2005-04-01 TYAMADASAFARIK - Laserfiche WebLink

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GRAHAM:Mr. Safarik, as you Im sure know, our Planning Director is recommending denial of this application; and the reason hes recommending denial is more for planning reasons. It has to do with highway, but on broader plane reasons also. And youre speaking of the great need in your district. So Im wondering are you feeling the need is so great that planning issues can kind of go to the side or are you disagreeing with the Planning Director about the fact that this is not proper planning, given that the Orchildland Drive is already being developed commercially? SAFARIK:I believe that the planning issue is never going to be, should never be put aside. That should be first and foremost. I believe in that wholeheartedly. What Im suggesting is that, and Mr. Yuen and I probably agree on most of the things when it comes to planning. But I also believe that the percentage that we have in the Puna region for commercial activity, for giving the people choices is lacking and were underserved. And with all respect to the Planning Director,Ivetoldhimthat.Sointhisparticularcase,Idisagree.ButIamnotgoingtodisagree that it should not be first and foremost a planning issue and then, secondarily, or maybe on equal plane as planning issues, weve got to start serving the needs of the majority. And thats all Im suggesting here at this particular time. GRAHAM:Thank you. SPRINGER:Other Commissioners? Commissioner -. IWASHITA:Morning. I guess the, my question is about the General Plan, and the General Plan was just passed in January. How do you, I guess my concern is that, you know, it seems like this concern about more commercial space being allocated for the area would have been addressed or considered in adopting the amendments to the General Plan. And if you can explain to me why it wasnt and why we have to deal with it on this basis? SAFARIK:Okay. Thats a good question. And I think that the number of steps that were referring to here, were still in the interim amendment stages where Mr. Yuen is going to provide the Council now with some interim amendments to the overall General Plan. Moving back a bit, Director Yuen and I, along with some other people in the community wanted to, and one of the interim amendments thats going to be coming forward from Director Yuen is the Ainaloa and Highway 130 intersection and the Orchidland Highway 130 intersection designated as Urban Expansion. My hope, and Im still in discussion with Director Yuen, is that Aulii location would also be in one of those bubbles. So I envision a bubble at Orchidland Drive approximately 50 to 70 acres, a bubble at Ainaloa and the Highway maybe another 50 acres Urban Expansion, and then this particular project area at Aulii for another Urban Expansion. So for three areas along Highway 130, I would hope to see the opportunity for Urban expansion. Therefore, it would make it a lot easier for anyone that is looking at the Puna region in the future, would know from a good planning perspective -. As Mr. Graham mentioned, weve got to maintain that planning status as always first and foremost in how we do things and how we rezone. But we also have to address some of the lack of area that we have in the Puna region and, especially, in this most populated corridor that we call Hawaiian Paradise Park-Ainaloa and Hawaiian Beaches. 4