Written testimony due noon, Monday, September 14
Public hearing: Tuesday, September 15
Tell the Council:
No new homes until the infrastructure can support it.
Council needs to hear directly from the community. We are not against housing. We are against approving hundreds of new homes before Waikōloa has a dedicated second road, secure water, and room in our school. Submit testimony by noon on Monday, September 14th.
Waikōloa Green is asking the County Council to reclassify land next to the Village so it can be developed. Bill 186 changes the state land use designation from Agricultural to Urban for about 15 acres. Bill 187 rezones roughly 700 acres of the same parcel to allow a 400-unit apartment complex with a clubhouse, plus about 275 family-agricultural lots and a handful of larger agricultural lots, built in phases through 2045. On September 1, the Council heard nearly three hours of testimony and voted to defer. The next hearing is September 15.
We are not against housing. Waikōloa needs more homes, and especially affordable ones. The problem is that our infrastructure is already stretched thin, and this project would add hundreds of homes before that infrastructure catches up. The Village still has one road in and out for nearly 7,000 people. The Waimea Aquifer that supplies our water is being pumped near its sustainable limit. Our elementary school is at or above capacity, and we have no high school of our own.
What we are asking is simple. The Council should not approve Bills 186 and 187 until there are real, funded commitments, with a timeline, for the infrastructure this growth requires. That starts with the second access road the County itself named a very high priority back in 2008, and it now includes a clear answer on water and school capacity. Plans and good intentions are not enough. New residents deserve to move in with a safe way out and the services to support them.
Issue Overview:
Mana Road Fire, August 2021. Photo courtesy of Hawai‘i DLNR.
Talking Points
Pick two or three and put them in your own words
Waikōloa Village has one road in and out for nearly 7,000 residents.
The County's 2008 Community Development Plan named a second access road a very high priority. Eighteen years later, nothing has been built.
The 2021 Mana fire evacuation produced hour-long delays when our population was smaller.
The state Attorney General's Lāhainā investigation rated Waikōloa's wildfire risk at 100 percent higher than any other place in the country, even higher than Lāhainā before its fire.
The Waimea Aquifer is the smallest on the island and is already being pumped at nearly 90 percent of its sustainable yield, according to the state Water Commission. This project's own estimate adds about 1.29 million gallons a day.
Water matters for firefighting too, not just for households, in a community rated at extreme wildfire risk.
Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School is at or above capacity, and there is no high school in the Village.
The Planning Department's own recommendation states that urban growth should occur where adequate infrastructure "either exists or can reasonably be provided." For evacuation, water, and schools, that test is not met here.
We support housing, including affordable housing. We are asking that the infrastructure be funded and scheduled first, not just promised or called a wishlist item.
Testimony Template - Ready to Use
We’ve put together a testimony template for you to use. You can easily copy the testimony below, paste it into an email, add a sentence or two in your own words, and send it. That's it.
Aloha Councilmembers,
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I am a [resident of / parent in / visitor to] Waikōloa Village.
I am writing in opposition to Bills 186 and 187. I am not opposed to housing. Waikōloa needs more homes, including affordable homes. I am asking you to withhold approval until the County has funded, scheduled commitments for the infrastructure this growth requires, starting with a second access road and including confirmed water and school capacity.
Waikōloa Village has one road in and out for nearly 7,000 residents. The County's 2008 Community Development Plan named a second access road a very high priority. Eighteen years later, nothing has been built. During the 2021 Mana fire evacuation, residents sat in traffic for over an hour just to reach Waikōloa Road, and our population was smaller then. The state Attorney General's Lāhainā investigation rated Waikōloa's wildfire risk higher than any other place in the country. Adding hundreds of homes before a second road exists puts current and future residents in danger.
Water is the other limit. The Waimea Aquifer that serves the Village has a sustainable yield of 16 million gallons a day, the smallest on the island, and it is already pumped at close to 90 percent of that limit, according to the state Commission on Water Resource Management. The applicant estimates this project will need about 1.29 million gallons a day at full buildout. On top of other approved projects, that pushes the aquifer past its sustainable yield. This is not only a household concern. In a community rated at extreme wildfire risk, the water we would rely on to fight a fire draws from that same stressed source.
Our schools are also full. Waikōloa Elementary and Middle School is at or above capacity, and there is no high school in the Village, so our teenagers already ride the bus more than an hour each way to Kona. The Council chair asked the applicant to confirm capacity with the Department of Education. That answer should be in hand before hundreds of new homes are approved.
Please do not approve Bills 186 and 187 until these infrastructure needs are met with real commitments, funding, and a timeline, not just plans. Housing and safe infrastructure should move forward together.
Mahalo nui,
[Your name]
[Your address or town]
3 Ways to Submit Testimony
1. Email (fastest! Takes 3 minutes)
Send written testimony to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov by noon on Monday, September 14. Use the template above or write your own. Every email goes into the permanent record.
2. Video Testimony via Zoom
Pre-register by noon on Monday, September 14, by emailing councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov or calling (808) 961-8255.
You'll get login info to speak directly at the Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Committee Meeting. Hard MAX of 3 minutes of oral testimony.
3. Testify in Person (Most Impactful!)
Show up Tuesday, September 15, at one of these locations:
Hilo: Hawaiʻi County Building, Council Chambers, 25 Aupuni Street
Waimea: You can offer remote video testimony at the Waimea District 9 Council Office located at: 65-1279 Kawaihae Road, Suite 109, Kamuela, HI 96743
FAQs
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No. Waikōloa needs more homes and more affordable homes. The concern is timing. Our infrastructure is already overburdened, and this adds hundreds of homes before roads, water, and schools can support them.
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Some of it may be, and we welcome that. It does not change the capacity problem. A household that cannot evacuate safely, or that has no water or school seat, is not made safer by the price of the home. We support affordability and safe infrastructure together.
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Withhold approval of Bills 186 and 187 until there are funded, scheduled, and binding commitments for the infrastructure this growth requires, starting with the second access road and including confirmed water supply and school capacity.
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Yes, on September 1 they deferred to September 15. Deferral is not denial. This is the window to make the record clear before they vote.
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Keeping residents safe is our mission, and safe evacuation is central to it. Water and schools are part of the same picture: approvals are running ahead of the infrastructure that protects and serves residents. Water availability for the region directly affects our first responders ability to fight a fire.
Ready to submit by email?
Send your written testimony by noon on Monday, September 14.