COM 0400.092 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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August 3, 2004 The Honorable James Y. Arakaki and Council Members Page 2 Identified Critical Area Developments along Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway between Kealekehe Parkway and the Keahole Airport that require access to and from the highway aze considered part of a critical area because traffic on the highway already exceeds its planned capacity and a number of pending projects have already received approvals. The State Department of Transportation plans to widen Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway to four lanes with a median at a total cost of $30 million. Design is to begin in FY2005, with construction completed in FY2009. Proposed condition for Bill 178 It is proposed that for this project and other future rezonings in this critical area, occupancy be conditioned on the completion of the widening of Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway. Specific language recommended to amend Condition J in Bill 178 is: A Certificate of Occupancy for any portion of the development other than the residential component shall not be issued until Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, Phase II, from Kealakehe Parkway to Keahole Airport, has been widened to a minlmum of four traffic lanes (i. e., construction completed). As recommended in the attached report, if private contributions pay for the design of Phase II to fast-track the project, then it is acceptable to add a fixed period for government to uphold its commitment to expedite construction by adding at the end of the condition, or within three years from the effective date of this ordinance, whichever occurs first." Since Clifto's developer has agreed to pay $750,000 for the design of the road improvements, this provision should be included above. In addition, to ensure the timeliness of the completion of the design, a requirement should be added that, "Plan approval for any part of the project shall not be issued unless the applicant's design of the Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway, Phase II, has been submitted to the State Department of Transportation for review and approval." Conclusion The administration would like to sincerely thank the County Council and Chairman Arakaki for working with the administration and the developer in trying to address the infrastructure concerns of Kona regarding this development. We again thank the County Council for the $40 million bond issue that will provide the funds to assist in addressing our County's highway needs. A a, any Ki r`"~ Mayor