HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0400.027 2002-2004
Jan.23, 2004
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Hawaii County Council ,n,,,,.____._
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Re: In opposition to O'oma rezoning ~~---X13-~=~--
I,ITTI,F A1,llHA cwnty cAUn~ir~~
I usually begin by saying "aloha." Bui sadly I have little aloha for those who
have wrecked the quality of life of thousands of W.Hawaii residents by your actions
that have brought us traffic gridlock! We're upset, angry, damn angry, and the
proposed O'oma rezoning would be a vile blow struck upon W.Hawaii by the
E.Hawaii county council majority.
You, the E.Hawaii council majority, have destroyed the quality of life of the
people of W.Hawaii who use Palani Rd and Q.K Hwy by your rubber stamp approval
of virtually every rezoning request that comes your way without any consideration of
providing the infrastructure that would alleviate or prevent the awful traffic situation
that now befalls us: nearly 20 miles of stalled bumper to bumper traffic from
KeAhole airport to Kealakekua. Now you're in the process of wrecking the visitor
industry when word gets out as it will inevitably will that traffic through W.Hawaii is
as bad as the worst mainland cities, you'll have cooked the goose that lays the golden
egg. CAPTIVE COLONY
Let me tell you how most of us in W.Hawaii feel. That we are a captive colony
of a dominating E.Hawaii council majority whose rule is ruthlessly exploitative. You
use us to extract our financial resources for your own benefits and leave us suffering
under your arrogant rule. You take from us and give us back nothing but grief. The
traffic gridlock you've caused is the prime example. This absolutely unnecessary
rezoning is the straw that will break our back.
EXPAND TAX BASE
Your notion that more development is needed to expand the tax base in order to
provide necessary services and infrastructure is patently false. The exact opposite
happens invariably happens. It's an known fact and to believe otherwise is to be
deluding yourselves. The more you approve, the further behind we get. Just look at
where you've brought Kona after years of development and increasing the tax base:
TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK. Rather than planned development you've brought us
developer directed malignant growth. Rezoning O'oma is a prime example.
You also say "let the market decide." You are the "Planning Committee" you are
the County Council. It is your job to plan, not pervert, which is what you are doing
with the reckless abandon that you approve rezoning here.x~c ~
Ref. Ta e~e~
Ref. Date
REZONING
The proposed 83 ac.0'oma rezoning will add not insult to injury, it will add
injury to injury. You, the E.Hawaii Council majority have put us in the traffic jam
we're in today and rather than doing something to alleviate it, this proposed rezoning
is going to make it even worse. The parcel is presently zoned industrial. This is an
acceptable zoning that yields minimum traffic impacts. There is absolutely no reason
to rezone it to such high traffic use as proposed except to give the owner, a speculator
who has the property for sale as already re-zoned, a windfall profit of $tens of
millions at the expense of thousands of W. Hawaii residents who use QKHwy &
Palani Rd.
217 MAKAI ACRES
You no doubt know that the makai 217 acres is already zoned "alternate urban
expansion with a resort node." That means hundreds if not thousands more people and
perhaps thousands more cars. That's bad enough. Please, don't rezone this parcel. You
will be fomenting a reaction that could well lead to a tax revolt and a move to split the
island in half. It could also lead to a caravan of cars to the 2°d reading of the rezoning
bill in order to prevent such a thing from happening. You may think that the people of
W.Hi are wimps because you`ve gotten away with abusing us for so long. We're not!
We'll strike back.
WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE
Who are these people you are considering granting this rezoning. They say
they've been working with the community. Not so! Their website
(www.oomaresort.com) falsely states that the project has county zoning of "Project
District." They say its been "Approved for 400,000 SF office/retail, 240 multi-family
units and up to 400hotel rooms. "This is blatantly false, or do they know something
we don't know? Has the backroom deal already been made? Is this "Public Hearing"
hap ing only because there were the necessary three votes and that we have deaf
e s 1' tening to our ~ e ? I hope that's not the case.
i~2~
Jerry R stein
Hawaiiisland