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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-11-06 Hearing Transcript-Steven Shropshire SMA 14-058 WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT NOVEMBER 6, 2014 STEVEN SHROPSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE GROUP, Public testimony for the application of LLC (SMA 14-058) commenced at 9:20 a.m. in the County of Hawai‘i Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i with Chairman Myles Miyasato presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Myles Miyasato, Charles Heaukulani, Gregory Henkel, Donald Ikeda, Raylene Moses, and Stephen Ono. ALSO PRESENT: Duane Kanuha (Planning Director), Margaret Masunaga (Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Windward Planning Commission), Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Jeff Darrow (Staff Planner), Maija Jackson (Staff Planner), Christian Kay (Staff Planner), and Sarah Hata-Finley (Commission Secretary). And approximately 14 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT:STEVEN SHROPSHIRE, SHROPSHIRE GROUP, LLC(SMA 14-058) Application for a Special Management Area Use Permit to allow the consolidation of 4 lots and its subdivision into 10 lots and a road lot with related improvements. The subject property is located along the north (makai) side of the Hawai‛i Belt Highway (State Highway 19) fronting the Mile Marker 19 at Waikaumalo, North Hilo, Hawai‘i, TMK: 3-2-005:002, 003, 004 & 005. Secretary’s note: At 9:10 a.m. Chairman Miyasato announced that this application was being continued. Chairman Miyasato called a recess at 9:11 a.m., and the meeting reconvened at 9:20 a.m. at which time only public testimony was taken for this application. MIYASATO: I’d like to call the meeting back to order. Do we have anyone wishing to testify on Applicant No. 2, Āhualoa Land Company? If not, at this time, we’ll take testimony for Item No. 3 on the agenda, Steven Shropshire Group, LLC. Could I have Robert Nishimoto and Sharon Blank come forward to the table, please? NISHIMOTO: Mr. Chairman, who speaks first? MIYASATO: I’ll swear you in and then we’ll go ladies first. NISHIMOTO: Okay. MIYASATO: Could you both please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai‛i County Planning Commission? NISHIMOTO/BLANK: Yes. 1 EXHIBIT B MIYASATO: Could you please—you have three minutes—could you please state your name and residence? BLANK: Yes, Sharon Blank, Nīnole. MIYASATO: Speak into the mic, please. BLANK: This is better? MIYASATO: Yeah. BLANK: Sharon Blank, Nīnole resident. MIYASATO: You can go ahead. BLANK: Okay. I speak not only for myself but for many of my neighbors who are very uncomfortable appearing in this venue. Our community is an increasingly rare one, maintaining a caring, rural local way of life. The values cherished by newcomers such as myself are those that have sustained the families who have been here since the early plantation days. The Hāmākua Community Development Plan documents have admirably captured what is unique and worth preserving in this area, where aloha is still very much alive. The proposed development is viewed in our neighborhood with dismay. It is a poor fit for the area—much too large, and sure to bring significant traffic to an already accident-prone stretch of highway. The purchasers for the new lots will undoubtedly be wealthy and not connected to the existing community. Very few owners of the existing oceanfront parcels are residents. The remainder of the properties are rentals or being held as investments, perhaps generating tax revenue, but doing nothing to enhance our peaceful community. It is not difficult to imagine a virtual wall of multi-story second homes lining the edge of the cliff, as the proposed lots do not have large ocean frontages. Indeed, the foundation for such a frontage spanning home has been poured nearby in a recently subdivided lot. The planning documents stress preserving the natural beauty of our area along with the fundamental values of our rural, local culture. The proposed development appears to be a violation of the plan--a violation of the very essence of the Hāmākua Coast. Thank you. MIYASATO: Commissioners, any questions? Thank you. Could you please state your name and residence? NISHIMOTO: Good morning. I’m here to testify regarding proposition request number three which is Shropshire’s development in Nīnole at the 19-mile marker. My name is Robert Nishimoto. I was born and raised in Nīnole at about the 19.3-mile marker so that gives me some credibility on what I’m saying. I was born and raised in Nīnole. I left the island to get my Ph.D. in marine science. I’m a retired fishery biologist by trade, and I’ve been working for say 32 years and have returned to Nīnole after making the full circle. Nīnole was always a home, a very precious place for me to live. 2 EXHIBIT B This site, I’m sure you all understand that it was a service station called Super Highway Service Station. I grew up in Nīnole, and summer time, I worked there. This was prior to EPA rules, but we were very part of disposing motor oil. After this was mechanic’s shop, radiator fluid, motor oil, also a graveyard for dilapidated vehicles. I’ve also seen now they’re working on the land already, look like they’re bulldozing and grubbing. Looks like they have barrier sediments up today for the first time, obviously there must be an inspection coming up soon. Many trees were cut. I can see the ocean now, but what bothers me is, this seems to be the cart before the horse issue. It seems to be a trend here in this island. The proprietor was also an independent sugar grower. I also worked at the sugar fields. We used to help pick up drums of herbicide. You know, lot of these herbicides had arsenic in ‘em, you know. Site needs to be totally, thoroughly—because it’s a public health issue—not only for the whole request but also for us community members that need to drive that road everyday because trucks with muddy tires continuously going in and out of the highway now. Nobody has tested for those petroleum products. I was part of a student help, they’re doing that, dumping gallons of waste oil in the back. Please consider this, that’s serious for everybody, okay? Also, that, you know he also stored fertilizer. Here’s a huge independent sugar planter, so that was a big part of process. No rules then, but now there’s obvious signs of removing stuff. I’m really concerned and with, also with the gas tank. That service station has a gas tank. I don’t know whether it’s been removed or not, but you were to pursue any process, that should also be looked at because I’m sure there’s lot of leakages. It’s very close to the ocean, and I’m concerned about that. You know, my kupuna growing up in Hāmākua Coast, part of big plantation community— hunting, fishing was a big part of that. We were part of that also during the strike. We had soup kitchens. There was a sense of community. My kupuna taught me to fish. I fished off the whole coast behind that property and along my house at Nishimoto Store. I grew up there. We picked opihi. It’s an excellent opihi ground. I want you to look at the potential runoff even now. They’ve already bulldozed and cut down many trees. Are there any abatement for sediment runoff? That’s gonna contaminate the opihi grounds. Studies have shown that opihi are self, are self—in other words—the opihi here only colonizes the opihi on this island, and it doesn’t go to another island, in other words, if you don’t protect your source here, you won’t have more opihis, it’s gonna go like, Oahu will never get any opihi from us or any other island. It comes from their own island. So there’s a critical point. Also, let me point out to you that Hāmākua Coast is also the habitat of the endangered, juvenile hawksbill turtle. The federal has listed it as such. Juvenile hawksbill turtle feed on the special sponge that only occur off the Hāmākua Coast. So, again, when you consider these developments, please look at impact on the ocean. Seems like lot of us look at from, from the land outward, and look only at the horizon. Maybe it’s time to look from the other way around. Again, you know, there’s wholesale—okay, let me, may I end up closing? In general, let’s stop the wholesale assault on the Hāmākua Coast for high—it’s just simply, it’s like an attack over and over again, you know, we need these Agricultural lands for our children. You know, food 3 EXHIBIT B security. Kids wanting to come back from home. You know, we have a development at the 20- mile marker supposedly disguised as a sod farm. Now for five million dollars. What is it going to do to the price of land? Our children want to come—I came home. My children can’t come home anymore with, you allow these kinds of things. It’s simply an investment. It’s just disguised as some silly, I’m still waiting for that sod, to buy some sod farm for my yard. Where’s the sod farm, you know? What are we doing about it? And that bothers me. You know, and our new elected governor, one of his commercials, he said, I want to keep Hawai‛i for our children from not leaving the island. How can we do this if we allow this simply disguised development for simply done for raises the price of land. Thank you. MIYASATO: Mr. Nishimoto, could you state your residence for the record? NISHIMOTO: I live at exactly the nine tenths point three mile marker in Nīnole, Hawai‛i. MIYASATO: Okay, thank you. NISHIMOTO: And, I’m born and raised there. MIYASATO: Any questions Commissioners? If not, thank you. NISHIMOTO: You’re welcome. The public testimony for this application ended at 9:29 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Y. Hata-Finley, Secretary Windward Planning Commission 4 EXHIBIT B