We write this letter as a group of families who are proud to call Hilo our home. Our aloha for the place where we continue to operate our family-built businesses runs deep. Our commitment to making Hilo the kind of place where our future generations will thrive is profound. While this letter is an expression of the sentiments we share, it is also an invitation to any and all who want to see Hilo prosper – and a call to action at a critical time when our combined effort can make a difference.
No single event shaped modern Hilo more than the tsunami that devastated the village of Shinmachi in 1960. The state responded by taking control of certain lands in low-lying areas, and making some of them and other parcels it already owned available for commercial redevelopment. Long-term leases granted by the state through the Department of Land and Natural Resources allowed local banks to underwrite the effort, and it wasn’t long before families like ours were once again serving the community.
Fifty-seven years later, with these leases set to expire, the same arrangement that worked so well to rebuild Hilo after the tsunami has become the driving factor in another wave of decline. Fortunately, this time, with the support of our state government, we have a chance to turn this threat into an unprecedented opportunity for Hilo.
We have already seen how the state and county can work together to keep public lands that have been set aside for economic development from becoming wasting assets. The partnership formed to foster improvements through the Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency serves as a model for how our community can be directly involved in resolving issues related to these expiring leases in a way that will preserve what we all cherish about Hilo.
Our families wholeheartedly support the effort to revive Hilo’s tourism sector. We equally support new measures put forth by our East Hawaii legislative caucus that allow the state to renegotiate expiring leases in Hilo’s industrial and commercial sectors as a means to stimulate investment and greatly increase the value of those lands as well. Sens. Lorraine Inouye and Kaiali’i Kahele, together with Reps. Richard Onishi, Mark Nakashima and Chris Todd are hard at work doing their part to ensure a brighter future for everyone who lives, works and plays in Hilo. These bills pending in the Legislature face an uphill struggle to survive among the thousands that are introduced every year.
It’s time for us to do our part. Please join us in giving them the support they need with your voice.
Aloha,
Brian I. Kitagawa, President, I. Kitagawa and Company, Ltd. (founded 1905)
Stephen Ueda, President &CEO, Suisan Company, Ltd. (founded 1907)
Barry Taniguchi, Chairman &CEO, KTA Super Stores (founded 1916)
Toby Taniguchi, President &COO, KTA Super Stores (founded 1916)
Bobby Fujimoto, Chairman Emeritus, Hawaii Planing Mill, Ltd. (founded 1921)
Mike Fujimoto, Chairman &CEO, Hawaii Planing Mill, Ltd. (founded 1921)
Jason Fujimoto, President &COO, Hawaii Planing Mill, Ltd. (founded 1921)
David S. De Luz, Jr., Vice President, Big Island Toyota, Inc. &De Luz Chevrolet (founded 1962)
Allan Ikawa, President &CEO, Big Island Candies (founded 1977)
Sig Zane, CEO, Sig Zane Designs (founded 1985)
Kuhao Zane, Creative Director, SZKaiao &Sig Zane Designs (founded 1985)