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®suR~ s~vE ®T <br /> 16-586 Old Volcano Road <br /> Kenau, Hawaii 96719 <br /> (808) %6-9316 ter' <br /> ssavdaY~rnnaaRd lime - ) <br /> _ Date-....---_~1I1.P__(-_ <br /> Gounty Councllsy- <br /> February 22, 2001 <br /> Honorable James Arakaki, Chairman <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni Street <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Deaz Chairman Arakaki <br /> _ SUBJECT Gateway Shopping Center <br /> Keaau, Hawaii <br /> Puna supports development and wants additional stores, services, and jobs for Puna, but <br /> not at the expense of congesting the only intersection that services Hilo, Pahoa, Keaau, <br /> Volcano, and Ka'u. Puna wants to see development in Keaau Town or next to the <br /> ballpazk. They do not want empty malls or towns in their district <br /> It is cleaz that the community wants development, but not on the bypass. Last year on <br /> _ March 22, 2000 I attended the public hearing on the rezoning of Gateway Shopping <br /> center held at the Keaau Community Center. The public turnout was huge. There were <br /> two significant groups at the hearing; fast, those who supported the project who were <br /> made up of mostly businesses outside of Puna who would benefit from the construction <br /> project, and second, residents of Puna who wanted to preserve the bypass. This issue <br /> _ affects the people who live in this district and is a Puna issue. <br /> After hearing people speak at the heanng rt was cleaz that the community wanted <br /> _ development but not on the by-pass. As a follow up to that hearing the attached <br /> Community Statement was circulated and herein attached. More than 1,700 resrdents or <br /> persons working in Puna from April 18, 2000 signed it. (Partial list attached of 1,400 ~s <br /> _ attached; sheets are begin picked up from volunteer sign up sights) <br /> Puna has the fastest growing population district on the island In the past 26 yeazs, the <br /> <br /> _ number of registered voters in Hilo grew 40% while Puna's grew 317%. Accordrng to <br /> the County Of Hawaii funded "Puna Community Plan" rf all the currently approved <br /> subdivided lots in Puna were built on the population could be up to 167,000 The can-ent <br /> (7omm. N0. <br /> PYIe No. <br /> 1 Ref. To: ~~~~JuwGi <br /> Ref. Date 2 ~1IM <br /> <br />