HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-05-28 Wanda Louis Opposition TestimonyFrom:Wanda Louis
To:Planning WPC Testimony
Subject:Written Testimony for Project File: PL-USE-2026-000042
Date:Thursday, May 28, 2026 9:38:08 AM
Attachments:Wanda"s Letter to the Windward Planning commision May 2026.pdf
Aloha,I am submitting written testimony for the use permit that Jessica Stevens has requested
regarding the Outpatient Medical Clinic in Pepe'ekeo
Applicant: Jessica Stevens (Project File: PL-USE-2026-000042)
Request: An application for a Use Permit to authorize the formal establishment of an
outpatient medical clinic within a neighborhood zoned for single-family residential use.
Property Specifications: The clinic is proposed to operate within the first floor of an
existing two-story residential dwelling positioned on a 5.74-acre parcel of land.
Location Details: Located at 28-1167 Old Māmalahoa Highway, approximately 230 feet
north of Pepeʻekeo Street in South Hilo. (Tax Map Key / TMK: (3) 2-8-007:084 portion).
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me
Aloha
-- Together We Can Make A Difference
Wanda
May 27, 2026
Windward Planning Commission
County of Hawaiʻi Planning Department
101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3
Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720
Subject: Strong Opposition to Permit Approval for Big Island Neuro Health
Foundation’s Outpatient Clinic in Pepeʻekeo
Dear Chair and Members of the Windward Planning Commission,
I am writing to submit my formal testimony in strong opposition to the permit
application by the Big Island Neuro Health Foundation for a proposed outpatient clinic in
Pepeʻekeo. While the island faces healthcare challenges, this specific proposal brings a
level of instability and bad-faith engagement that the Pepeʻekeo community should not be
forced to absorb.
My opposition is rooted in three critical issues regarding the scope of the clinic, the
applicant's lack of transparency, and their deceptive handling of community notification.
First, there is a deep concern regarding the true scope of the services intended for this
site. While initial descriptions focused generally on neurological health, the foundation
has heavily implied that treatment will extend to mental health patients. This opens the
door to broader, unspecified forms of psychiatric and behavioral mental health treatments
that were not explicitly detailed in the original pitch. Our quiet, rural neighborhood lacks
the infrastructure, security, and support systems necessary to host an expanding mental
health treatment facility. The applicant’s vague language feels like a bait-and-switch
designed to get a foot in the door before revealing the full scale of their intended
operations.
Second, the foundation has demonstrated that public transparency is simply not a priority
for them. Throughout this process, addressing the immediate community has felt like an
afterthought. Questions from residents have been deflected, and the true operational
impacts—including patient volume, security protocols, and crisis management plans—
have remained obscured. A facility of this nature requires deep community trust, yet the
applicant has treated public inquiry as a hurdle to bypass rather than an obligation to
fulfill.
Finally, the applicant's conduct regarding the required 300-foot community notification
boundary reveals a troubling pattern of manipulation. The foundation actively
manipulated the mapping and interpretation of the 300-foot range to limit the number of
households notified, choosing a boundary calculation that served their own bureaucratic
benefit rather than the community’s right to know. Even after Councilwoman Heather
Kimball looked into the matter and confirmed that the notification technically fell within
the absolute legal parameters, the foundation stubbornly tried to litigate and "prove" their
skewed interpretation to downplay how many neighbors they intentionally excluded from
early discussions. Meeting the bare technical minimum on paper does not excuse the
deliberate effort to keep immediate neighbors in the dark.
Pepeʻekeo deserves a planning process built on honesty, safety, and mutual respect. The
Big Island Neuro Health Foundation has failed to provide any of these. For the reasons
stated above, I respectfully urge the Windward Planning Commission to deny this permit.
Thank you for your time and your commitment to protecting our communities.
Sincerely,
Wanda Louis
Pepe’ekeo Community Member
Phone: (808) 895-2172
Email: auntiewans@gmail.com