HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0045.027 2002-2004 March 3, 2004
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Councilman James Arakaki
Hawaii County Council 2004 ~flfl 15 fl~l 10 51
25 Aupuni St.
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 ;r '
COUNT` f U';~N,~II
Deaz Honorable Councilman Arakaki,
I am writing to you to express my deepest concern about the direction Kona has
taken in terms of development, and to request your support and help to find a positive
direction for Kona's future. We want to protect the beauty of our shorelines and
mountains, continue our small town lifestyle and make this island a place that local
people can be proud of and visitors will choose to return to yeaz after yeaz. But to do this
we need a united vision of how our island will grow and controls over "spot"
development and massive urban growth.
I have lived on Alii Drive since 1981 and have been a business owner in Kona
since 1980. Alii Drive is one of the few short stretches of road on this island that is
accessible to all people to drive along and see lovely sunsets, stop and watch the surf and
surfers, enjoy the few but beautiful beaches, have a picnic, walk or jog or bike along the
road in a lovely atmosphere. But this peaceful sustainable scene is rapidly deteriorating.
Yes, the General Plan projects development, but in a way that allows open areas, low
density housing for local people, pazks, conservation azeas, etc.. Yet, developers aze
buying up agricultural land or low density land and appealing for upzoning to medium
and high density development in a piecemeal manner, each one arguing that THEIR
project will have minimal to no impact in terms of traffic, loss of open land, crowding of
schools, danger to pedestrians and bicyclists, or visual destruction of this precious
commodity. I urge you to support adherence to a General Plan that is agreeable to the
residents of Kallua-Kona. Do not allow developers to buy cheap and sell high, as I assure
you they DO NOT live in our town and do not suffer the loss along Alii Drive.
Here are the few reasons land rezoning should not be allowed:
As a business person who deals with visitors and local residents alike, I have not
met 1 person who is in support of more development along Alii Drive. Visitors come to
Kona for the small town beauty.
Planners and developers argue that traffic conditions would be eased if more
urban residences (density development) were clustered in town so residents would not
have to drive faz. In fact, more local people aze being forced to move further away
because the condominiums and time-shazes aze built and mazketed for seasonal, short
term residents or visitors. Therefore, the local people live in more remote azeas south and
the Vaffic bottlenecks as we try to converge into town, through town and on north to
resorts to work. All anyone has to do is watch the traffic flow everyday, bottlenecked on
each side of town. Alii Drive is filled with the thousands of condo and time shaze
residents and local people being "dumped" into Alii drive due to lack of mauka-makai
roads and alternative routes. Concentration even more people on Alii Drive will NOT
solve this issue.
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The schools aze already overcrowded with increased use of portables, more
danger for children walking to school and buses stuck in traffic situations posing even
greater hazard to our keiki.
The coastline is rapidly disappearing with build up of taller condos and no places
for people to enjoy watching the coast. Will the visitors and seasonal folks still want to
come here when it looks like Kihei or worse? We need to preserve the qualities that
bring our visitors to this island.
Developers argue that "Alii Drive is already planned for urban development and
we need to accept this"! Well, we say we have a right to self-determination and can
choose to stop this merry-go-round before it is too late! If you have ever been to Carmel
in California, you will realize that the small town beauty, the lovely coastline and the
quaintness that is preserved will keep visitors coming, not send them away. Instead,
Carmel allowed development in a corridor mauka of the shoreline azea, preserving the
environment of the coastline. We could allow medium density condos along Queen
Kaahumanu or Kuakini Highways, which would still present gorgeous sunset views from
visitors' lanais, direct traffic away from coastline and tsunami-vulnerable areas, and
preserve our 5 mile stretch of coastline drive.
Please support sustainable, visionary, long term planning by preserving our
limited coastline resources through adherence to a locally supported General Plan that
allows for single family homes, clustered around recreational parks. Unless we slow
down this self-serving density growth in Kona, it will be too late to recapture this town.
Let's say "NO MORE" until we do more planning, have more escape routes, more roads,
more infrastructure and a VISION for the future!!
Mahalo for considering my views. I look forward to participating in the planning
and development process of our town and to your support. Please let me know if you
have the time to meet or offer the residents an opportunity to join in on a "town meeting"
to discuss our long term growth.
S' cerely,
J an Thompson