HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0939.001 2012-2014 comments on Bits 267 and 268 re_proposed Lehua Court commercial center in Ocean View
for County Council Planning Committee, 10 AM Thursday,July 17,2014, Kona
from Cory Harden,Box 10265, I-Mo,Hawaii 96721 333corv@ornail.com 808-959-7747
This project could be a good thing—I saw many letters of support for it and it could spare people from
driving miles for basic services_ But there is background on the person proposing the project that people
should probably know.
Unless 1 have the wrong Wiliam Foulk,the person proposing the project is the archdect who stamped the
construction plans for the zip brie tower that collapsed in September 2011 and tried worker Ted
Callaway. (The Are Department, Department of Health,and County Planning also stamped the plans)
The engineering report in the police investigation
"noted `several atypical things' having to do with the hand-drawn construction plans...
`no general notes, no construction notes, no civil or structural notes, no material specifications, no
notes referencing any environmental Best Management Practices... no notes directing the
contractor how to proceed in the event of the discovery of architectural or archaeologically
significant artifacts during construction, and no notes directing the contractor on the
recommended sequencing of the structural work involved'... `no notes referencing any site-
specific geotechnical conditions, no notes summarizing the design data (e.g. code-prescribed
wind and/or seismic parameters) and design criteria...'
"The report also says that while the drawings showed guy wires, which are used to stabilize the
zip line platforms, the plans contained no information regarding tensioning, no ground anchor
locations, no required anchorage method and no criteria for testing the guy wire anchors.' "
[10-10-11 Hawaii Engineering Group report quoted in `Report faults zip line plans', Hawai'i
Tribune-Herald, 4-3-12]
Before voting on this project, I hope Council will obtain and review records about the zip line collapse.
There are investigations by the police and Hawai'i Occupational Safety and Health Division, and records
from the County Building Division. A reporter told me it was difficult to obtain records.
William Foulk was also in the news in 2010 when he proposed a six-and-a-quarter-million-dollar, four-
story condominium with an underground parking lot near Lyman's surf spot and sparked stiff community
opposition.Over 100 people attended a hearing. Over two dozen testifiers--surfers, cultural practitioners,
real estate agents, and other residents--spoke against the project, citing the cultural and historical
significance of the place and other concerns. Neighbors filed for a contested case,concerned about
nearby shoreline,water,and open space.The condo was not butt_
With that background in mind, I hope Council members WM ask these questions about Lehua art:
Does it follow the Community Development Plan?
A
Do neighbors want it? o
G "r
Is this well-planned development, or piecemeal strip-mall development?Is it clustered withrother a•"
commercial uses,or would it create scattered commercial uses? ' -,
Are there sufficient State and County services to support this project? : H.
Will this set a precedent for not toeing the line tin concurrency on water, roads, and other D�
infrastructure?
co =
Mahalo.
1 Comm. NA 93g.
Ref. To:
Ref. Date JUL 17 Z014