COM 0045.027 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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March 3, 2004 ~ic..~_. I: C-:_- Councilman James Arakaki Hawaii County Council 2004 ~flfl 15 fl~l 10 51 25 Aupuni St. Hilo, Hawaii 96720 ;r ' COUNT` f U';~N,~II Deaz Honorable Councilman Arakaki, I am writing to you to express my deepest concern about the direction Kona has taken in terms of development, and to request your support and help to find a positive direction for Kona's future. We want to protect the beauty of our shorelines and mountains, continue our small town lifestyle and make this island a place that local people can be proud of and visitors will choose to return to yeaz after yeaz. But to do this we need a united vision of how our island will grow and controls over "spot" development and massive urban growth. I have lived on Alii Drive since 1981 and have been a business owner in Kona since 1980. Alii Drive is one of the few short stretches of road on this island that is accessible to all people to drive along and see lovely sunsets, stop and watch the surf and surfers, enjoy the few but beautiful beaches, have a picnic, walk or jog or bike along the road in a lovely atmosphere. But this peaceful sustainable scene is rapidly deteriorating. Yes, the General Plan projects development, but in a way that allows open areas, low density housing for local people, pazks, conservation azeas, etc.. Yet, developers aze buying up agricultural land or low density land and appealing for upzoning to medium and high density development in a piecemeal manner, each one arguing that THEIR project will have minimal to no impact in terms of traffic, loss of open land, crowding of schools, danger to pedestrians and bicyclists, or visual destruction of this precious commodity. I urge you to support adherence to a General Plan that is agreeable to the residents of Kallua-Kona. Do not allow developers to buy cheap and sell high, as I assure you they DO NOT live in our town and do not suffer the loss along Alii Drive. Here are the few reasons land rezoning should not be allowed: As a business person who deals with visitors and local residents alike, I have not met 1 person who is in support of more development along Alii Drive. Visitors come to Kona for the small town beauty. Planners and developers argue that traffic conditions would be eased if more urban residences (density development) were clustered in town so residents would not have to drive faz. In fact, more local people aze being forced to move further away because the condominiums and time-shazes aze built and mazketed for seasonal, short term residents or visitors. Therefore, the local people live in more remote azeas south and the Vaffic bottlenecks as we try to converge into town, through town and on north to resorts to work. All anyone has to do is watch the traffic flow everyday, bottlenecked on each side of town. Alii Drive is filled with the thousands of condo and time shaze residents and local people being "dumped" into Alii drive due to lack of mauka-makai roads and alternative routes. Concentration even more people on Alii Drive will NOT solve this issue. Comm. No._, V S' ~'7 Ref. To: L Ref. Uate... ~U~