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- Page 1 of 1 <br /> ih ,r <br /> Murashige, Laura <br /> From: Rich Hedges [hedghogg@ix.netcom.com] i~~: ~ 1 <br /> C'1U~ Ja,it A~ <br /> Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 5:55 PM <br /> To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us t~;` ~ <br /> Subject: Support Big Box Legisation by Stacy Higa `f""-"'" <br /> Attachments: Richard Hedges.vcf <br /> I am in favor of the Big Box legislation introduced by Stacy Higa. Councilman Higa is showing <br /> great insight by realizing the problems brought to our local community by these monster <br /> stores. These huge buildings (220,000 square feet or larger) draw customers from 35 to 50 <br /> miles. They are very bad land use. The traffic they generate will block our arterial streets. Hilo <br /> is not built on a grid pattern; therefore most streets do not cut through. This forces all traffic <br /> onto our main streets and during peak traffic times of the day it creates traffic gridlock. This <br /> will increase our traffic at key intersections to what traffic engineers call a Level F. This means <br /> long delays. <br /> Wal-Mart is the worst example of the Big Box type stores. If Wal-Mart decides to build a Super <br /> Store here it will likely close its Hilo store in the future. That has been their pattern across the <br /> country to saturate an area and when local merchants are closed by their predatory <br /> competition they close their older stores. This forces all to drive farther to purchase the goods <br /> that were sold at one time near our homes. The center where Wal-Mart is in Hilo will lose its <br /> anchor and eventually the other stores will close. We can all remember the mid 1990's when <br /> 50% of the stores in the Price Kuhio Shopping Center were closed. It will happen again if Big <br /> Box Stores are allowed to develop without controls. <br /> What does this mean to us who live here? Wal-Mart's money from Hawaii sales will go to <br /> Bentonville, Arkansas banks. The money will not be invested in local banks, which are in turn <br /> loaned to local merchants to modernize or expand their business or loaned to local residents to <br /> purchase homes. This is just one more way they stamp out competition. <br /> Wal-Mart often makes token contributions to the community when trying to develop their <br /> monster stores, but those contributions end when they get what they want. KTA and Sack N <br /> Save both give time and money to our local Zoo, which is free to all our children who wish to <br /> come. Big Box companies do not give to local causes. Our local merchants do. Their <br /> managers and their employees are our little league coaches, our volunteers for the YMCA and <br /> contributors to our local charities. <br /> Big Box stores like Wal-Mart do not always have the lowest prices. There are many examples <br /> on the mainland of towns larger than ours where prices are increased by the giant stores when <br /> <br /> they have eliminated the local competition. <br /> Lastly, I left the mainland to get away from Big Box Stores with all of the traffic. Hilo is my <br /> adopted home. I came here because of the wonderful people and the Aloha Spirit. I do not <br /> <br /> want to see Hilo or this Island marginalized by mainland thinking. The promise of something <br /> <br /> for less is just that, a promise. The results will be a paradise lost. ~ 2 2 Z <br /> Comm. Ho. <br /> Richard Hedges Ref. To:Proa~sted L <br /> Hilo Ref. Uate JA~__ <br /> 1 / 12/2007 <br /> <br />