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which I understand has? Orchidland Drive has the zoning. People still would be able to go <br />internally and not spend much time on the highway, if any. <br />SAFARIK:I think what we€re talking about here is not so much that we€re trying to <br />control something. What we€re trying to do is provide adequate infrastructure and adequate <br />access for an area that€s already the fastest growing in the State of Hawaii. We are not going to <br />stop thousands of people from moving in. You know, I would submit that right now we€re <br />looking at about 40,000 people in the Puna region. That shift of population is starting to move <br />out into Puna. Why should we limit our shopping experiences to just one location and then <br />totally impact Orchidland? I say that if we look at it from the standpoint of nodes rather than a <br />strip mall concept, that these nodes would service the primary heavily populated corridor of <br />Puna. <br />SPRINGER:Other Commissioners? Commissioner Iwashita. <br />IWASHITA:My main concern right now is the notion that, it€s more than a notion. I <br />thinkit€safactthat,youknow,thisapplicationreallyconstitutesaspotzoningorrezoning. <br />And, you are right on my observation, that there is a lot of growth and development taking place <br />in Puna that really needs to be addressed, the needs of which need to be addressed. I guess my <br />question to you, and I don€t know if this is as a private citizen or in your capacity as a <br />Councilperson. But under the General Plan amendments and the community development plan <br />process that has been initiated, I would feel a lot more comfortable that this project along with, <br />be considered actually within the context of the Community Development Plan, and it would <br />take longer and the needs wouldn€t be addressed as quickly if we were to take action. But it <br />really seems to me that the kind of concerns that you raised are larger community concerns; and <br />that my idea or my perception of community development plans and the process that it would <br />take is intended to engage the community, the local community, in this case Orchidland, Ainaloa, <br />Paradise Park, Tiki Gardens, all of these communities together, come together and hopefully <br />come to an agreement on how -. And I agree that there needs to be more commercial areas, <br />right, to service -. You know, if all of these subdivisions were built out fully, you know, it€s <br />100,000 people, whatever it€s going to be, those kind of uses are going to be necessary. But I <br />really think that that€s a process that requires not this Commission taking individual action on <br />individual developer€s requests for special use permits. I€d like your response to that. <br />SAFARIK:Well, Mr. Iwashita, I tend to agree on some of the statements that you <br />made. I think this is a broad-based community initiative; and that the community development <br />plans certainly should address some of these concerns that we€re talking about today. Some of <br />that I think would surface in the same discussion that we are sitting around talking today. It€s <br />just that when that surfaces it may be two or three years from now. And two or three years from <br />now at the level that we€re looking at building permits, just in Paradise Park, it€s approximately <br />1 ž permits per day, just in Paradise Park. We have 8800 lots and there were last year 375 <br />building permits. Ainaloa, Orchidland are right in that area that a Paradise Parks land becomes <br />higher than what the norm can afford, cause right now an acre in Paradise Park is up at $60,000. <br />Ainaloa and Orchidland will become attractive because the pricing is still affordable in that <br />region. <br />19 <br /> EXHIBIT A <br /> <br />