COM 0560.035 2002-2004 - Laserfiche WebLink

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r, ;'i My name is Samantha Asherah Taylor; I live at 40 South Wiliwili Street in the Puu Honu sub-division, adjacent to the purposed University Terrace project. I can't be here today due to a prior commitment; however, I want my testimony to go on record in opposition of this project My reasons being, that our community has not been sufficiently notified and kept abreast of this situation, in fact it appears as just the opposite has taken place (it has taken seven months to get this community meeting). This makes me suspicious, so does the big rush to push this re-zoning through before the newly elected council members take office, I know that we are not being told the whole truth in this matter. I also feel that the project itself is a potential future danger and liability to the citizens, business owners and taxpayers of Hilo. At the previous council meeting we heard such comments as, "10,000 new residents will not change our present traffic situation". Please...this will not only be traffic from the new residential area but also traffic to and from the proposed commercial business area. This is no more realistic than to blame the flooding for this proposed area on just the Wiliwili Street run off. Yes some water may come from Wiliwili area...it is up hill and it is all part of the Alenaio stream, but the majority of the runoff' comes from Mauka of the Mohouli Extension via numerous culverts and the Alenaio Stream Bridge as well as underground through lava tubes that feed the many springs in the area. Here is the way many of us see it, allowing businesses and homes in a floodplain is poor planning and careless to say the least. When a flood occurs it will have an adverse impact on the maintenance of roads, etc serving those businesses and homes. These buildings also, inevitably increase the flood hazards for others up hill and down; by changing the way the water moves through the system. A floodplain is virtually always better suited left as is or improved by appropriate planting of more trees or bamboo, not bulldozing and building parking lots. Tlris doesn't even touch on removal of wastewater, which is another issue all together. According to a letter written last February, to the Planning Department, by Scott Andrews, a member of the Hilo Bay Watershed Advisory Group. The U.H. Forest service is presently constructing a huge building near the University of Hawaii at Hilo. They were required to put in a septic system because the sewer system in that area was inadequate. This is in the same area as the University Terrace. s'~ Comm. No.~ Ref. To:.py~y~~Q___~~~ Ref. Uate `i.~-! +-u1.~s-