2016-12-01 Hearing Transcript - Edward Torrison REZ 16-213

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This lot sits on the strategic intersection where Kaumana Drive begins and joins with Waianuenue across Gilbert Carvalho District Park. Called Kaumana One Mile Kumiai in the old days, the streets were quiet back then, but not anymore. This is an outgrowth of the expanded services of the hospital, the Kaiser Clinic, Hale Anuenue facility, Veterans Home, Veterans Clinic, radiation and oncology treatment clinic, the Hospice office, plus the older church, HCEOC, ARC of Hilo, Adult Day Care, and Rainbow Falls, which are all upstream of Waianuenue. I'm concerned with the mix of land uses. I know this sounds ironic since I myself go to 7-11 on Kaumana, although I believe it replaced a pre-existing mom and pop convenience store. The Women's Club House, which does small event rental to fund UH scholarships, has full use at times on Lele and Kaumana Streets, but only about twice a month. There is a physical therapy office on Pu`u Hina, but with not a busy parking lot. As a former long-range planner, this was more than 20 years ago, I know that perfect planning and zoning is not possible, but I believe in trying to keep land uses alongside similar uses for the integrity of the zoning district. My other concern has to do with emergency vehicle pathway because there is only a partial view of the intersection on a car's downhill approach due to the curve. Ambulances naturally go up the hill with a sick patient, but although it doesn't happen every day, sometimes the ambulance crews have to turn right around after delivering a patient to the Hilo ER, and speed down the hill due to a new 911 call. I've seen this because of my home location and also because I worked, I'm now retired, as a social worker in the emergency room for six years. Ironically, on the day that I came to the Planning Department, that was November 14th, to look at the application and purchase Xerox copies, when I came home, between 1:30 and 3 o'clock p.m., I saw and heard three ambulances speeding down the hill to go and pick up patients. HENKEL: Could you summarize please, Ann? USAGAWA: And that's it. HENKEL: Okay, thank you. USAGAWA: That's my comments. Thank you so much. Aloha. HENKEL: Julia Moore, then? MOORE: Yes, thank you. I'm also going to read my testimony, and basically I also want to thank you for a chance to speak. Mr. Torrison's goal with this project seems to be to own his own real estate office. Mr. Torrison and Mr. Kern seem to feel that because they met the County requirements, they should get approval. They allowed us to voice our concerns in the meeting but dismissed them and called them abstract. They said they may not happen and, therefore, there was no way to address them. I would suggest that this works both ways. When Mr. Torrison was asked whom he would rent to, he said he didn't know. Maybe medical offices, profession people. But, there's no way to know for sure at this point who would end up in these offices. It could be an office that 10V1111.11 11