HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0101.012 1998-2000janice palma-:glennic
P-0- box 4849
knilua-kona, ha,uaz L- 96745
telephone#808-325-34i6
FAX TO: Full County Council --Please include in the county record
RE: P__r Q p_o_s ed81 i' i H ig_hwa v_
December 31, 1998
Aloha, members of the County Council:
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that something is wrong with the planning
in West Hawaii. Yet, many of us sigh in relief when we return to our island from places
where life has become hectic, crime has put fear into residents' hearts, traffic drives
neighbors to swearing at one -another, open space has been replaced with tall buildings and
asphalt, and the sense of indigenous culture is all but a memory.
In Railua-_x_ona, plans for the proposed Al;'i Highway should be dropped. The thirty-
year-old relic scheme was initiated long before the evidence piled up proving the doom
which planning for the automobile, rather than people, would bring to towns and rural
areas.
There are endless solutions available from experts and laypersons that encourage and
entail short-term community sacrifice for long-term benefit. Alternative modes of
transportation, recreation, esthetics and health of residents are integral allowances to
meet future community needs. Even a "parkway" concept has been suggested as a better
alternative to the county administrations' present plan for an Oahu -style "highway."
This is in contrast to Mayor Yamashiro's stance on road and community planning and
development. Through past county engineer, Donna Riyosaki, the Yamashiro administration,
regarding Waimea main street and Alii Highway plans, touted it's simplistic philosophy
that traffic flow should be the primary focus for planning communities and alleviating
population pressures. Unfortunately, one gets the feeling that the mayor has not visited
places like Dallas, Los Angeles, or even Honolulu.
Professional planning studies are available from around the world that can help
avoid the pitfalls that leave communities in poor condition and their residents(and
visitors) seeking greener pastures. In many places ravaged by lack of vision, steps are
being taken by planners with hindsight and foresight to help residents fix what has become
broken in their communities. Hawaii county is in a perfect position to avoid pitfalls --
and future costs --by visionary planning.
Hawaii's planners, however, continue to lead us sideways into the Dark Ages of urban
sprawl and its accompanying problems. our planning department pushes tried (but untrue)
planning "non -solutions." Nixed as unnecessary frills (and regularly "varied" out of
subdivision approvals) are sidewalks, parks, alternative transportation modes, safe
roadways, underground utilities and open space. Rather than luxuries, these amenities not
only help avoid traffic congestions, but are crucial to preserving the health and well-
being of residents and the environment upon which they depend. F.fy p/L3 'rO '• 12-
�Mmm. No.
0,C, cov.nlc. (L j - Z'� -11
T
6661 8 NWA
-, P-;ONno7 101 'aan
DNS o Na 'ex o1w
ZI 'Jo/ bx
4 Gai12131198 ' 11 29A L2/3
Ali'i Drive stretches rough the shops and neighbor Dds of Kailua-Kona to Keahou
with a hospitable ambiance. Along the road's length, and even up to Kuakini and Queen
Kaahumanu Highways in most areas, the shoreline atmosphere touches residents and visitors,
pedestrians, cyclists, fisherfolk and shoppers. speeding this area up with four -lane
highways is not a sensible way to prepare for future growth. Ambience will be tragically
and irreparably lost and no amount of visitor's Bureau money will replace it.
Neighborhoods will be divided by traffic like they are in Oahu and the Mainland. Children
from one neighborhood won't be able to safely cross Alii Highway (except on ugly, iron
overpasses) to play with children on the other side.
At Kailua village design hearings, attending residents resoundingly opposed
widening Kuakini Highway between Hualalai and Palani Roads. Many related stories about
places that alternatively approached the revitalization of their communities. Everyone
attending the hearings (besides some of those on the commission and planning department --
why is that?) wanted to slow the pace of traffic down to help enhance town character and
encourage patronage of local businesses there. suggestions were made to provide street
parking (possibly diagonal), shady park areas with benches, sidewalks, cycling paths, and
other amenities necessary to resuscitate - not murder - the life of Kailua "village."
Dismay was expressed that plans were still being pursued to create a 45 -mph speed zone
with four lanes running straight through the heartline of Kailua-Rona when opposition to
these plans was overwhelming. Was the December 30th Alii hearing another deja vu?
Somewhat arrogantly, some councilmembers and the mayor, who live away from the Kailua-
Kona, continue to press ideas that they believe are best for Kona against it's residents'
wishes.
The pending highway plans for Kona, as well as other proposed planning debaucheries
on the table, beg for explanations broader than merely alleviating traffic. New highways
will mar West Hawai'i communities with more unsightly power lines stretched along routes
that bottleneck at endless malls. Ali'i Highway seems to bode well for the financial
visions of a few select landowners whose shopping malls coincidentally mark the beginning
and end of the line. Ey speeding thrsugh -neighborhoods- and piast. small --businesses, . it is
assured that they will sooner or later cease to exist.
2 couldn't disagree more than with the statements made by pro -development advocate
and chamber of Commerce president, Marnie Herkes, who said that more enforcement is what
our roads need to be safe. Good planning nurtures right action far better than traffic
tickets can, and at a much lower price. This is a proven fact known by good planners, as
well as the people who live in good (and bad) communities. Rats in a cage, no matter how
well-behaved singly, will still act like, well ... rats in a cage. A normally well-behaved
rat would become a criminal in Herkes planning scheme.
2 hope that yours is a different vision than creating a lifestyle where our
residents spend the rest of their lives in their cars. One has only to look at the use of
our existing town parks to see how widely they are enjoyed, how much healthier it is to
have our families in them than in cars and shopping malls.
Oops! Did that hit a chord --a funny feeling of tension_be_tween y_our_-beliei-in-the
need to nurture families and your perceived need for consumerism? How you balance
those values in your decision-making will mark the true success (i.e., the
health of the communities you serve) of some of the most critical actions you
V U6112131198 A1:30AM ['313
will take in your life 3 government representat e. That and other Questions
relating to Hawai'ils future depend upon the successes or failures_ Of_Plan niag. Government
representatives like yourselves_ have a ponderous_ obligation _to__focus_on planning issues
apart from mere hi, IT creation_and revenue generaion.
Money used to make Hawaii look appealing in brochures and magazines could be better
used to preserve Hawai'i's existing goodness. There is no better (or more devastating)
marketing than word-of-mouth. Crime, road fatalities and lack of amenities like parks,
educational facilities and recreational opportunities kill healthy communities and viable
visitor industries. Preserving what is special about Hawai'i includes studying and
revamping ancient highway schemes like the proposed Ali'i Highway. With full -tilt
development changing West Hawaii each day, there's no time to lose.
Mahalo a nui loa,,),In:cr n(.nn-�ylemde