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another eight feet of pavement to accommodate two lanes? Understanding that there are stonewalls
<br />there, understanding that there will be encroachment, but the encroachment is already done by the
<br />landowners in the area. So it’s, you know, we are basing a decision on what is there now versus
<br />what is applicable on paper in reference to the width of the roadway. So with the existing 25 feet,
<br />you have enough space, you have enough road to put in a pavement, an additional pavement. But at
<br />whose expense?
<br />
<br />ARAI: Well, maybe Public Works could chime in for more clarification. I understand what you are
<br />saying. Part of the problem, too, is that whenever improvements are made to the road, because it is
<br />a government road, it has to try to meet certain established standard. And when I say standards, I’m
<br />talking also design standards. So you have the geometrics of the road that you need to consider.
<br />Whenever you add additional pavement, you might have to provide transition, shoulder
<br />improvements, drainage improvements, you know, all of those things have to be designed and taken
<br />into account; it’s not simply, you know, putting four feet of additional pavement off to the side of
<br />the existing pavement. That’s part of the reason why Public Works is asking for additional right-of-
<br />way width, too, is they understand the limitations that exist along the stretch of the Old Government
<br />Road, and still try to see if they can sort of wiggle things through. I mean you have utility poles in
<br />the area, you know, drainage issues, and you have rock walls, existing encroachment; in many
<br />ways, they do have their hands full. And they are just trying to see what more they can do to
<br />improve the situation there, knowing that it’s not only this rezoning but it could be the seed toward
<br />additional considerations in the future. And as you may note, thinking long-term – this is the
<br />General Plan, as I said, as you can see, the property is here – this whole area in orange is an area
<br />depicted for medium-density growth, which could be multiple-family residential, commercial uses,
<br />and then you have the residential in the yellow-outlined areas. So you can see the potential growth.
<br />Now, you may argue it’s unfair of the applicant to anticipate those types of future events and put
<br />that burden on them. I can understand that sentiment, but at the same time, we have to have that
<br />visionary type of approach, because if we hamstring ourselves now, you know, it could prevent us
<br />from looking at these types of accommodations in the future, should additional requests or
<br />something even more grand – no pun intended, sorry, okay, maybe I should just end it right there.
<br />
<br />GIFFIN: Commissioner Beaudet, did you have a question? Anybody else? At this time I’d like to
<br />call up Ki Emler from Public Works. It seems to me we have some questions and they have some
<br />recommendations. Ki? Good morning.
<br />
<br />EMLER: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the Commission. Good morning, people from
<br />the public. And the applicant, good morning. Thank you for letting me just say a few words about
<br />our comments. And I did submit a supplemental memo to try and help explain our position. I’d say
<br />the one thing that I want to bring up beyond what Daryn spoke of here is the geometry of the
<br />intersection there of the Old Government Road with Māmalahoa Highway; it’s so acute that to try
<br />and make the improvements on the opposite side of the road would be contrary to what would be
<br />appropriate from an engineering standpoint. Right now, the pavement already is forced to the
<br />property side of the property line there. If you look at Exhibit 4 – you should have it there in your
<br />packet, and it’s the exhibit that’s shown there now, but you can’t really see it very well from your
<br />seat, so I prefer if you would look at it in your package - okay, if you’ll notice the edge of pavement
<br />line, you can see the beginning of it at Māmalahoa Highway. If, let’s say, you are taking
<br />Māmalahoa Highway northbound and you are making a right turn onto the Old Government Road,
<br />you’ll trace out that edge of pavement line from Māmalahoa Highway, and you’ll see that it
<br />approaches then the applicant’s property line, property pin actually, it’s right there at the edge. And
<br />because of the acute angle of Old Government Road with Māmalahoa Highway, if you try to make
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