HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0494.003 2008-2010
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Murashige, Laura W.
From: Council Testimony [counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us] Ft 1 Pn y 3
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 12:54 PM
To: Eoff, Karen t~~~;^~1]
Subject: FW: Planning Committee - Bill 136 & 137
Attachments: PATH PC Bill 136 & 137 - Palamanui.pdf
P/PC
Comm. 494 (Bill 136)
From: Laura Dierenfield [mailto:lmd@hawaii.rr.com]
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 11:27 AM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Planning Committee - Bill 136 & 137
Laura Dierenfield
Executive Director
PATH - Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii
PO Box 62
Kailuo-Kona, Hawaii 96745
Phone: 808-936-4653
Email: sharethero_adApsathhawaii.orr
Website:www,pathhaaiiorg.
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8/31/2009 Ref. Dnt
PATH - PEOPLES ADVOCACY FOR TRAILS HAWAI 1
PO Box 62 ? KAILUA-KoNA, HAWAi'i 96745 ? 808-936-4653 ? sharetheroad@pathhawaii.org ? www.pathhawaii.ora
Mission: To safely connect the people and places on Hawaii Island with pathways and bikeways. Since 1986
TESTIMONY - HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMITTEE
RE: PALAMANUI GLOBAL HOLDINGS LLC (TMK: 7-2-5:1) - Bill 136 & 137
Chairman Ikeda and Members of the Committee:
Palamanui is heralded as the catalyst for the long awaited West Hawaii Community College location. A
hallmark of great post-secondary educational institutions across the Country is the ability for students, faculty,
visitors and employees to get to and from the location using a variety of transportation modes. With prudent
leadership and cooperation, you can ensure that the West Hawaii Community College will flourish as a place
of higher learning and accelerated economic growth for West Hawaii. Let's make sure the future West
Hawaii Community College is accessible for its patrons by advancing the necessary pre-construction phase
of critical transportation networks to, from and within the campus and surrounding development.
The requested changes in zoning structure reflected in Bill 136 and 137 for the Palamanui Global Holdings
project may be necessary due to the current economic conditions and consequent difficulty in securing
adequate financing for the important public infrastructure projects included within the project. However,
PATH recommends that the County Council Planning Committee require that the ordinance retain the
required steps to advance the Mamalahoa Connector and other critical public infrastructure projects (for all
users including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians) to pre-construction stage (i.e. get them "shovel ready").
This means the existing ordinance should require the developer to provide the County with the design plans,
bid specifications, meets and bounds survey, legal descriptions and other necessary documents for
construction of roads and shared-use pathways as required by the Kona Community Development Plan and
supported in the project's Mixed-Use Development.
The key projects stipulated in the Kona CDP that require pre-construction readiness but may be delayed due
to current economic conditions are:
- Mamalahoa connector road arterial capacity for motor vehicles and adjacent shared-use pathway
(meandering, to conform to AASHTO and ADA guidelines) Shared-Use Path
- 10-foot paved Shared-Use Paths (conforming to AASHTO and ADA guidelines) along the HELCO utility
easement adjacent to the proposed park site as well as University Drive and Kamanu Street.
- Community Park - completion of a master plan of the park site and connections to other development
These facilities described above will make the college campus and surrounding community a sought after
place for commercial and residential investment. Therefore, it is only in the developer's and the community's
best interest to make sure these facilities continue to move forward to the "shovel ready" stage. The best
way to do this is to make sure the necessary pre-construction steps are a requirement in the current
ordinance. To overlook these pre-construction requirements in the existing ordinance will not provide the
incentive nor the regulatory requirement to move these projects forward and they will likely stall indefinitely
leaving both the developer and the community with an unfinished and disconnected community.
We strongly believe this pre-construction readiness requirement ensures a win-win solution for the community
as well as the developer. Under this solution, the often lengthy but relatively inexpensive pre-construction
phase for these key transportation projects will continue to progress while delaying the burden of expensive
construction until more favorable economic conditions arise. When additional financing becomes available,
the County and the developer will have all the necessary pre-construction steps completed and be able to
actually build.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
Laura Dierenfield
Executive Director, PATH
sharetheroad@pathhawaii.org, 808-936-4653