Members of the public who attended a review of McDonald's American Samoa's application for a land use permit to build a restaurant on Utulei Beach were strongly opposed to the proposal.
Only one of the dozen people who spoke at yesterday's meeting of the government's land use review committee, supported the idea.
One of those who opposed the project was Pago Pago chief Tufele Puia'i.
"This is the only public beach anybody can come and swim at. Some of the people who voted for me prefer to swim over here. It is not McDonald's fault."
Pago Pago chief Tufele Puia'i
McDonald's American Samoa presented an overview of the Environmental Impact Assessment study on the Utulei Beach location and mitigation measures to take care of traffic congestion, drainage concerns, waste management and preservation of the historical significance of the Utulei site.
Issues raised included the closeness of the restaurant to the beach and the illegal filling of a flood zone.
