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Park,theres approximately a third, 33 percent or so, of that subdivision that has been built out.
<br />Currently, Hawaiian Paradise Park has over 10,000 residents, 10,000 residents. There is no place
<br />to buy a loaf of bread, other than the Wiki Wiki Mart which is on Orchidland Drive. Theres no
<br />place to access dental or medical services. Theres no place to address the need for automobile
<br />repair or any other type of retail experience for those folks. They have to get onto the highway
<br />and they have to travel either to Pahoa or they have to travel to Keaau to access these services.
<br />When I looked at the plans, and I wont go into all of the issues regarding the pros and cons of
<br />this development. What Im suggesting here is that will provide for the residents of the District 5
<br />of the Pahoa and Puna regions another opportunity for accessing retail, accessing professional
<br />services, and the like. Currently, in the Puna region in ratio to the rest of this island, we have
<br />4 percent of all retail designations or all urban expansion commercial type designation, four
<br />percent. As opposed to Kona, Kailua and surrounding areas have 76 percent commercial and
<br />retail. So you can see right off that we are underserved when it comes to retail and urban
<br />expansiontypeareas.Somyhopeisthatyoulltakealookatthisprojectnotspecifictothe
<br />project but specific to the region.
<br />We have always mentioned as a group in Puna that we wanted to protect the pristine coastal
<br />areas of our area. We wanted to protect some of the designated areas along that coastline with
<br />designated and exempt trees, and other flora and fauna, archaeological sites, historic burial sites.
<br />We have decided that that coastal area should remain pristine and undeveloped. However, with
<br />that said, we need an area that we can develop and designate so that the people in that region are
<br />served, which is now starting to hit about 40,000 people.
<br />So if you would take a look at this project, based on what the needs are in the district, I believe
<br />that some of the traffic issues that surface would be mitigated by, as I said, a traffic signal or
<br />signalized intersection at Ainaloa and the highway, Highway 130, also at Orchidland Drive and
<br />Highway 130. This particular project is right in the middle of those two areas. And if anybody
<br />gets on the highway in the early morning going to work on Highway 130 theyll know that
<br />theres a long stream of cars. If you come home at pauhana time, you will also run into this long
<br />stream of cars traveling back and forth between Puna and the Hilo and Keaau area. The same
<br />type of issues occur, of course, in Kona, but were not as bad yet as that particular area of Queen
<br />K, but were starting to get there. So the issue, again, is not that were exploring building in an
<br />area that would not be, I believe, acceptable to most of the people in the Puna region; and I think
<br />that, Ive talked to Commissioner Siracusa from the Puna region about some of these broader
<br />issues.
<br />So, with your indulgence, I will conclude my testimony and ask for your consideration on this
<br />particular permit.
<br />SPRINGER:Thank you, Mr. Safarik. At this time Id like to welcome our third of the
<br />new Commissioners to the table, Allen Salavea. Welcome, Allen.
<br />SALAVEA:Aloha, aloha. I apologize. I had an appointment, prior commitment that I
<br />couldnt reschedule, but thank you for having me here, and good morning.
<br />SPRINGER:Good morning. Commissioners, are there any questions for Mr. Safarik?
<br />Commissioner Graham?
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