2004-03-19 tumphrey - Laserfiche WebLink

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FUJIKAWA:Okay. Thank you. You may proceed. B. UMPHREY:Oh, I just wanted to say that when we submitted this plan, we submitted for a full use. We are not necessarily going to put t property. We may merely expand the one thatÓs on there, or put two, but weÓre not looking for high use. And all the property north of that is zoned Village Commercial, to TeshimaÓs. FUJIKAWA:Okay. Thank you. Any questions, Commissioners, to the Applicant? If not, we do have two people who have signed to testify on this application, Jack and Barbara Umphrey and Joe Gimple. Please step forward. there. Would you raise your right hand, please? Do you swear to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawaii County Planning Commission? TESTIFIERS:I do. FUJIKAWA:State your name and your address? GIMPLE:My name is Joe Gimple and I live at 73-4686 Hinalani Stre Kailua-Kona. FUJIKAWA:Okay. You may proceed. GIMPLE:Aloha. I represent the Kona Traffic Safety Committee. I chair for Public Affairs, and our Committee has reviewed this application and we submitted comments to you. So IÓll merely, they should be part of the record, so IÓll merely summarize those. We believe that the additional traffic that will be caused by th property will aggravate the already deplorable traffic congestion in that area. Southbound vehicles attempting to turn left into the property will further delay the southbound traffic thatÓs already on Mamalahoa Highway, which is already at a near standstill in the late afternoon hours. And I can tell you from personal experience, having commuted three evenings per week for the last month-and-a-half to the Aloha Theatre because I was in the orchestra for ÐAnnie,Ñ trying to get up Mamalahoa Highway or up Kuakini and merge onto Mamalahoa there is a nightmare. I would hour early in order to get to the theatre by 7 oÓclock, and IÓd have to leave at 6 oÓclock; and itÓs no more than 20 miles. Furthermore, the application is such that the Mamalahoa Highway bypass will divert about half of the traffic that now uses Mamalahoa Highway. ThatÓs rather speculative, and because it assumes that the destinations of many of the drivers are south of Napoopoo Road, which is the southern terminus of the bypass. Those who will be coming from Kailua-Kona going to, for instance, Kainaliu or Kealakekua wonÓt take the bypass. TheyÓll still stay up Kuakini onto Mamalahoa. 3