HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0400.133 2002-2004 ' ' ~ 2390 Kaiwiki Road
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24 August 2004
Councilman Jimmy Arikaki
County Council ~fC~L!~•~f i
Dear Mr. Arikaki:
I strongly urge you to vote to uphold Mayor Kim's veto of the Clifto development ordinance. I
believe he has given the Council a chance to reverse a very serious error.
In approving the project, the council majority overrode the objections of virtually everyone who
testified, over a period of months The majority also rejected the position taken by the two
Councilmen who represent the people of Kona. I find it hard to understand how you can be a
representative of the people, and then so completely reject their desires in this matter.
A request to change zoning should be approached very cautiously. Unless there is a clear benefit
to the citizens of this island, zoning changes should be rejected. Zoning exists to protect the island
and its people from rampant sprawl. The desire of a developer to build is not in itself a valid
reason to change zoning rules. But the council majority acts as if it believes that the desire of a
developer to build should be primary, and that zoning change requests must be granted unless there
is overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
In this case, there are strong reasons to reject the project. Not only do the people who live nearby
oppose it virtually unanimously, but the demands on the infrastructure are simply insupportable.
While the council majority said you supported the idea of waiting till the roadways were improved
before allowing new projects, in fact you did not do this, but merely imposed a time line which
may or may not see the highway widened before more than three-fourths of the project is occupied.
Who will benefit from Morris's project? The people who live nearby, who ought to know, say
loud and clear that they will not benefit. It isn't those of us who live in other parts of the island. It
comes down to Cliff Morris, his fellow investors, and their purchasers. So it appears that you
have put the interests of one very small group of people ahead of the needs of everyone else on the
island.
I do not denigrate or underestimate the mitigations that Cliff Morns agreed to, and I appreciate your
desire to reward Mr. Morris for his cooperative attitude. But the fact that a developer agrees to
mitigate the effects of his project is not a sufficient reason to go against the virtually unanimous
wishes of the residents of the area, the desires of the two councilmen who represent the area, and
the zoning laws as they stand.
I think the council's actions in the Clifto case raise two very serious questions.
What is the point of public input, if the virtually unanimous wishes of affected residents, expressed
forcefully and continually over a several month period, are not followed? I thought public
testimony was to help the council learn what the citizens wanted, and act accordingly. In view of
your approving the development after such a powerful expression of public displeasure, it is clear
that I was wrong. What is unclear is the reason for bothering to give testimony at all, since the
public is apparently unable to influence council decisions.
What grounds are there now for rejecting any development, as long as the developer agrees to put
in infrastructure? I foresee an unending string of rezoning requests, from all over the island, all
wanting several hundred new residential units, with commercial space, and all willing to add
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roads, lower-cost units, and other infrastructure elements in exchange for council approval. How
can you possibly say no to them, after saying yes to Morris? What grounds could there possibly
be to reject any project, if Clifto is acceptable? What can you do, to prevent the Big Island from
following the path of Oahu and Maui? Every office-holder on this island claims to wish to
preserve the special qualities which separate the Big Island from anywhere else on earth, but votes
like that on the Clifto project make such assertions ring hollow.
Please vote to uphold the mayor's veto.
Sincerely,
G~s~v"'
Dan Lindsay