COM 0526.032 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Page 1 of 2 PlCouNcxL. Murashige, Laura Comm. 524, From: Darcy/David [kuhudd @hawaiiantel.net] Sent: Monday, September 03, 2012 2:38 PM To: counciltestimony @co.hawaii.hi.us Subject: Opposition to Bill 168 Mt. View rezone RS-10 to CV-10 3 September 2012 Dear Hawai'i County Council Members: CD I am writing out of concern for Bill 168, the pending application for rezoning along Highway 11 in Mountain View. I drive up and down Highway 11 about four days per week to work, and also have been in the small neighborhood fronted by the rezoning applicant to visit a friend. I have several concerns about the proposed change. Because of my commute, I am familiar with congestion points along the highway between Hilo and Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.While I travel in the opposite direction from most of the morning and afternoon traffic, I still see the long line of cars heading into Hilo in the mornings and up from town in the afternoons, and still experience backups caused by cars needing to make left turns off the highway. The Mountain View post office tends to get busy in the afternoons, and cars also turn the opposite direction into the park(where the potable water spigots are located) and into the gas station/ convenience store just a bit below that. Adding yet another commercial establishment directly along the highway corridor near these locations will add to traffic delays and increase the chance of near-misses (or worse) as drivers pulling in or out are forced to assess both two-way traffic, cross traffic (in the case of the applicants' address, since it sits across from a school/church and park), cars on the highway trying to turn off,and occasional pedestrians. Additionally, beyond that immediate neighborhood, I personally hope that further commercialization of the Volcano Highway corridor is carefully thought out to preserve the rural character of the drive and the communities along the way. Strip mall-type development(e.g., in Hilo along the first several miles of Highway 11) is an eyesore and creates potential traffic nightmares.The community of Mountain View should have the chance to learn about development options, make conscious decisions about the character of the village, and have a voice in its growth plans. Our island has some excellent examples of community-based planning, and I understand there is just such an effort beginning (under guidance of the Puna Community Development Plan Action Committee)that will address growth planning for Mountain View, allowing its citizens to discuss, envision, and work together in a much less contentious manner. It seems wrong to allow piecemeal development directly along the highway, and in a current residential area, ahead of that opportunity. While it is admirable that the applicants are willing to have their home and front yard transformed into an auto repair shop and live right there with their business, it seems the height of unfairness that neighbors who have been there for years, and who never envisioned sharing yards,views, sounds, and their entrance to the street with a commercial establishment, are now facing just that.They all acquired their properties with the thought and trust that the area was and would remain residential. New small businesses are a good thing on the island for many reasons, and I do hope the applicants are able to start theirs. But the proposed location appears inappropriate for an auto repair shop.And perhaps more importantly, it's unrealistic to think that any business hopes and plans to hold customer traffic to a low level. Neighbors have little recourse if that changes. And in the best interest of the business, it should be situated in a place where it can grow and work can occur as needed without creating conflicts, including putting in late hours (with attendant lights and noise)for rush jobs and taking on extra customers if demand picks up. Anyone who owns a car knows that good,fair mechanics --„ 2 Ct:r. To:___2 iiof. Date SEP 0 01 9/4/2012