COM 1075.000 2018-2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Aaron S.Y. Chung, Council Chair and Members of the County Council County of Hawaii Page 6 meetings and discussions, including extensive input from the Waikoloa community, the committee identified five alternative sites for a community center. As mentioned previously, the Waikoloa Village Conceptual Plan identifies the subject property and immediate area as the No. 1 alternative site for a community center and park. The location of the proposed development is not identified for commercial uses for the future of this area in the plan. The proposed development does not align with Strategy 1.1. Strategy 1.4 Develop a Major Commercial Center for Waikoloa Village with shops, stores, and small business opportunities. The SKCDP expounded in detail regarding the construction of the commercially zoned 45 - acre parcel, which is the location of the proposed Waikoloa Plaza. The plan concluded that given the proposed square footage of the retail commercial space, it appears that the 45 -acre commercial center at Waikoloa Village can provide for the population's local retail commercial needs for the next 15 to 20 years. Given that this proposed major commercial center will provide the commercial needs of the community for a given period of time upon its completion, the request to rezone another property to commercial, which is located outside of the identified commercial area for Waikoloa Village, would be untimely and inconsistent with Strategy 1.4. Policy 3. Provide Transportation and Circulation Improvements in a Timely manner. Strategy 3.6 Implement traffic safety improvements along Waikoloa Road. Portions of the two-lane Waikoloa Road are very hazardous. There are parts of the road that are curvy and steep. Furthermore, there are stretches of roadway with little or no paved shoulders, let alone any room on the roadway for bicyclists or pedestrians. Several suggested traffic safety improvements for Waikoloa Road include: 1) Construct paved shoulders that are of a safe width, 2) Construct separated bicycle and walking paths along the roadway, and 3) Construct truck runaway ramps in appropriate locations along the roadway. As mentioned previously, this proposal does not incorporate any traffic, intersection, pedestrian, or bicycling improvements to connect this development to the nearby Waikoloa Village and future Waikoloa Plaza. In summary, when reviewing the overall direction of the SKCDP, we observed a clear direction of the plan to discourage further development of urban development, including commercial lots, east of Paniolo Road and Pua Melia Road as those lands provide a buffer between the Waikoloa Village (one of the fastest growing communities in the County) and the more rural/agricultural lands to the east. It should be noted that outreach during the formation of the SKCDP found that parks and outdoor recreation were one of the highest community needs as well as the inclusion of smaller playgrounds and community parks in the region. Adjacent to the future commercial center (Waikoloa Plaza) there is an established U.S. Post Office and County Fire Station — it is in this area the community desires to concentrate the commercial and more "urban" uses and zoning.