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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0619.015 1998-2000 FUKU-BONSAI CULTURAL CENT & HAWAII TATE BONSAI REP RY ,Sharing a ble88in~ since ~ tL?2 p17 ~ ~ PO Box 6000 (Olaa Road), Kurtistown, HI X96760 Phone (808) 982-9880, FAX 982-9883~.~ March 20, 2000 James Y. Arakaki Chairman & Presiding Officer Hawaii County Council Aloha! Keaau singularly and naturally has the potential to be a great regional center for the entire Puna district. It should be an advantage that much of the land has a single owner but the Gateway proposal is lose-lose. It reflects an abrupt directional change that will alienate many in the Puna community who previously supported the W. H. Shipman Estate. I write to express my strong opposition to creating an intersection where the Keaau By-Pass Road meets Volcano Highway. My reasons are as follows: • IT'S BAD PLANNING. To become East Hawaii's "Second City," Keaau needs a consistent master plan and the major commercial areas preferably should be contiguous. I support quality growth and development. But growth will only occur where there is a critical traffic mass, attractive development terms, and favorable economics. To create another major Keaau non-contiguous commercial district and another Volcano Highway intersection will create an undesirable type of growth and development. • IT CREATES A "LOSE-LOSE" SITUATION. Compared to other large Hawaiian estates, the W. H. Shipman Estate had an extensive and commendable history. In now unilaterally forcing through a development plan that negatively affects Keaau Village, the estate alienates a significant segment of the Puna community. In obtaining community support for its initial Keaau Village plan and in now preventing that plan from having a chance to succeed, the Estate creates enemies and divides the community. • IT WILL CREATE AN UNDESIRABLE LONG-TERM TRAFFIC PROBLEM. The Keaau By-Pass Road is a beautifully designed solution for those living on the Pahoa side of Keaau who travel to Hilo. Currently, it is not economically possible to create a Hilo to Pahoa overpass to further speed traffic. One day it will be possible. Pahoa to Volcano traffic can be rerouted and the traffic lights can be removed. But if a four-way intersection is allowed there now, it will not be possible to eliminate the traffic lights in the future. • ANOTHER INTERSECTION WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE FUTURE HILO TO VOLCANO THROUGH TRAFFIC. It's common sense and a principle of good highway planning to have the least number of intersections to efficiently handle through traffic. Volcano Highway is destined to be the primary corridor for traffic headed toward Volcano and Kau. It will be necessary to have a major interchange where Pahoa Road meets Volcano Highway at Shipman Comm. PIo. ~I'7 • ~~5 File No.,~~G /F~ H,ef. To:LL_' G Ply 'V ttef. Date MAR 2 2 2000 Playground in the future. There will be a second intersection at the entrance to Shipman Industrial Park. If another intersection is also created where the Keaau By-Pass meets Volcano Highway, there will be three major nearby highway intersections. FOCUSING ON THE SHIPMAN PLAYGROUND INTERSECTION IS CONSISTENT WITH CONNECTING TO A FUTURE KOMOHANA STREET EXTENSION. Such a connection would result in an enhanced ideal contiguous commercial district and provide further development opportunities for W. H. Shipman Estate. I have no objection to rezoning additional mauka commercial land in the Shipman Playground area. These actions would create a valuable traffic pattern that would allow Keaau to fulfill the promise of being a significant regional commercial and social center for the Puna district. This would also greatly enhance the development value of all Shipman property. IF AN EXPANDED COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT MAUKA OF VOLCANO HIGHWAY IS ATTRACTIVE, TRAFFIC FROM PAHOA WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM ACCESSING IT THROUGH PAHOA ROAD OR BY MAKING A U-TURN AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE SHIPMAN INDUSTRIAL PARK. A frontage road built parallel to Volcano Highway from Shipman Industrial Park to Shipman Playground is recommended. Such a traffic pattern would help Keaau Village businesses stay alive and the properties in Keaau Village that are already zoned commercial with existing community infrastructure would be attractive to developers as economic factors improve. For historical, planning and sociology reasons I oppose the W. H. Shipman Estate request to create an intersection where the Keaau Bypass Road meets Volcano Highway. An intersection is undesirable and not needed. Respectfully submitted, David W. Fukumoto, resident FUKU-BONSAI INC. Copies: County council members Stephen Yamashiro, mayor Andrew Levin, State senator Eric Hamakawa, State representative Stanley Tamura, State Department of Transportation, Highway Division W. H. Shipman Estate Others FUKU-BONSAI CULTURAL CENTER & HAWAII STATE BONSAI REPOSITORY Sharing tc blesgin~ since I96l! PO Box 6000 (Olaa Road), Kurtistown, HI 96760 Phone (808) 982-9880, FAX 982-9883 March 20, 2000 Robert Sanders, president Roy Blackshear & the beneficiaries of the W. H. Shipman Estate Aloha! Although we have not formally met, I write you in a direct and straightforward manner to inform you of my position and leave open the possibility of working together towards a higher goal. 1 do so for many reasons. Although I was born and grew up in Honolulu, my wife's parents were born in Olaa. Father-in-law Rickey Kiyabu was one of nine children born in 8'/z- Mile Camp. My late mother-in-law was born Haruko Higa, one of nine children whose father was the shoemaker in Olaa Village. A large number of relatives are widely scattered with just a few in Keaau. The family has a strong respect and aloha for the Shipman family. I know that the Shipman Estate has been amongst the most generous of all of the large estates. I know that the Estate is land rich but at times has had serious cashflow challenges. I also am aware that the closing of Puna Sugar was done in a manner that was very unkind and unfair to the Estate. I moved to the Big Island in 1973 and participated with others to help the economic recovery of the region. The availability of a large amount of cheap land aggressively dumped on the market by AMFAC allowed a range of regional entrepreneurial enterprises. Unfortunately, it made it difficult for the Estate to restructure. Being targeted by activists further compounded the difficulties. In 1994, Robert Cooper presented a master plan for Keaau Village. I and my Kurtistown neighbor Tracy Lauder strongly supported eviction of the activists and directly opposed James Albertini who is another Kurtistown neighbor. We share your disappointment that redevelopment of Keaau Village has come to a standstill. It's unfortunate that redevelopment could not have been completed before the Pahoa By-Pass Road opened and a second major Keaau commercial area was approved. The Gateway project is seen as a reaction to counter the McCully project and I regret having to oppose it. I do so in all good conscience for the reasons stated in my letter to county council chair James Arakaki. If this project is pushed through, it also erodes much of the goodwill that the Estate has accumulated. In this sense, it's alose-l a proposal for both the community and the Estate. Whether we like it or not, th~McCully project is a fact of life and I question the wisdom of the Gateway project as a response. I do not oppose additional land being zoned for commercial purposes but believe in good planning. Although the short-term focus is the Hilo -Pahoa traffic, the Circle Island Hilo -Volcano -Kona route must be kept free of as many intersections as possible. Keaau has two major planned intersections; the current intersection at Shipman Playground and at the entrance to Shipman Industrial Park. The By- Pass works well and once the Hilo to Pahoa overpass is built in the future, the traffic Tight can be eliminated. My opposition is primarily based upon the conversion of the Keaau By-Pass into an undesirable and unneeded intersection. There would have been less cause for opposition if a Shipman Estate Keaau Master Plan Master Plan had been in existence at the time that the Keaau By-Pass was being planned and if the proposed intersection had been incorporated from the start. Good planning would incorporate a Keaau Mauka Frontage Road connecting the Shipman Industrial Park and the Shipman Playground running mauka and parallel to Volcano Highway 11. This would preserve the efficiency of the Keaau By-Pass Road and Volcano Highway 11. It would create awin-win situation, as Keaau Village would not be unduly negatively impacted. The Shipman Estate would have awide-open opportunity to develop all of the mauka properties. This opportunity would be greatly enhanced if the Komohana Extension can connect to the existing intersection at Shipman Playground. It's unfortunate that Shipman Estate did not or could not be the leader of a Greater Keaau Master Plan. So where do we go from here? The ideal situation would be an effective group devoted to mediurn- term and long-term plaflning and creation of a Puna Regional Master Plan to help develop a consensus for the needed infrastructure. It should include representatives from the State, County, community, and Shipman Estate. I hope that the Shipman Estate supports this as a future vehicle to create awin-win solution to allow Keaau to become the economic, governmental and social center of the entire Puna district. I would be happy to meet with you to discuss my opposition to the proposed intersection and/or participate in creating a broad based Puna Regional Master Plan that would and should address the needs and opportunities of the Shipman Estate. I hope this letter clarifies my position and proposes a vehicle for the Estate to be a part of a win-win future. Sincerely, ~ David W. Fukumoto President Copies: County council members Stephen Yamashiro, mayor Andrew Levin, State senator Eric Hamakawa, State representative Stanley Tamura, State Department Af Transportation, Highway Division W. H. Shipman Estate Others