2026-06-10 Gary Rosenberg Appeal of Decision by Planning Director 17023016.pdf

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currently two way traffic into a series of blind intersections with the potential of pedestrian traffic including hazards to children on bicycles and free -roaming animals. North AI'a serves as the only paved access to Puna Certified Nursery, one of the largest private employers in the State. These facts directly contradict the assertion made by the applicant that North Road serves "a limited number of low -density lots, is not associated with public utilities and will not endanger the public through diminishing access for county public safety services as a result of increased traffic." The single -lane roads throughout the area are vestiges of the days of the sugar cane fields. All the roads in the area are in need of improvement given current traffic levels. However, the bottleneck for entire area - commercial, agricultural and residential lots is the one -block of North Ala Road which connects South Road to Huina Road. This one -block section of North Ala is privately -held and unlike all the other private roads in the area which are 60 foot easements, North Ala is only 20 feet wide in total. There are no turn -outs associated with this 1/3 mile stretch of road. Oncoming traffic is forced to negotiate using very limited soft -shoulders regularly. Suitable turn -outs are not possible along the entire stretch of road from Huina to South Road given the narrowness of the parcel. North Ala was never constructed to comply with County road standards and intended only as a temporary improvement to serve commercial traffic associated with Puna Certified Nursery. Administrative oversights do happen. Page 10 of the development permit included herewith is a letter from the Hawaii County Department of Water Supply listed as "Exhbit A". Contrary to the letter included from the County Water District which implies that North Ala is beyound their area of service, County water lines which serve area are embedded below the road bed. Should there be the need to service these water lines (as has been the case along all of South Road for the past few years) it will bring all traffic, both through traffic and that associated with the proposed development to a standstill. In addition, existing antiquated wooden electrical poles, 4-feet from the road bed, serve the entire area. These are a potential hazard under existing conditions. Proposed gravel turn -outs which will incorporate the electric poles will greatly exacerbate the potential risks associated with a collision potentially resulting in catastrophic fire. The petitioners to this appeal request that the proposed development requires bringing utilities and the roadway into compliance with current County regulations for residential subdivisions. (please see attached photos) Even should the proposed gravel turn -outs prove to be affective at redirecting traffic and easing congestion these will require continual upkeep. North Ala is a private road and no adequate provisions can be made to insure upkeep over time. The addition of the proposed turn -outs places an additional burden on the community at large for maintenance for these turn -outs. The developer applicant misrepresented the shape of the parcel in question, the possibility to alter the design such that community concerns for safety can be met, the nature of the community and the importance of access road both for the community and regarding public safety. On page 14 of the application for a variance, referring to section 23-15 of the Code, the applicant stated: "...as the road is private, dead-end, and serves only the subdivided lots with low vehicle volumes. Emergency access remains adequate, and no public utilities or dedication are impacted... " This is misleading. The application refers to a proposed road internal to the development not North Ala which is an arterial for the area.