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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> development of the Town Center in a manner that minimizes <br /> impacts to the existing community and achieves a more efficient <br /> phasing of infrastructure improvements in relation to the <br /> increments of development." <br /> [April 9, 1996 letter from Parker Ranch to Virginia H. Goldstein, Director County of <br /> Hawaii Planning Department, signed by Carl A. Carlson, Jr., Trustee] Considering the <br /> monumental reduction in Parker Ranch's Town Center Road obligation that was being <br /> proposed, this was certainly an innocuous description of the proposed amendments. <br /> <br /> In 1996, Chief Carvalho of the County Police Department and Harry Kim, then <br /> Administrator of the Civil Defense Agency, recognized the foreseeable traffic congestion <br /> impact and voiced objections to Parker Ranch's proposed ordinance amendments. In <br /> response to Administrator Harry Kim's concern regarding the traffic impact that would <br /> result from not constructing the Town Center Road in advance of the Town Center <br /> development, Parker Ranch responded: <br /> <br /> "With the amendment request, Parker Ranch is proposing an <br /> amendment requiring that the connector roadway between Kamamalu <br /> Street and Mamalahoa Highway (formerly referred to as the town center <br /> arterial road) is to be provided concurrently with development of the areas <br /> immediately adjacent to the road. This will provide for the incremental <br /> development of the Town Center Areas and the provision of infrastructure <br /> commensurate with the impacts of the project." <br /> [June 20, 1996 Letter from Parker Ranch to Mr. Harry Kim, Administrator, Civil Defense <br /> Agency signed by Parker Ranch Foundation Trustee Carl A. Carlson Jr.] <br /> <br /> Parker Ranch's proposed amendments were approved by the County Council on <br /> December 26, 1996. As could have been foreseen, the effect of not holding Parker Ranch <br /> to its original obligation to complete this Town Center Road in advance of the residential <br /> and commercial development, is that Parker Ranch no longer had the same financial <br /> incentive to complete this road. <br /> <br /> Speaking of these 1996 revisions, in March 2006, a representative of Parker <br /> Ranch explained to me that the County Council "had no choice" but to approve the 1996 <br /> amendments. Curiously, someone who identified himself as a member of the Planning <br /> Commission at that time, similarly described the "economic duress" when the 1996 <br /> rezoning ordinance amendments were passed. <br /> <br /> The final text of the 1996 revised ordinance (Rezoning Ordinance #96-117), <br /> provided for three separate sections or phases of the Town Center Road: <br /> <br /> • Kaomalo Street to Pukalani Street was designated as Phase 1; <br /> • Pukalani Street to Kamamalu Street was designated as Phase 2; and <br /> • Mamalahoa Highway to Kaomalo Street was designated as Phase 3 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> 6 <br />