HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-20 Deborah Sevy TestimonyFrom: Deborah Sevy
To: Planning LPC Testimony
Cc: Kimball, Heather; Inaba, Holeka; Kagiwada, Jennifer; Villegas, Rebecca; Galimba, Michelle M.; Onishi, Dennis;
Hustace, James; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt; Alameda, Christian (Kimo);
generalpla@hawaiicounty.gov; Planning WPC Testimony
Subject: Testimony Bill 170 & Planning Department input
Date: Sunday, September 20, 2026 9:04:01 PM
Aloha Leeward Planning Commission and Planning Department,
My name is Deborah Sevy, and I am live in Kailua Kona for close to 50 years. My testimony addresses both the Leeward Planning Commission and the Planning Department because you are asking the community for input on the same concerns simultaneously.
I am asking our planning commissioners to reject the Planning Department’s recommendation, which prematurely revises regulations before defining what a data center is. Their proposal currently lacks substantial safeguards. We must work to clarify definitions before defining regulations.
I support the intent of Bill 170, section 1, and urge the Leeward Planning Commission to recommend a stronger definition of "data center" that distinguishes data-center processing. The original bill defines a data center using subjective language that a developer's attorney can easily argue around in court. I am asking the commission to recommend an objective, airtight definition grounded in what the facility physically contains and how much power it draws. Specifically, I am asking the commission to recommend this language:
"Data center" means a facility used for the industrial-scale operation of computer systems and associated equipment [for the processing, computing, transmission, or dissemination of digital data] that requires supporting infrastructure beyond that typically accessory or incidental to office, commercial, or public and private institutional uses, including a single facility and any campus of multiple facilities under common ownership or control whose combined electrical demand meets or exceeds 5 megawatts.
I am concerned about the future of Hawaii. In order to have a bright future which I look forward to, we need to have safeguards, which includes clear definitions and language, in place that safeguard our resources and puts the people of Hawaii first.
Mahalo, Deborah Sevy, Kailua Kona