HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0493.053 2000-2002 June 20, 2002
Aloha Members of the County Council and Planning (Department, ~r~_~..~__. y_.__
f'~.;..
Thaw you for the opport:ity to express yny opinions and beliefs regarding revisions to
the General Plan.
I want to thank the Planning Director, Chris Yuen, and his staY~ for having the courage to
not only listen to the citizens of this island, but also for giving due consideration to our
desires..~,lthot~gh it is tl~e d€~ty and obligation of goverrnraent in a democracy foll€~=~~T
the will of the people to tl~ extent that law, rules, and regulations a.11o~T, for fa~° too lo€~g
our local government 13a:~ followed the will of a wealthy and int~uentiai fe~v. ~o again,
mahalo nui low for responding to the will of the people.
However, this being said, if tl environmental, eulturah, and historic resources of l-llawaii
Island are to be truly protected and .preserved as regaaised by existing laws, then actua:Ily
even more tends need to be set aside as open and conservation.
The shplreason is the reality of today. ~ ality is that litigation
is proving that developers arad the executive branches of our governrncnts are not
complying s~vith, overseeing, or enforcing laws, rules, regulations, and permits avl~ich are
intended to prevent development frown negatively impacting this island's resources.
For instance, litigation is pra~Pi€~g that grubbing and grading perr~~its are beg gral~3:cd
without proper procedures being followed. My own personal investigations have
revealed a pattern and practice of improper permit approvals. Qne does not have to drive
far in Kona these days to see the destruction of huge swaths of lands that are
cr~~-iro~€entall;y sensitive; and S~aere once filled wig large numbers of cult€~al xd historic
sites. This statement is not conjecture. It is a fact proven in court. The County Council
should tak:, this fact info consideration when it decides upon the changes being proposed
by the Planning Department and the citizens of this island during these public workshops.
In addition, al€hough ~~a:€nta~3ng the natural beauty of our island is the ~~~ii of ~ of 10
residents per the Kellogg study as presented to you at the King Karnehameha Motel
meeting last night, why arc no open space corridors and spaces interspersi~.f ~~~ithin the
urban expansion areas around I~ailua-Kona?
The botts~nx line is that althoug~-~ I saipport the changes being preseritcd by the I~ran~g
I3c ent to designate areas previously slated for development, I do not believe the
proposed chai3ges are substantial enough to avoid the current quality of life disaster that
is developing in Kona.
`The ~lani°Ying lacpartmcnt and the l~epartcnent of Public works ~v~ll be tl~e ~t to tell you
they have no idea of the futut~ impact of development approved as of today. They do not
know how iriany more cars will be driving our roads, how rrnany moi~ hospital reds,
File No._ .
Ra'f.
.
Rif. I~~t.e
physicis, or nurses ~~~ill ~ rde~i, or how many more police ofl~cer~s and ~:rd~n ~~ll
be necessary to serve development already appr€zved. I~Teve~heless, r~e~,.r devs.lop~,ot
keeps being approved. I c j>~sa€rc che, Couratyr C;out~cil chat ehc public leaach, saf~;ty, ~~d
welfare ~.re raot berg considered, despite laws }~ratecting these, because no system. ar set
crf proccdes exist the f~la~~g I~p~era~ €o p~~~de the neccs~ar~ a~€~~ts~~tior~
to do so. This is trot pl~ingx this is simply appYOVing and it ar~ust stop befog it is too
late.
T'lefore, I urge e Cou~~y Council to desigrra~e even amore areas as bcia~ apcn d
coriser-vatior~, especially in the coastal areas and our watersheds. Given the cuerrt reality
of little ar no o~°ersight, end e~~:fs~rcerncnt of developcnt plus clue lark of a fs¢~nctiona~
systems for plannir~.g ~~~fthin the county government, it is the simplest and easiest g~,~ay to
avoid sig day's childrtin `~cring toarnor~w as a resole of oar sins of ign~r~
neglect.
I urge €lge Cau~~ty Council to help i~nplernent the laws of Our county, state, ~ comity.
~pprave a General Pl~~ that insures the health, safety, aril welfare of the public you are
swami to ~~rvc. l:~esi~,r&c d~l:it~onal areas than are cnently being grop~s~d ~ open and
coraserv~on. It is the only Tay to really assure a healthy and. ppy fate for our
con~~ur~ity gi~%cn the rcaiities of today.
lO~Ialama Pono,
,
Charges l~aherty
P O l3ox 922
Capin Cook. ICI 957
(1i0~)32II~9917