HomeMy WebLinkAboutPL-REZ-2022-000033 J. GIMPEL, PUALANI ESTATES BOARD OF DIRECTORS TESTIMONY 12.8.2022 Araujo, Jaclyn
From: -A O L - M A I L- <alohafidlr@aol.com>
Sent: Thursday, December 8, 2022 7:49 AM
To: LPCtestimony
Cc: bandcculhane@yahoo.com; deewunschel@yahoo.com;jchorizon@icloud.com;
rckonaron@gmail.com; ricoventenillal@gmail.com
Subject: Testimony Re Kona Three LLC Application (PL-REZ-2022-000033)
Dear Leeward Planning Commission Members:
Attached and following is written testimony regarding the application of Kona Three LLC for time
extension.
Aloha,
Joel Gimpel, Vice President
Pualani Estates at Kona Board of Directors
The Board of Directors of Pualani Estates at Kona, a subdivision of 362 single-family homes several hundred
yards north of the proposed Royal Vistas project, hereby strongly objects to the request for a time extension to
secure final plan approval and completion of the project filed by the Applicant, Kona Three LLC, of the
proposed Royal Vistas project. Work on this portion of the project that was supposed to have commenced over
15 years ago, has never progressed, and the current applicant, who acquired the property seven years ago,
now seeks another 10-years to complete it.
We believe that the application must be denied for the following reasons:
1. The traffic studies submitted by the applicant are woefully inadequate because they were taken during times
when the COVID pandemic had begun to cause a significant decrease in visitors and business operations that
resulted in greatly reduced traffic on Highway 11. Furthermore, the studies don't adequately account for traffic
volume that would result from other proposed developments in the area that are also being considered by the
Planning Department. Nor do applicant's studies acknowledge that the widening of Highway 11 to four lanes,
though needed, is neither planned nor funded, and is therefor uncertain for the foreseeable future. Accordingly,
the current traffic conditions on Highway 11, which are already well below acceptable standards during the
weekday morning and afternoon "rush hours," should prevent developments in the area that would add
significantly to traffic on Highway 11.
We are also concerned regarding the proposed "Royal Vistas" roadway that would serve as a fully channelized
entrance to the subdivision from Highway 11. Apparently, this connection would not be signalized, therefore
causing additional delays and creating an additional traffic hazard.
2. We remain concerned about the inadequacy of the archaeological studies that purport to support the project
because there is much evidence that the property includes features of the Holualoa Slide and rock walls that
are mistakenly described as agricultural walls. In addition, only a small percentage of the property has been
inspected for archaeological features deserving of preservation.
3. Although the earlier proposal to access Highway 11 via road extensions through the Gomes property to
Ho'omama Street and Paulehia Street in Pualani Estates, which intersect with Puapuaanui Street, had
supposedly been dropped, the current application appears to resurrect it as identified under the Kona
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Community Development Plan. We emphasize that the proposal, if approved, must not be understood to allow
a substitute for an appropriate and direct access from Royal Vistas to Highway 11.
4. The application for the project relies on outdated information regarding the adequacy of public school
capacity in the area to accommodate the hundred additional students that would be residing in the project
when completed.
5. The application fails to acknowledge the inevitable harm to endangered species, including Hoary Bats, and
native flora that would result from the proposed development. Nor does it deal adequately with the water
shortages that have been plaguing the area in recent years, or with the possible effects and mediation or
prevention of waterflow disruptions, including flooding, that could result from alterations to the landscape.
6. Finally, we object to the application because too much time (more than 15 years) has elapsed since this
project was first proposed, and 10 years have passed since the first phase was to have been completed. Yet
not one brick has been laid. It's time to go back to the drawing boards.
Mahalo for your kind attention to our concerns.
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