HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0400.109 2002-2004 Kam, T~,..~
TESTIMONY
Of The
KONA TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE
Presented by
Joel Gimpel
Public Affairs Committee Chair
73-4686 Hina Lani Street
Kailas-Kona, Hawaii
Before The
iV~i HAWAII COUNTY COUNCII.
Y~_~_.~.. Regarding
~1me_-----T'~-y~~ - Bill 178 Draft 4
Dom--- a,~~N ~rod~ CLIFTO'S KONA COAST, LLC
August 4, 2004
Good morning and aloha. Less than two weeks ago you took some important and
meaningful actions regarding this bill. You agreed that the number of residences to be
built should be fixed rather than stated as a "maximum," and accepted the developer's
offers to construct 390 residential units, 20% of which must be on site and affordable
within the meaning of the statute, reduce the number of hotel units by 150, and spend up
to $750,000 to prepare wnstruction plans for Phase 2 of the Queen Ka ahumanu
widening project.
There remain, however, two major concerns for area, and indeed, Hawaii County
residents. First and foremost, there is no assurance of "concurrency," or the need for
adequate road infrastructure to serve the projected increase in traffic volume to be caused
by this project. Of course, the on-site housing and location of the project will divert some
traffic from the Kailua-Kona village core, but it is inevitable that many workers, patrons
and visitors will be coming from and going to South Kona and Kau, and the only route
available to them is Queen Ka' ahumanu Hwy, which is already at capacity. We should,
as I suggested two weeks ago, seek a `vin-win" solution, but the absence of a
concurrency requirement will result in a "lose" situation for the county and for Kona. We
therefore urge that Bill 178 be amended to provide that construction may not begin until
Phase 2 of the Queea Ka' ahumanu widening project is funded, and that occupancy not be
permitted until Phase 2 is completed.
Our second concern regards the possibility that, under the present wording of Condition
F, the ordinance would permit construction of one huge, "big box" store of up to 392,000
square feet. That, we believe, is unacceptable for the area. We don't want to see another
"Lowe's" debacle. We therefore urge that the bill be amended to limit the size of any
single commercial space to 75,000 square feet, which is certainly sufficient for a
Comm. No.~~o • 1Oq
R.,f. To: t
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a
reasonably sized supermarket or department store. That would allow for~R one
anchor store along with smaller shops and offices, and be much more suitable for the land
in question.
Thank you. I'll be happy to answer any questions.
STATEMENT:
To the members of the County Council:
Re: Bill 178 - Clifto's O'oma Re-zoning
I add my voice, to what 1 hope will be many others, asking that
YOU DO NOT APPROVE ANY RE-ZONING or PLAN FOR
DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PROJECT UNLESS IT REQUIRES
SPECIFICALLY THAT THE SECOND PHASE OF THE QUEEN K
HIGHWAY WIDENING PROJECT (FROM KEALAKEHE PKWY TO
THE AIRPORT) BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO ANY OCCUPANCY
OR USE OF ANY OF THE NEW CONSTRUCTION.
In the past, many projects have been approved by looking at
them individually, with blinders on, and considering only the
legality and technical, land-use correctness of the application.
The result is over development. As the only unit of government
with the necessary authority, it is the duty of the Council to look
at the big picture. While Bill 178 may fall within current rules
and guidelines, its completion prior to the widening of Queen K
would elevate the traffic in that area from "congested-barely-
tolerable" to "congested-totally-intolerable." You must look at
the overwhelming negative impact this project will have on the
existing road and say, "Enough!'
If this project is tied to the Queen K widening, more pressure will
be brought to bear on the state to complete that project. Clifto's
is just in the wrong place at the wrong time...a risk all
developers take. ff he has operated in good faith so far, I have
sympathy for him; but not so much sympathy as I would have
for all of Kona should his project go forth and dump enormous
numbers of cars and trucks onto the already overused road.
Delaying this project will not end the current growth pattern of
the Big Island, nor will it bankrupt Clifto's...they will survive and
go onto profrt...only in due time, and in concurrence with
infrastructure improvements.
z
Several days ago, I was one of the people waving "Burma
Shave" signs down on Queen K during the rush hour between
Henry Street and Nani Kailua Street. Our signs said:
"INFRASTRUCTURE -SADLY LACKING -SEND THE COUNTY -
000NCIL PACKING." As the cars crawled past us in both
directions we were overwhelmed with signals and shouts of
support from the beleaguered motorists. Those people are
sending you a message...OVERDEVELOPMENT HAS TO STOP
HERE AND NOW.
George L. Mozingo
PO Box 468
Holualoa, HI 96725
808-329-6267