1 From: cindy Freitas
To: LPCtestimony
Subject: OPPOSE# 1
Date: Tuesday,May 13,2025 7:38:55 PM
Attachments: Oppose BOAZ LLC new SMA permit.docx
May 13, 2025
County of Hawaii
Leeward Planning Department
LPCtestimonyghawaiicoun ov
RE:Agenda Item 9 1
Applicant: Boaz LLC (Formerly Koa Ventures LLC)
He Mele komo a he mele aloha no na kupuna o ke au i hala Aloha mai kakou.
Aloha,
My name is Cindy Freitas and I'm a Native Hawaiian descended of the native inhabitants of Hawai'i
prior to 1778 and born and raised in Hawai'i.
I am also a practitioner who still practice the cultural traditional customary practices that was instill in
me by my grandparents at a young age from mauka(MOUNTAIN TO SEA)to makai in many areas.
I'm in Strong Opposition to the proposed Special Management Area(SMA)Use Permit application
PL-SMA-2025-000072 by BOAZ LLC.
This project proposes to construct a four-story, thirty-four unit condominium with a pool and related
improvements on a 1.195-acre shoreline parcel located on the makai side of Ali`i Drive in Puapua`a
2nd, North Kona. This area is known to hold significant cultural and historical value, and any project of
this scale must be held to the highest standard under Hawai`i's coastal protection laws including the
standards of HRS Chapter 205A, Ka Pa`akai o ka `Aina, and current sea level rise and climate
change policies.
This parcel lies directly within the Special Management Area, a highly sensitive zone meant to
safeguard coastal ecosystems, traditional and customary Native Hawaiian practices, and public access.
Under HRS § 205A-26, a proposed action in the SMA must not:
1. Adversely affect coastal resources and ecosystems
2. Interfere with traditional and customary rights exercised for subsistence, cultural, or
religious purposes
3. Lead to cumulative environmental impacts
Yet, this application fails on all counts.
This project lies in close proximity to the shoreline an area increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise,
coastal erosion, and flooding. Under the Hawaii Sea Level Rise Vulnerability and Adaptation
Report(2017) and Act 16 (2020), developments in SLR-XA(Sea Level Rise Exposure Area) zones
must assess inundation risk and long-term sustainability. The application does not include a thorough
analysis of these risks, nor does it demonstrate appropriate setbacks or coastal hazard mitigation
measures.
As a cultural practitioner, I express deep concern that the applicant has failed to adequately identify or
protect cultural resources and customary practices associated with this `aina. It is the obligation of
the Planning Commission, under the Ka Pa`akai o ka `Aina framework, to ensure:
1. The identity and scope of traditional and customary practices in the area are properly
documented,
2. The impact of the proposed action on these practices is evaluated,
3. Feasible protection measures are adopted to preserve these rights.
I have seen no evidence that this project satisfies these criteria.
This development represents a continuing pattern of shoreline gentrification that threatens to displace
local residents and degrade the cultural landscape. Cumulative impacts of condo developments on Ali`i
Drive must be fully assessed not in isolation, but within the broader context of historical and
ongoing shoreline alteration.
I respectfully urge the Planning Commission to deny this SMA Use Permit or, at minimum, require a
contested case hearing so that community voices and cultural concerns are heard through a proper
legal process. We are not here to stop all development but to demand that any development in our
coastal zones meets the law, respects cultural rights, and honors the `aina.
Mahalo,
Cindy Freitas