HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0217.023 2020-2022 CuvR I I'
From: Robert
COUNTY OF i4WAI
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2021 11:12 AM
To: Council Testimony 7021. MAY —3 141 '19
Cc: Raphael Moller-Roll
Subject: Testimony Resolution 105-21 Roadways Hawaiian Acres Subdivision
Attachments: Screen Shot 2021-05-03 at 8.54.00 AM.png; Screen Shot 2021-05-03 at 8.54.37 AM.png;
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We are property owners in Hawaiian Acres (HA), first moving to HA on May 3, 2018. We are submitting testimony
about the proposed Road Improvement District proposal.
We were fully aware of the HA road conditions before moving to our home. We drive what is considered a small
SUV (Toyota Rav 4), and are able to drive to and from our property. We live closest to the intersection of Road D and
Road 4 which is about the center of HA. The drive from our home to Route 11 is a 17 minute duration. Our
primary concern is for access to our property for emergency vehicles. We have heard, but not personally experienced,
that when medical services are required the 911 dispatcher will ask the caller if the person needing medical services
can meet the ambulance on Roads 1 or 8 (Moho Rd.). We want to request that as part of the feasibility studies being
proposed the County Fire Chief Kazuo Todd is consulted about any formal or informal policy relating to fire and
medical service response for properties in HA. We believe this information would be important when evaluating the
need for a Road Improvement District.
Our second concern is the reluctance by many contractors to do work on our property or to charge more, because of
the perceived poor road conditions in HA. However, the contractors that have come to our home to perform work
were surprised that the route coming from Road 1, driving on Road D, towards Road 4 had been improved by
Hawaiian Acres Road Corp. (HARC) volunteers and voluntary dues payments. There are numerous sections
of Roads B, C, D, E and F in HA that are in good condition. Meaning they can be driven on continuously at about 12-
15 MPH with a sedan style vehicle. The feasibility study should include a physical inspection of Roads 1, 8, B, C, D,
E and F with a HARC member present, to point out the repair work that has been performed, and this report included
in the study.
We are in favor of making repairs and properly paving Roads 1 and Road 8. Lettered roads B, C, D,E and F should
be properly graded, similar to Hawaiian Paradise Park, and drainage issues remedied on these roads. Numbered roads
should not be included in the initial Road Improvement District and should continue to be maintained by individual
property owners. We offer the following reasons for a limited improvement district.
1) Cost. As an example, Hawaiian Paradise Park issued an improvement bond in 2007 for $12,085,000 primarily for
roads. The original bond was paid and reissued in 2018. We calculated that the total payments with interest of the
bonds, when matured in 2017, will be 21 million dollars. We all know that the costs of materials and labor has
significantly increased over the past 23 years, and this Road Improvement District proposal will be in the tens of
millions of dollars.
2) There are a significant number of seniors, disabled people, disabled veterans, and many people that would normally
be homeless living in Hawaaian Acres because of the lower cost of home ownership and rentals. Improved roads will
likely increase property costs and make HA unaffordable for many.
3) An additional tax assessment, if a road improvement bond is issued, will likely cause many property owners of
undeveloped properties they do not reside on or rent, to place their properties for sale. Our thought is that many of
these properties were purchased 20 or more years ago. Owners of non developed lots have been paying $200 a year
in property taxes. This is a small amount to be able to say "I own 3 acres of land on Hawaii", or to maintain /111 nry,
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ownership with the hope of passing on the land to their children. If a tax bill increases by $500 or more per month
many will place their property up for sale. This will increase the population living in HA and clearing of native
forests.
4) We would say that the majority of residents agree with us that we enjoy being surrounded by nature and living in a
forest with minimal neighbors. Paved numbered roads will bring more development and unpermitted construction of
residences. Because of the dense forest and vegetation it's easy for people to build unpermitted residential structures
inset onto a lot and go unnoticed. In addition, developers and new owners with sufficient resources spend tens of
thousands of dollars to clear their lots from pole to pole.
5) The survey sent to property owners in 2020 created confusion, as it was not clear, for many, that it was only for
initiation of the current process. The survey was mailed just before the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. This was
a scary and hectic time at the beginning of the Pandemic in Hawaii. People overlooked the survey and the response
deadline was extended. Only 714 people responded to probably the most discussed topic for any owner/resident in
HA. I would urge Hawaiian Acres Community Association to perform another informal survey and information
campaign of the Road Improvement District proposal. This could be done online and promoted on the various
Facebook groups for Hawaiian Acres.
The communication relating to this resolution and public comments was poorly handled by the HA Community
Association and HARC. We were informed by a friend via text on Monday May 3. No post was made in the HA
Facebook group,that regularly receives 50 or more comments when anything road related is posted. The resolution
was posted on the HA Community Assoc Facebook Page on April 30, and has received one "like" and no
comments. We can assume very few people saw this. We visited both the HA Community Association website and
the HARC website and no information is posted relating to this resolution on the initial landing page. However, there
is a link to the Road Improvement FAQ website page in the HA Community Association Facebook post. We have
attached screen shots of the pages mentioned. We would like the County Council to encourage the Hawaaian Acres
Community association and the HARC (Hawaiian Acres Road Corporation) to work together to do a better job of
communicating these matters on their respective websites and social media pages.
Respectfully,
Robert Roll and Raphael Moller
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