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violation and it conforms with the regulations set forth. And, also, I dont see any public
<br />testimony speaking against the application set forth before the Commission. So, therefore, I
<br />would have to speak against the motion.
<br />GRAHAM:Commissioner Siracusa?
<br />SIRACUSA:Yeah. I wanted to point out that although the General Plan considers this
<br />area to be Low Density Urban or suitable for Low Density Urban, the fact that none of the
<br />property owners in the area have come in for changes of zone and subdivision and have
<br />maintained the area in fairly large acreage says to me something about the desire of the
<br />community. While I appreciate Commissioner Watanabes concerns about Puna traffic and the
<br />need for housing and getting closer into Hilo, the fact of the matter is you have a really nice
<br />neighborhood in that area. Its a nice quiet agricultural neighborhood, people live there, they
<br />
<br />farm. I have some friends who grow tropical rhododendronson tables under shadecloth and do
<br />very well with that. And to start breaking up will change the whole quality of the neighborhood;
<br />and I think thats important, too. I dont know if the people in this community knew about this
<br />coming up or not, I dont know if there was any signage posted. But my feeling, knowing that
<br />neighborhood, is that this will just open up a can of worms for the future; and thats why Im
<br />going to stand by my motion to deny.
<br />WATANABE:Follow-up to that?
<br />GRAHAM:Thank you. Commissioner Watanabe.
<br />WATANABE:Follow-up to that, okay, two Commissioners so far have stated that they
<br />take it that because there has only been one subsequent application for a change of zone that that
<br />implies that theres no demand. You know, maybe its this process that is intimidating,
<br />cumbersome, viewed to be expensive and very time consuming that prohibits people even though
<br />the demand may exist. Do you see where Im getting at? I dont think we should just jump to
<br />the conclusion that because applications have not come in from individual lot owners that there
<br />is no demand. I think we have to also recognize that for many individual lot owners this process
<br />is quite intimidating, viewed to be expensive and very time consuming; and maybe thats why
<br />its just, bah, humbug, Im not going to do it.
<br />GRAHAM:Thank you. Any other Commissioners? Commissioner Iwashita?
<br />IWASHITA:Thank you, Mr. Chair. In terms of the absence of any applications for
<br />rezoning in the already urbanized Urban designated area, we can all speculate about why nothing
<br />has happened basically. But, you know, I think that if youre a free market person, you know, it
<br />definitely tells you if there was a demand there would have been 1, 2, 3, 10, 20, a lot more
<br />applications within the already Urban designated area to have this kind of zoning changes made
<br />to increase the density. So I do regard that as an indicator, you know, that the market, especially
<br />in our most recent market, in terms of where land prices have gone in our community, that if that
<br />wasnt motivator for any of these landowners to come in and subdivide and cash in on that, I
<br />dont know what is. There really isnt one, you know. So, to me, the lack of familiarity, or the
<br />cost, or whatever, the bad reputation of this process, thats really not an argument that we should
<br />ignore the fact that nothing has really been done in the already Urban designated area.
<br />As far as, I cannot, and I know my fellow Commissioners already know, emphasize enough the
<br />point that we do not have a community development plan. The Director talked about the
<br />existence of the General Plan; but the General Plan everyone will agree, I hope, that it is a
<br />GeneralPlan,ithasbroaddesignations.Intermsofwhatisactuallygoingtohappenonthe
<br />groundinanyparticularneighborhoodinourcommunitytheGeneralPlansaystoimplementthis
<br />plan,thereshallbecommunitydevelopmentplansthatwillhavetheeffectoflaw.Weshouldbe
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