At issue with decision
At issue with decision
Pristine forest at stake
They were invited, the Planning Department and the Board of Appeals members. Environmental experts spoke on behalf of one of the most pristine native forests in the state — Waikakuu, a 72 acres parcel in South Kona — and photos and stories were shared. Yet not one member came to check out the forest, walk the land, or look at the ohia forest, its cultural attributes and its inhabitants. Opponents brought up the “no county water” issues with recent and historical drought conditions, the glut of unsold existing building lots, huge ohia trees and endangered species located on the land and yet the appeals board, sight unseen, supported the decision to develop the mauka lands of Waikakuu into a planned unit development.
Over the course of five appeal meetings (three in Hilo) and a wide variety of expert testimony, the appeals board was encouraged to correct or reverse the Planning Department’s rubber stamped, sight-unseen decision — and not one member wavered, or asked questions, or discussed the possibility of preservation. On July 13, with little conscience, lacking vision of right, good, posterity or consideration of what might be in the best interest of Kona, the environment, rain patterns, watershed preservation and the public trust, in a 6-0 county appeal decision, with Rodney Watanabe at the helm (former planning commissioner and now chairperson for the appeals board), unanimously backed Planning Director, Bobby Jean Leithead Todd’s ill-conceived and unstudied decision to approve the Waikakuu development.
Let’s not let the facts get in the way, Waikakuu had erroneously been described by Leithead-Todd as “kiawe, koa haole, variety of grass, shrubs and weeds.” She went on to say, “No endemic species of animals were located nor were their habitats, which implies someone looked, which they did not, and that it’s “lowland kiawe wasteland,” which it is not.
The appeals board received once more a wide variety of proof to the contrary. The amended information was that Waikakuu is an old growth ohia forest in a much-revered watershed district inhabited with vibrant life. Waikakuu houses ancient ohia trees, many at least 12 feet in circumference. Waikakuu, validated by experts, is home to pueo, the endangered Hawaiian hoary bat; iiwi; apapane; elepaio; amakihi; and enormous hapuu. The state and county constitutions have a public trust provision that courts have ruled must be enforced.
This 6-0 decision was made with total disregard and dismissal of the Kona Community Development Plan, which Brenda Ford and others took time to defend. Several particular points in the well-thought out community development plan that this development is in direct conflict with are: agricultural development of like and equal parcels, open space, priority 1 watershed conservation/preservation and public trust coverage.
This decision is totally inconsistent with the Kona plan, distinctly different from the nonplanning protocols of the previous 40 years. The Kona Community Development Plan became an ordinance in September 2008 and it amended the Zoning Code and the Subdivision Code, Chapter 25 and Chapter 23 (of the County Code) to create new sections governing development proposals in North and South Kona.
Who appointed these “public servants” anyway? They should be replaced with people who actually care about the rules, the facts and their constituents — as should the person who appointed them.
Kitty Lyons
Captain Cook