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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0106.020 2004-2006 Aloha Chairpersons Hoffman and Pilago and Committee Members. My name is Stefanie Delmont 73-1265 Kaloko Drive, Kailua-Kona 808 325-7156 bluejoumy@aol.com I am here to present some of my reasons for opposing the proposed rental apartmenUshopping center complex. I do not feel Kailua-Kona is currently underserved by large or mid scale shopping complexes. Between the Palani/Queen K junction and the Palani/Kuikini junction (approximately 2 1/2 blocks) there are three large shopping centers with two of those complexes each having a large grocery store with deli selections and meals, bakeries, sundries and assorted non food items. This does not include the Large Longs Drug store nor the many take ouUeat in restaurants. One block south of Palani/Queen K intersection is the Henry StreeUQueen K intersection. The mauka side north contains Walmart, Safeway, restaurants, large health food store. Mauka south contains Borders and several medical offices plus Loews. A mere 4.5 miles south is the King Kam III Queen WKuikini intersection. 1 mile west down King Kam is the humongous Keauhou shopping center with a KTA, Longs, Ace Hardware, multiplex and Facial surgery center plus lots of restaurants and other shops. Traffic signals that are NOT synchronized especially needed during both the am and pm commute hours definitely contribute to traffic congestion and the "calming" influence results in traffic crawling for about 13 miles, when it is not actually stopped. Starting at Palani/Queen K intersection where there is a stop light one goes South .3 of a mile to the Henry StreeUPalani intersection with a stop light. One then proceeds south for .9 miles to Nani Kailua/Queen K stoplighted intersection. Then one would go 1 or 1.1 mile to where the stoplighted intersection for the proposed complex under discussion (I'm using the current entrance to Pualani mauka of Queen K as my guide). Then one would continue south 8/10 of a mile to Lako /queenk (Kuikini) stoplighted intersection. From there one continues south 6/10 of a mile to the Sea View stoplighted intersection. From there it's a mere 1.1 mile jaunt further south to the Kam II?Kuikini(QueenK) intersection. That's 7 stoplights in approximately 4 1?2 miles of limited access highway (counting Palani/Queen K stop light and the proposed stop light at the proposed complex). On Queen K north of Palani/Queen K intersection there is a stop light at KmarUKuikinUqueen K intersection. Kmart also being a large shopping complex including food. Continuing North is the stoplight at the Kealakehe transfer station, followed by the one at Honokohau Harbor, followed by the one at Hina Lani (new industrial) followed by the one at Kaiminani Drive followed by the signal at the airport. This project is not appropriate in-fill. Perhaps houses with small lots as exist in some of the older Kailua sections with individual houses and not condos or town houses and geared to be in actuality affordable to local residents would be far more azppropriate. People driving long distances to work at the hotels along the Kona/Kohala coast are not going to give up their chance to actually own affordable (however defined) property/houses for the "pleasure" of living in an apartment complex in Kailua. That doesn't speak to the individualism and desire for one's home that we think of as if not a birthright, then an attainable goal. Comm. No. ~ ~ 6' ~ Ref. To: pr~_..~ Ref. Date APR 1 9 7(1(15 In-fill usually refers to filling in areas that for whatever reason have been skipped over during earlier development projects. In-fill housing often is tied to transportation such as light rail/subways and usually is somewhat isolated from services which would require a shopping complex to be a component. That is not the case here. We don't need to in-fill with apartments here to prevent apartment development on the outskirts of Kailua? Apartments are not what are encroaching on our open space and will not meet the needs of commuiters from South Kona and Kau. Affordable housing closer to their work -nice housing and nicely affordable - is what is needed . Commuters want to get to or through Kailua as quickly as possible and those doing business in Kailua would like to be able to do so without having to limit theirselves to one hour blocks of road access. This project is absolutely Not needed. It is not being driven by local needs of local people. It may be driven more by(local or otherwise) business needs ie keep the folks employed, build now as prices going up, money/financing still readily and cheaply available BUT these are not reasons for the people of Kailua-Kona to be stuck with this totally inappropriate development.