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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0766.001 2004-2006 Page I o1 1 Mitchell, Megan From: Murashige, Laura Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 12:51 PM To: Mitchell, Megan Subject: FW: Kona Coffee Estates Bill 251 -----Original Message----- From: Adele Decuyper [mailto:bert4adele@msn.com] Sent: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 11:26 AM To: Higa, Stacy; Safarik, Gary; Jacobson, Bob; Arakaki, James; Holschuh, Fred; Isbell, Virginia; Pilago, K. Angel; Ikeda, Donald Subject: Kona Coffee Estates Bill 251 Aloha, County Council Members, I understand that Stanford Carr the developer of Kona Coffee Estates will come before the County Council on June 21 2006 to ask for an extension of his 30 day postponement. In the event that this extension is not granted my testimony and a letter to Governor Lingle's office from the Malulani Gardens Association attorney John Morris are attached. Mahalo in advance for your attention to these serious concerns. Adele DeCuyper -om;a. iVo. •1 _ Ref. ToR1e506104 % %1 Rai. Dote 6/21/2006 k o & Morris Richard S. is o Jl ll]CJCD 1~JIti®]C°J~°in~ John A. Morris Gordon M. Aralcaki A Limited Liability Law Company Cherrylina C. Piedad Of Counsel: . Adette S. Harada May 25, 2006 Mr. Bob Awana, Chief of Staff Governor's Office State Capitol 415 S. Beretania Street Honolulu, HI 96813 Ms. Linda Smith, Senior Policy Advisor Governors Office State Capitol 415 S. Beretania Street Honolulu, HI 96813 Re: Installation of Traffic Lights at the Intersection of Malulani Drive and Queen Kaahumanu Highway Dear Mr. Awana and Ms. Smith: We represent the Malulani Gardens Association, Inc. The association asked us to contact you to express and confirm its serious concerns about the proposal to install traffic lights at the intersection of Malulani Drive and Queen Kaahumanu Highway. The association has already contacted the State and Hawaii County officials in its area but thinks the problem is sufficiently serious to warrant the Governor's attention. The associations greatest concern is safety the safety of residents of Malulani Gardens, as well as the safety of members of the general public. The installation of traffic lights at the intersection will exacerbate the safety problems. that already exist because of the proximity of the Queen Kaahumanu Highway intersection to the entrance of Malulani Gardens. In addition, installing and activating traffic lights.at the intersection should not proceed until the State and County develop a comprehensive traffic plan for Malulani Drive. Malulani Drive would have to be significantly widened to safely handle four lanes of traffic. That is particularly true if the traffic will. include through traffic from Lowe's and the areas above Lowe's, as seems to be the intention. The residents of Malulani Gardens, based on their personal experience, seriously question whether Malulani Drive is designed for or capable of handling that volume of traffic. Regardless, activating a traffic light at the 1132 Bishop Street + Suite 902 + Honolulu, Hawaii 96813-2830 Tel(808)523-0702 + Fax (808) 538-1927 law@hawalicondolaw.com + www.hawaiicondolaw.com Mr. Bob Awana, Chief of Staff Ms. Linda Smith, Senior Policy Advisor Governor's Office May 25, 2006 Page 2 intersection of Malulani Drive and Queeri Kaahumanu Highway without widening Malulani Drive will greatly increase the risk of accidents. Malulani Gardens is a gated community. Therefore, any vehicle turning into the entrance of Malulani Gardens from Malulani Drive must wait for the gate to open before driving into the project. The gate, itself, is set back only one or two car lengths from Malulani Drive. Moreover, the entrance to the project is only four or five car lengths from Queen Kaahumanu Highway. As a result, any vehicle heading towards the airport on Queen Kaahumanu Highway that turns up the hill onto Malulani Drive runs the risk of being immediately confronted with vehicles waiting to enter the Malulani Gardens project. At present, because Malulani Drive is blocked off immediately above Malulani Gardens, this is less of a problem because virtually all of the traffic turning onto Malulani Drive is comprised of residents of Malulani Gardens. Nevertheless, the County's decision to open Malulani Drive to provide access to Lowe's and other areas above Malulani Gardens means that will soon no longer be the case. Instead, Malulani Drive could well become a heavily trafficked point of access from Queen Kaahumanu Highway to Lowe's and beyond once the road is opened. Installing traffic lights at the intersection of Malulani Drive and Queen Kaahumanu Highway will increase the traffic by encouraging drivers to use Malulani Drive. Moreover, installing traffic lights will encourage higher speeds through the intersection, as well as leading to more accidents as vehicles try to "make the light." For example, vehicles turning right from Queen Kaahumanu Highway up Malulani Drive will be encouraged by a green light to speed around the corner, increasing the risk of accidents with vehicles waiting to enter Malulard Gardens. In contrast, without the encouragement of a green light they would be more cautious. Similarly, once Malulani Drive is opened, vehicles coming down Malulani Drive to Queen Kaahumanu Highway will be encouraged to speed down the hill if they see a green light in front of them. This, in turn, will make it difficult for vehicles leaving Malulani Gardens to pull across the road and tarn left towards Queen Kaahumanu Highway. In contrast, if traffic lights are not installed at the intersection, Malulani Drive will be a slower and less heavily trafficked intersection, reducing the possibility of collisions with vehicles entering and exiting Malulani Gardens. Of course, leaving aside the safety considerations, traffic lights installed at the intersection of Malulani Drive and Queen Kaahumanu Highway will further slow the already slow-moving traffic on Queen Kaahumanu Highway by adding one more point of delay. Mr. Bob.Awaria, Chief of Staff Ms. Linda Smith, Senior Policy Advisor Governors Office May 25, 2006 Page 3 The association is very concerned that, in spite of the problems outlined above, a decision may already have been made to install the traffic lights at this intersection. If that is the case, the association requests that the concerns outlined above be made part of the official record of comments concerning that decision, The Association also asks the Governor's office to ensure that the installation and activation of the traffic lights does not occur until the State and the County have developed a comprehensive plan that considers and resolves the traffic and safety issues outlined above. Please contact me if you have any questions. Very truly yours, EKIMOTO & MORRIS A Limited Liability Law Company LLLC By John A. Morris JAM:alt Copy: Board of Directors, Malulani Gardens Association, Inc. 5/6 Laurie Sokach, Property Manager G;\MALULANf GARDENS\GM\5-25-2006 LTR re: In5bIJAH011 Of Traffic Ughts.doc BILL 251 County Council Members Adele DeCuyper, 75-272 Malulani Drive, Kailua Kona, Hi. 96740 Chairperson Higa and County Council Members, Re: Bill 251 Rezoning SCD 108 Kona Coffee Estates Dear Chairperson Higa, I am absolutely bewildered that the Salvation Army five-acre parcel would be the deciding factor for rezoning SCD 108 Kona Coffee Estates. Now that the Salvation Army has rescinded their commitment I suspect we will be back to the 60 affordable housing units. The Kona Coffee Estates will open the raceway between Henry Street and Malulani Drive to Queen Kaahumanu Highway is serious enough without even considering the traffic from future development. There has been a lot of testimony regarding water, safety, traffic, mauka access including other properties to be developed in the future to all come through Malulani Drive that is a forty six foot wide road that cannot accommodate four lanes of traffic and is not up to dedicable standards. The only access to the property is across the Kanuha property that they will allow hoping to get some benefits (that have been promised to them in the past and never materialized) I would like to address a memorandum from the Department of Public Works dated December 30 2005 to Christopher J. Yuen, Planning director from Galen M Kube, Division Chief, Engineering Division, regarding the change of zone application (REZ 05- 000026) Applicant: SCD Kona 108, LLC. I understand that this memorandum has not been responded to. There are many issues addressed in this document but I would like to bring to your attention page 2 paragraphs 3 that states "Vehicular security gates shall not be located within 60 feet of any existing or future public right-of-way. A turn-around shall be provided on the public road side of any such gate" The gate to the curb of Malulani Drive is 26 feet. Malulani Drive cannot comply with that rule due to lack of space. Moving down to the paragraph under "Traffic" that discusses the TIAR dated October 22, 2004, as supplemented July 22, 2005, quote from this report "The TIAR does not address the operation of the intersection of Hale Kapili Street and Malulani Drive or the existing Malulani Gardens Subdivision private road. The report should also verify adequacy of the available turn lane lengths to maintain the projected levels of service during peak hours for individual lanes and turning movements". Addendum to the TIAR dated February 8 2006 examined the traffic traveling to and from Kona Coffee Estates but there is no mention of traffic from Henry Street across Hale Kapili to Queen Kaahumanu Highway. As a point of reference Hale Kapili Street, one lane in each direction is 46 feet, the same width as Malulani Drive that is expected to get four lanes out of the same width. Malulani Drive is not up to dedicable standards and until such times that it can be brought up to current standards it should not be accepted by the County. To open this road as a private road would be a huge liability for all involved. As was stated in the council meeting this is not a good plan now, or two months from now, or two years from now. These and all other issues must be studied before there is any thought of going ahead with this rezoning. Furthermore, at the meeting on May 17`x' Mr. Carr was granted 30 days postponement to, among other issues, follow up with the Malulani Gardens residents. On June 14, 2006 Mr. Wheelock met with three members of Malulani Gardens Association Board to discuss some issues and informed the Board members that Mr. Carr was planning to postpone going before the County Council meeting on June 21, 2006. Please also read the attached letter from Mr. John Morris the attorney for Malulani Gardens Association to Governors Lingle's office with comments about the traffic light at Queen Kaahumanu Highway at Malulani Drive. Mahalo for your attention to these serious concerns. Adele DeCuyper