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County, right, guess what? We can, you know, in the long run it’s an investment. And it
<br />boggles my mind that Oahu -. And we as a State talk about how expensive it is to build the train
<br />on Oahu, which should have been done back then, too. And we had, Honolulu was at the top of
<br />the list to get a train built from Downtown to Hawaii Kai. Right? And they turned it down.
<br />Why? Cost too much money. You know, and it doesn’t, the economics really works out better.
<br />So thank you again for the opportunity to respond.
<br />PRICKETT: And of the great perks of living Downtown is not having to have a car. So if
<br />there’s a train, all the better.
<br />IWASHITA: Exactly. The redevelopment areas in Portland don’t allow parking spaces, or
<br />minimize parking spaces.
<br />WOODWARD: Commissioner Domingo.
<br />DOMINGO: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I’ll make it short. I appreciate your comments,
<br />Ms. Prickett. I like your vision, I like your vision. And I was listening to the discussions and,
<br />you know, about the future, about the possibility to have trains or even monorails like they do in
<br />Portland. It’s all promising, you know, when you consider growth, the growth of an area, not
<br />only Hilo. But what I’m seeing and what I’m hearing is that you put in more restrictions,
<br />especially with Hilo Downtown, I think you curtail any future growth in that particular area and
<br />you limit its growth. And there’s no promise to its well-being in the future. And if we adopt a
<br />plan that would restrict growth with a lot of restrictions, with a lot of restrictions, then we do that
<br />and eventually as years go by we’ll see Hilo really being a dismal place.
<br />PRICKETT: Yeah, we don’t want an empty town, an empty Downtown.
<br />DOMINGO: No. It’ll be an empty town. But, you know, what I’m hearing today is, from a few
<br />who were bold enough to say, we don’t want the entire plan. I think two of you folks said that.
<br />And majority of the people here are saying that, you know, let’s do away with the, you know,
<br />you folks, the plan reduces the height limitation, we should consider at even bringing it up to its
<br />original height or perhaps even consider something higher, you know. If people, if owners in
<br />Downtown with shops and everything have any plans of growth and development and becoming
<br />successful, perhaps they can partner with some individuals in coming up with some plan and
<br />start building above the ground, as has been mentioned here today.
<br />PRICKETT: Well, I think, like Jeff though, it’s so, you know, it’s unlikely to happen in my
<br />lifetime. Economically it’s just -.
<br />DOMINGO: Mine, too. But, you know, as we look in terms of the future, long-term
<br />development -.
<br />PRICKETT: Yeah, I’d like to, yeah -.
<br />DOMINGO: One that will benefit those who will be here, we’ve got to look at it in that sense.
<br />And, you know, I respect those who were talking about preservation of Downtown as it is and,
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