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891 Ululani Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720-0252 • (808) 961-8211 Fax (808) 961-6553
KONA: 75-5706 Kuakini Highway, Suite 103 Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740 -,a
(808) 329-5226 • Fax (808) 326-5663 C? r-+. rn
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Februazy 1, 2007 - r.a
The Honorable Pete Hoffmann, Chairperson, and _
Members of the County Council
County of Hawaii ' -
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 -
Re: Bills 220 and 221
Dear Chairperson Hoffmann and Council Members:
This letter is to notify the Council of the county administration's strong objections to Bills 220
and 221. These bills would rezone an azea to allow a commercial business on the makai side
of Highway 130 that would take its access directly from that highway. This will lead the
general public to make left turns in and out of the business across one of the busiest highways
on the island. This is not good planning. There is a choice whether or not to allow this
property to be rezoned. New zoning that threatens the usefulness and safety of one of our
most important highways should not be allowed.
Bill 221, draft 2, does not even require the developer to put in a left-turn pocket that was
requested by the State Department of Transportation. This means that customers turning left
who must stop for oncoming traffic will tie up the flow of traffic behind them, creating the
potential for rear-end collisions.
The existing commercial zoning in the vicinity is all on the other side of Highway 130 and
does not take access directly off the highway.
This rezoning may encourage other commercial rezoning along Highway 130, leading to the
kind of roadside strip development that mars so many places. For this reason, the General
Plan adopted a number of policies for commercial development that are contradicted by this
rezoning, such as "Centralization of commercial activities in Pahoa Town, rather than along
the Pahoa By-Pass, to serve the residents of lower Puna shall be encouraged", and "encourage
commercial areas to develop on an axis perpendicular to the highway"
It is not agreed that the county's decision to build a new fire station, and possibly a police
substation, on the adjacent property somehow justifies this rezoning. These public safety
facilities are placed there to be highly visible to the public, and to have quicker access to the
highway for emergency response. It is noted that a fire station and police station are not
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Ref. Date
Hawaii County is an equal opportuniTy provider and employer.
February 1, 2007
The Honorable Pete Hoffmann and Council Members
Page 2
anticipated to generate much traffic from the general public, and a fully channelized
intersection is planned to mitigate any traffic impact.
It is agreed that a new self-storage facility, like many other businesses, would be an asset in
Puna. But we must ensure through zoning that businesses go into good locations. A self-
storage facility does not have to be located on the main highway. To find good locations, in
addition to the areas already designated in lower Puna by the General Plan, is one of the prime
tasks of the Puna Community Development Plan. Currently, the zoning in the Shipman
Business Park and in the new subdivision on Milo St. would allow self-storage facilities.
To summarize, for reasons of traffic flow, safety, and good planning, this rezoning is not
supported.
A a, _
Harry Kim
MAYOR
co; Christopher Yuen, Planning Director