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Page 1 of 2 Robello, Alfred From: rscarola@mindspring.com Sent: Tuesday, July O5, 2005 1:03 AM v_'_. ~ ~i ~ To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Testimonry for July 7 county meeting July 5, ?005 Re: Bill 29.30, 31 & 32 Dear Hawaii County Council Members and Mayor Kim: I know you must deal with tremendous pressures on a dai ly basis, and I appreciate the effort yon are making to balance all of the difficult and complex issues you have to decide upon. I wrote to all of you in April about what seems to me to be a critical juncture in your efforts to plan for reasoned growth in West Flawaii. I ask you again to consider the following issues with regard to the development being proposed by Suffolk Investment to put in upwards of 350 dwelling units and a shopping center maker of Pualani Estates. I.There are already many subdivision developments and a record number of new building permits that have been approved in West Hawaii and are already going forward, and these will add a heavy burden to a currently overburdened infrastructure, especially roads. 2. Allowing additional new developments at this time, without first providing the necessary road infrastructure for what already exists and what has already been approved will only take us from a critical situation to an emergency situation. 3.). This is especially the case with any development bordering Alii Drive, Kuakini I lighway, or the Queen Kaahumanu Highway such as the development being proposed by Suffolk Investment. 'their proposal, as 1 understand it, would place a cross traffic intersection on Highway I I and [he Kuakini Highway just before Kailua town. At that point an additional 700-1000 or more cars per day from that development, along with the traffic from commercial businesses in the proposed shopping center, would feed into Highway I I and Kuakini. But the truth is, we are nearly at gridlock already at certain times of day trying to get into and out of town, and another small local shopping center will not mitigate the majority of the traffic tlow which is to and Gom the airport, the shopping centers with stores like Macy's, Lowes, Costeq Home Depot, etc., downtown Kailua, and the industrial parks and resorts. All of these critical areas are located north of the proposed development. All of these areas are where people will go to work, shop, or travel. l'he proposed Suffolk development will only add a huge number of cars to the northbound commute in the morning, and the southbound homeward commute in the evening, creating real gridlock, not to mention putting a very heavily hatlicked intersection on Highway I I which will likely cause huge tra~'fic problems at all times, notjust commute hours. One has only to look at what effect the addition of the traflic light at the transfer station has had on Highway I I southbound and northbound traffic to see what this would mean. 1 have seen traffic often backed up Gom that new traffic light all the way to Henry Street to the south and Hina Lani street to the north. And we are only talking about cars using the transfer station or the police station, which is nowhere near the traffic that would be generated by the proposed Suffolk development. And, as a result, I have seen a significant increase in dangerous driving-frustrated and angry people passing on double yellow lines, speeding, tailgating, etc. Less and Icss driving with Aloha, more and more road rage. 4.) It will not help to have affordable housing that places an untenable burden on an already barely functional road Camm. No. .l Ref. To: Prssstttfstt 7/5/2005 Ref. Dote III^,,,,I