COM 0438.018 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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and infrastructure accordingly with public input. This is not only an issue of good planning but also an issue of public trust. Developers should not be allowed to subvert the intent of County planning processes. 2. The developer states there will be no impacts on schools, water and sewer systems, police, fire, parks and public utilities. We disagree and believe impacts will be significant. New developments in Kona are being planned with no neighborhood pazks, police and fire service is already stretched thin and our water system, we recently learned, is sucking brackish water into the aquifer serving our neighborhood. This means increased levels of sodium and chloride in the water beyond EPA and Health Department standazds, putting people at risk of hypertension and other impacts on health. We have been told that new water service will have to be brought to this development at a very high cost before building can start. If that is true, deny the rezoning until the public can see the scope, impact and cost of this new water system Sewers aze not planned for this development. But if sea water is rising in the aquifer due to over pumping, it won't be long before pollution from human waste also enters the aquifer. 3. Traffic access to this new development, as planned, is not adequate. The main collector street, Nani Kailua, is very steep and does not meet your own standazds for a collector. Adjacent streets, Aloha Kona and Hoene should not bear the burden of more traffic for this new development, as they aze already busy streets. Two streets, Melelina and Kaewena, previously identified in your county plan as north/south streets that could have provided access to this property, have now been dedicated as cul-de-sacs as part of recently approved rezonings. The developer has indicated he is looking as some access to Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway from the south, but this is not the answer, as it would still bring more traffic into existing neighborhoods. The answer is a new access to the north of Nani Kailua onto Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. 4. The proposed plan shows one internal road on the property to serve 43 home sites. If this road were blocked by fire, flood or other emergency situations, residents would be trapped. This certainly does not meet effective emergency planning standards. 5. Vazious endangered species have been sighted in this azea and appeaz to make it their home. Proper time should be allowed to research these sightings and determine if this is a habitat land. If it is, development should either be halted or proceed in a scaled back fashion to accommodate our endangered species. In summary, rezoning this property may make sense at some point, but there aze significant public policy issues that need to be addressed, debated and resolved before rezoning occurs. These aze issues that will come up again and again as Kona continues to grow and existing neighborhoods feel the impact of new development. 2