HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-21 Katia Davis Testimony
From: Katia Davis
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: Monday, September 21, 2026 4:33:41 PM
Aloha Leeward Planning Commission and Planning Department, My name is Katia , and I
am from Hilo. 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 love this island and don’t want to see it
destroyed. Mahalo, Katia Davis Hilo HI