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ONO: Well, let me clarify while I'm looking at, or pursue what I'm looking at. Most units, couples,have two
<br /> cars. So here you're reducing from 1,000 to 500 and you're only looking at one parking. I don't think that's
<br /> realistic if, you know -.
<br /> ARAI: Well,right now the way the Code stands is that you could put a residential unit in Downtown Hilo with
<br /> no parking. So if-.
<br /> ONO: Yeah,but if we're making recommendations -?
<br /> ARAI: Right -.
<br /> ONO: Don't you-?
<br /> ARAI: Well,I think that's why there are series of compromises in any bill. You try to strike a balance. In this
<br /> particular case,because of the way the bill is constructed-. You'll notice the recommendation is without
<br /> prejudice. It's because the Planning Director has not, sort of,vetted this whole thing through. When the new
<br /> bill gets submitted,we're going to distribute it to the affected agencies,we're also going to ask the Downtown
<br /> Hilo Association to comment on it and get their input,at which point the Director will offer its recommendation.
<br /> KERN: Madam Director?
<br /> LEITHEAD TODD: Yeah. I wanted to say that amongst the various CDPs and some of the community
<br /> development efforts is the idea that you live, work,play especially in areas of higher density. So if you look at
<br /> the Kona CDP,the idea is that you try to get people out of their cars. Downtown Hilo currently does not have a
<br /> parking requirement for any of those buildings. It's all on-street parking. There is one or two that have a few,
<br /> you know, parking stalls off And the vision of some of the people who are involved with Downtown Hilo is
<br /> that if you've got commercial, residential, shopping opportunities,coupled with bus service so you have a bus
<br /> stop in the area where you can go,that it lessens the need to have cars. Now that's a long-range vision. There
<br /> are people who live in Downtown Hilo who don't have cars; and they can go to KTA,they can go to Sack N
<br /> Save. If they want to go some place,they'll take a cab, go to Mooheau get a bus ride. This proposed bill, you
<br /> know,we're still waiting for the next one, actually is imposing a parking requirement where there's currently no
<br /> parking requirement Downtown. And it was based to some extent looking at other urban areas like San
<br /> Francisco, what was the requirement on the number of stalls. It may not reflect the way we currently live in our
<br /> homes. You know,hey, I've got two cars my house,right? One time we had four. And so I think a lot of the
<br /> bills that you see,both in Kona as well as in Hilo which are more urban,is this kind of vision that they're trying
<br /> to increase mass transit and decrease the use of vehicles. Whether that actually plays out or not,I don't know.
<br /> But that's sort of the vision of where some people are going with the designs--both for the, some,when we
<br /> did--on the Kona side we did the Kamakana Villages,the affordable housing project. And the people in
<br /> Downtown Hilo,they actually want to attract a residential component. Whether this is the bill or not,we don't
<br /> know. But there is that goal of trying to revitalize Downtown Hilo by having a residential component so that
<br /> people are there more than just 8 to 4 or 8 to 5.
<br /> KERN: Thank you,Madam Director. Commissioner Au?
<br /> AU: You know, I'm surprised that the Hilo Downtown Association didn't respond. I know you said you're
<br /> going to give them a chance to respond later, but I'm surprised that they didn't come and -. Or do you know
<br /> where they stand on this?
<br /> ARAI: The bill was never transmitted to them. And,because as soon as the bill came in,we saw that there
<br /> were issues regarding the way the bill was constructed. So we didn't bother to send it to them. We were
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<br /> EXHIBIT A
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