HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-09-28 Noelle Lindenmann SupportFrom:Noelle Lindenmann
To:Planning WPC Testimony; Villegas, Rebecca
Subject:More Testimony Bill 170 & Planning Department input
Date:Monday, September 28, 2026 3:58:16 PM
Aloha Planning Commission:
I am writing again to support the intent of Bill 170 and ask the Windward PlanningCommission to recommend a clear, objective definition of 'data center,' distinct from thecounty's existing 'data processing facility' definition, rather than the current subjectivelanguage. I also ask the Commission to reject the Planning Department's recommendation,which would open a permitted-use pathway for smaller data centers rather than close one.
Our proposed definition: 'Data center' means a facility, or two or more facilities on
contiguous or adjacent parcels under common ownership or control, whose primary
purpose is housing, operating, or co-locating computer servers and associated
cooling, power, and support infrastructure, and whose combined electrical demand
at full build-out meets or exceeds 5 megawatts.
Thank you for your work and service
MahaloNoelle Lindenmann
Kailua-Kona
Sent from a tiny computer.
---------- Forwarded message ---------From: Noelle Lindenmann <noelle.royer@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Sep 21, 2026 at 10:53Subject: Testimony Bill 170 & Planning Department input
To: LPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov <LPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov>,rebecca.villegas@hawaiicounty.gov <Rebecca.Villegas@hawaiicounty.gov>
CC: heather.kimball@hawaiicounty.gov <heather.kimball@hawaiicounty.gov>,Holeka.Inaba@hawaiicounty.gov <holeka.inaba@hawaiicounty.gov>,
Jennifer.Kagiwada@hawaiicounty.gov <jennifer.kagiwada@hawaiicounty.gov>,michelle.galimba@hawaiicounty.gov <michelle.galimba@hawaiicounty.gov>,
dennis.onishi@hawaiicounty.gov <dennis.onishi@hawaiicounty.gov>,james.hustace@hawaiicounty.gov <james.hustace@hawaiicounty.gov>,
ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov <ashley.kierkiewicz@hawaiicounty.gov>,matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov <matt.kanealii-kleinfelder@hawaiicounty.gov>,
Kimo.Alameda@hawaiicounty.gov <Kimo.Alameda@hawaiicounty.gov>,generalpla@hawaiicounty.gov <generalpla@hawaiicounty.gov>,
WPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov <WPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov>
Aloha Leeward Planning Commission and Planning Department,
My name is Noelle Lindenmann, and I live in Kailua-Kona. I am providing testimony today
that addresses both the Leeward Planning Commission and the Planning Department becauseboth 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 proposalcurrently 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 torecommend 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 caneasily 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.
Data centers are not in the best interest of our community or our island. They do not
provide long-term jobs, and they take our limited resources. Our electricity is
overwhelmingly from fossil fuels and is already the most expensive in the US. We
don't need to add any more load to the grid. Enough of our water is already packagedfor off island consumption and we don't need to take any more away from public use.
Mahalo for your time and service,Noelle LindenmannKailua-Kona