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From: <br />Ken love <br />To: <br />Council Testimony <br />Subject: <br />testimony <br />Date: <br />Sunday, July 08, 2018 6:12:16 AM <br />July 7, 2018 <br />The Honorable Valerie T. Poindexter <br />Chairwoman, Hawaii County Council <br />25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1402/2402, Hilo, HI 96720 <br />Dear Chairwoman Poindexter and Honorable Councilmembers: <br />This letter is concerning the Hawaii County Council's upcoming hearings on the <br />Hamakua Community Development Plan (CDP). <br />While the overall plan is good and offers respectful guidance for development <br />as well as preservation of Hamakua's lifestyle, it unfortunately contains <br />provisions that appear to inadvertently act against agricultural interests. <br />Specifically, paragraph 4.5.4 asks the county to develop "viewshed regulations" <br />and paragraph 4.5.6 seeks to discourage "tall, vegetative windbreaks." <br />The CDP contains no clear definition of what these viewsheds or viewscapes <br />are nor how "enhancement" or "protection" of these mesh with factors such as <br />agricultural zoning, private property rights, Hawaii state law, or the protection <br />of watershed ecosystems — which the CDP also calls for. Nor does it <br />acknowledge the value of windbreaks and forestry, and other aspects of these <br />agricultural practices. <br />Current Hawaii County zoning, as well as Hawaii's state -level Right -to -Farm <br />statute, allow a robust range of uses of agriculturally -zoned land. The vision <br />and foresight that resulted in our pro -agriculture statutes and regulations <br />promise a good future for Hawaii's farmers and foresters to feed and otherwise <br />support our citizenry. In addition, the agriculture, agroforestry, and forestry <br />permitted by our laws offer all of us the widespread benefits of improved air <br />and water quality, protection of crops from tropical storm damage, as well as <br />