HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0032.022 2006-2008 - Page 1 of 1
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Murashige, Laura
From: Rich Hedges [hedghogg@ix.netcom.com] i~~: ~ 1
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Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2007 5:55 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us t~;` ~
Subject: Support Big Box Legisation by Stacy Higa `f""-"'"
Attachments: Richard Hedges.vcf
I am in favor of the Big Box legislation introduced by Stacy Higa. Councilman Higa is showing
great insight by realizing the problems brought to our local community by these monster
stores. These huge buildings (220,000 square feet or larger) draw customers from 35 to 50
miles. They are very bad land use. The traffic they generate will block our arterial streets. Hilo
is not built on a grid pattern; therefore most streets do not cut through. This forces all traffic
onto our main streets and during peak traffic times of the day it creates traffic gridlock. This
will increase our traffic at key intersections to what traffic engineers call a Level F. This means
long delays.
Wal-Mart is the worst example of the Big Box type stores. If Wal-Mart decides to build a Super
Store here it will likely close its Hilo store in the future. That has been their pattern across the
country to saturate an area and when local merchants are closed by their predatory
competition they close their older stores. This forces all to drive farther to purchase the goods
that were sold at one time near our homes. The center where Wal-Mart is in Hilo will lose its
anchor and eventually the other stores will close. We can all remember the mid 1990's when
50% of the stores in the Price Kuhio Shopping Center were closed. It will happen again if Big
Box Stores are allowed to develop without controls.
What does this mean to us who live here? Wal-Mart's money from Hawaii sales will go to
Bentonville, Arkansas banks. The money will not be invested in local banks, which are in turn
loaned to local merchants to modernize or expand their business or loaned to local residents to
purchase homes. This is just one more way they stamp out competition.
Wal-Mart often makes token contributions to the community when trying to develop their
monster stores, but those contributions end when they get what they want. KTA and Sack N
Save both give time and money to our local Zoo, which is free to all our children who wish to
come. Big Box companies do not give to local causes. Our local merchants do. Their
managers and their employees are our little league coaches, our volunteers for the YMCA and
contributors to our local charities.
Big Box stores like Wal-Mart do not always have the lowest prices. There are many examples
on the mainland of towns larger than ours where prices are increased by the giant stores when
they have eliminated the local competition.
Lastly, I left the mainland to get away from Big Box Stores with all of the traffic. Hilo is my
adopted home. I came here because of the wonderful people and the Aloha Spirit. I do not
want to see Hilo or this Island marginalized by mainland thinking. The promise of something
for less is just that, a promise. The results will be a paradise lost. ~ 2 2 Z
Comm. Ho.
Richard Hedges Ref. To:Proa~sted L
Hilo Ref. Uate JA~__
1 / 12/2007