Planning Director's Letter to the Puna CDP Steering Committee

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lanes must be added soon, at least between Ainaloa Blvd. and the end of the KeaÓau Bypass. Between 2001 and 2005, about 1700 building permits for issued for the area served by Hwy. 130. As a point of comparison, the highway can only handle about 1000 cars per hour each way. The current status of the KeaÓau-Pahoa corridor is that on Hwy. 130, a state highway, there is a current project funded to turn the Shower-KeaÓau Bypass shoulder lane into a permanent third lane. The state, through SSFM, is also studying the widening of Hwy. 130 to four lanes. The study is funded, but actual construction is not funded. Preliminary studies have been done of a ÐPuna Makai Alternate RouteÑ, or ÐPMARÑ, which would run makai of Hwy. 130. Funding does not currently exist to build this route. Critical issues with the PMAR: Should this be a regular highway, or just an emergency route to use if Hwy. 130 is blocked? If it is a regular highway, should it continue through Paradise Park, and on to Hawaiian Beaches, or should it simply be a parallel route to Hwy. 130 ending at the KeaÓau side of Paradise Park? Going through Paradise Park creates issues discussed, but not resolved, in the Puna Regional Circulation Plan. Could the PMAR replace or delay the need for Hwy. 130 widening, or is it a longer-term project? Is there a way to phase the construction? Although the long-range concept is a road that extends into Hilo, this is clearly much too expensive to build in one project. It would have to be done in segments, for example, Paradise Park to Milo Improved bus service is one way to reduce auto travel and highway congestion. But to use the bus in Puna, most people will need a car to get to the bus. This means that park- and-ride lots probably necessary. 2. Where should new commercial and light industrial developmen Commercial developmentÏretail stores, restaurants, officesÏhave not kept up with the population growth in Puna. This is also true of light industrial developmentÏlocations for warehouses, contractorÓs baseyards, and the like. Although private enterprise has the primary role in actually developing commercial and light industrial areas, county planning should designate appropriate and feasible locations for such development to take place. In the 1989 General Plan, the basic land use direction was that commercial development should occur in Keaau and Pahoa, and along Highway 11 in Kurtistown and Mt. View,