Tim Furst Testimony 06.27.23 - Laserfiche WebLink

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From: Tim Furst To: WPCtestimonv Subject: Re:Silber Special Permit Application PL-SPP-2022-000016 Date: Tuesday,June 27,2023 8:35:18 PM From:Timothy Furst,neighbor Re:Written Testimony for July 7th,2023 Windward Planning Commission Meeting I wish to follow up on my written testimony dated January 2,2023 to the Hawai'i County Planning Department and Windward Planning Commission On January 2,2023,I wrote: As noted in my earlier testimony(submitted October 31,2022),my primary concern is about traffic on Lolia Place caused by the operation of Hawaii Eco Retreat(formerly Lolia Ecovillage and Event Center.) On Page 4 of the PD Recommendation Report it says: "(B)The desired use would not adversely affect surrounding properties" "The applicant anticipates a maximum of 20-25 vehicular trips to the property on any given day." It then goes on to say "The applicant also proposes to provide on-site parking for 30 vehicles for non-retreat guests." It appears to me that parking for 30 vehicles for"non-retreat guests",plus the retreat guests,plus staff and volunteers,would result in far more than a maximum of 20-25 vehicular trips on any given day. Furthermore,because this would be in addition to the vehicular traffic from water trucks,construction vehicles,and the residents of two subdivisions,I believe that this proposal WILL adversely affect surrounding properties. I recently saw a"For Sale"listing for this property that says: "Located at the top of the subdivision we have a parking lot that accommodates 20+cars as well as space for 100+ cars alongside the 600' gravel driveway between the parking lot and the paved road" <<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KD2A vdpAdF5d_4GBe3pb_sDRCW10GAMUKcr4Y3XrU/mobilebasic>> This implies that it would be possible to have more than 120 cars on the property at any given time,which far exceeds what is stated in the permit application: "The applicant anticipates a maximum of 20-25 vehicular trips to the property on any given day." "The applicant also proposes to provide on-site parking for 30 vehicles for non-retreat guests." If the Special Permit application is approved,this disparity makes me think that whoever is operating the retreat center may not abide by the terms of the permit. On January 2,2023,I also wrote: On Page 6 of the PD Recommendation Report it says: "According to DOH,since the subject property has uupeimitted buildings and unapproved individual wastewater systems in violation of Chapter 11-62,HRS,the Wastewater Branch highly recommends non-issuance of the special permit rmtil all building and wastewater system violations are resolved." On October 12,2022,John Pipan of Land Planning Hawaii LLC wrote a letter to Mr Honda at the State of Hawaii Department of Health in which he states: "The composting toilet system and shower graywater disposal system were not approved by DOH.The applicant has decommissioned these systems and will install approved septic system(s)to replace them should the Special Permit be approved." I find this statement by Mr Pipan troubling for two reasons: 1)DOH recommends that the special permit not be approved until the wastewater system violations are resolved,but Mr Pipan responds that the violations will only be resolved if the special permit is approved,without any guarantee that they would actually be brought up to code. 2)As of February 2023,four months after Mr Pipan's letter,the composting toilets and the showers served by a greywater disposal system had NOT been decommissioned and were still in active use. I know this first hand because in February 2023 I visited the subject property at the invitation of Mr Silber. When I needed to go to the toilet,I was directed to the composting toilets which were still in use,and while there I witnessed a staff member or guest using the unpermitted showers. I do not know if Mr Silber informed Mr Pipan that the composting toilets and showers had been decommissioned and Mr Pipan conveyed that information to the Department of Health without verifying it,or whether Mr Pipan was aware that the composting toilets and showers were still in use when he wrote his letter,but whatever the source of the false statement to DOH it has made me lose trust that Mr Silber and Mr Pipan will abide by whatever conditions the County might impose on a Special Permit Thank you for your consideration Timothy Furst 4207 1st Ave NW Seattle,WA 98107