HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-04-20 Lee & Meredith Miller Opposition Testimony
Subject: New Construction at the Mauna Lani Resort
From:
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Date: Monday, April 20, 2026 2:39:06 PM
April 20, 2026
Lee and Meredith Miller 68-1122 N Kaniku Dr #124 Kamuela, HI 96743
Dear Leeward Planning Commission,
As Mauna Lani homeowners and Hawaii residents, we strongly oppose any construction on the proposed site, for these reasons:
It would take away any of the charm and quaintness that the Mauna Lani resort currently has,
by removing the open space surrounding the Mauna Lani Resort and putting in a Marriott Hotel and additional housing units.
It would bring in too much traffic, especially into the Beach Club. The proposal to bus in these additional hotel guests into the Beach Club to access Makaiwa Bay is especially egregious.
Adding all these extra people swimming daily in Makaiwa Bay would greatly reduce the water quality and would be harmful to the reef and its inhabitants. It would add extra stress to an already stressed ecosystem.
It would also be detrimental to the water quality of the 800 year old fishponds that are connected to Makaiwa Bay.
It would add additional sewage to our existing sewage system, that is supposed to be hooked up to Puako, to relieve their situation of a dead reef due to their broken cesspool systems.
Adding all these extra residents and guests could cause serious water shortages in our water system /wells, that are already stressed with water shortages, due to the warmer and drier climate that Hawaii is experiencing now.
For all of these reasons, adding an additional hotel and residences would cause the Mauna Lani Resort to lose its rural charm and appeal. We live here because we love the Mauna Lani Resort, and the quaint charm it has. We want to see Makaiwa Bay and the Fishponds preserved and not ruined in order to accommodate thousands of new people, everyday. The idea of this new construction and all the changes it would entail are untenable.
Sincerely yours,
Lee and Meredith Miller