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Honorable James Y. Arakaki, Chairman <br />and Members of the County Council <br />Page 4 <br />consistent with uses permitted within areas designated as Medium Density Urban as well <br />as the Village Commercial -zoned district. Therefore, it is determined that the request is <br />consistent with the Medium Density Urban form depicted on the LUPAG Map for this <br />area of South Kona. <br />The Kona Regional Plan adopted by the Planning Commission in April 1984, <br />designates the area as Residential Expansion. While the project site and much of the <br />immediately surrounding area are zoned Single Family Residential, these lands currently <br />accommodate uses more typical of a Village Commercial -zoned area. For example, <br />Immediately south of the project site on the opposite side of Konawaena School Road is <br />the Episcopal Church. Just east (mauka) of the project site is Konawaena High School. <br />Both of these uses are established on lands currently zoned Single Family Residential. In <br />the immediate vicinity of the project site on the makai side of the Mamalahoa Highway <br />are some lands designated for Village Commercial (CV) uses. While the Kona Regional <br />Plan recommends the expansion of Residential uses on the project site, its proximity at <br />the corner of the Mamalahoa Highway and Konawaena School Road and to non- <br />residential uses such as the Episcopal Church and Konawaena High School would better <br />compliment the establishment of commercial uses as being proposed by the applicant. <br />The project site fronts Mamalahoa Highway, which has an 80 -foot right-of-way <br />and, for this section fronting the project site, is under the jurisdiction of the County of <br />Hawaii. Therefore, the State Department of Transportation has deferred comments to the <br />Department of Public Works. Primary access to the project site is provided by <br />Mamalahoa Highway, an 70 -foot wide County -maintained roadway designated as an <br />arterial roadway within the County of Hawaii General Plan. Konawaena School Road, <br />also a County -maintained roadway, has a pavement width of 26 feet within a 40 -foot <br />wide right-of-way. According to information provided within the application, an 24 -foot <br />wide internal access driveway will provide direct access to both the Mamalahoa Highway <br />and Konawaena School Road. The Mamalahoa Highway driveway connection will <br />restrict left turn movements onto the Mamalahoa Highway. The Konawaena School <br />Road driveway connection will permit full turning movements. <br />The applicant has prepared a Traffic Impact Analysis Report (TIAR) and <br />conducted traffic counts at the Mamalahoa Highway-Konawaena School Road <br />intersection in early September 2000. The TIAR assumed traffic generated only by the <br />proposed visitors' center and related activities and not by potential "highest and best use" <br />that may be permitted within the requested Village Commercial (CV -10) zoned district. <br />According to the findings of the TZAR, "the proposed project is expected to have minimal <br />impact to traffic volumes on Mamalahoa Highway, and to conditions at the signalized <br />intersection with Konawaena School Road. The unsignalized intersections of the project <br />