HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0687.052 2004-2006 My name is Jake Jacobs. I've been a resident of Kona since 197 We live
in the Coastview subdivision above the proposed development north of the
airport.
To my great dismay, I've seen Kona transformed from a unique community
that some used to calla "village", into a hodgepodge of Southern California
strip malls and outrageously expensive tract homes, condos and
townhouses. In the good old days, being haole automatically would leave
me open to the charge of being the cause of the problem. One thing I can
tell you, I didn't move here to exploit the land or the people or to make Kona
just like where I came from, which is what I see going on now, and what I've
opposed for the last 30 years.
Ever since I can remember, it seems the various county councils and
planning commissions have been in cahoots with the developers to promote
over-development of tourism and real estate without regard to the overall
health of the community...only the money to make the rich richer.
This has been the best our elected officials, civic leaders, planners and what
have you could come up with as a way to serve the needs of the people, yet
still the children have left to seek a future elsewhere.
I doubt that a single job created by all this development would enable a
person born and raised in Kona to buy a home at today's absurd prices.
Most of us are guilty of not standing up for ourselves, our neighbors or for
the land, but anyone who ever tried to promote a vision of a community not
dependent on continuous construction has been portrayed by the business
and political establishment as a dangerous wacko and had all the resources
of the developers and the republicrats brought to bear against them.
So now the speculators and developers have had their way. But I dont think
the community has benefited.
The unbelievable traffic is just the most obvious example. You can't add
1500 new cars per month to this island and expect any different.
I think a great deal has been irretrievably lost and the best we can do now is
slow things way down and salvage what we can.
Comm. No. •S
Ref. io: Pre e t
Ref. Uae
Regarding the specific proposals before you now, it is simply irresponsible
to put any more strain on our infrastructure until we catch up to the over
development we already have. Before you even consider approving more
projects, we must have major improvements in our roads and public
transportation. And what about water, sewage, police, fire, schools, etc? If
we continue to build and build and build, there will never be enough roads or
electricity or water, let alone open space. We need a change in our concept
of prosperity and a new commitment to the land and the people of Hawaii.
As far as the future West Hawaii campus of the University of Hawaii, there
is something fundamentally wrong when a community has to turn to the
paternalistic largess of private contractors, speculators and developers in
order to fund its essential institutions of health care and learning.
It was disgusting when developers tried to buy community support by
contributing to the Kona Hospital and it is no different in the case of the UH
West Hawaii campus.
We should not sell out to--or be held hostage by--developers. Rather we
should fund these institutions ourselves and hold THEM hostage.
As to subdividing more of Kaloko Mauka. Whoever bought the property as
ag 20 should have planned on using it as zoned.
Perhaps they had a hope or intent to subdivide it at some time in the future.
Thats not a guarantee. It is detrimental to our environment to grant this
subdivision. It does nothing to alleviate our housing problems and I say that
just because someone planned to make an obscene profit, they can still make
a fairly disgusting profit just selling it in one piece if they choose.
I urge the council not to approve these subdivisions and to seek alternatives
that will benefit the community for the long term.