A new road through Paradise Park (??)

[Rob Tucker]

A draft proposal for a new route from Hilo to Pahoa is available online for review. It was prepared by me and is
in PDF format at:

http://www.hawaiiislandplan.com/punawgdrafts.asp

Feel free to love it, hate it, call your lawyer, critique it, second guess it, improve it or use it to light the pilot light on your water heater.

It is only a proposal. I certainly do not have the power or wherewithal to create such a parkway. But IF it was decided a route was needed - this is how I would suggest it be done.

Aloha

[Royall]

Good planning and thought went into your proposal Rob. The only problem I can see is would be the enforcing of the sticker system. Look how many people drive around with expired safety license stickers now. It is just another thing along with illegal vehicle equipment the police chose to ignore. If your proposal could be enforced it would truly be a one I could stand behind, even though I would most likely be long gone to the grave by the time the county gets off their lazy butts to do anything.

Royall

What goes around comes around!

[JerryCarr]

Aloha, Rob,

I would like to personally thank you (and anyone who helped) for what had to be a lot of hard work on your proposal. It is thoughtful, sensitive to the community, and better than anything I have heard proposed by the state or local officials. My cynical side wants to say that the officials won't like it because it makes them look lame, but that may not be true.

I especially like the limited access, sound buffers, scenic elements, and efforts to minimize disruption to home owners. The routing is a bit makai of what has been suggested in the past, but the 11-block from a thoroughfare facet makes sense. (Did your research show fewer homes on that route?)

Being an intelligent person, you have of course anticipated resistance. I will play devil's advocate for a moment and give you a preview of what to expect. Please note that the only one of these points that I personally subscribe to is the one about law enforcement.

1. Based on my conversation with neighbors and others, there will be some in HPP who oppose ANY highway across the subdivision. Period.

2. Some folks will oppose the construction of new highways ANYWHERE in Puna, saying that we should rely instead on improved mass transit and village center development. Some of these don't live in HPP.

3. No matter how sensitively it is done, and no matter how generous the budget, some people will not be satisfied with the compensation/relocation arrangements for affected homeowners. This is not unique to this project, however.

4. Any element of the proposal that involves law enforcement becomes dicey for those of us familiar with policing in HPP. We have had mixed results in community efforts to get current nuissance (and other) laws consistently enforced. I have personally been told on two occasions that the cops were too busy to come out and deal with illegal 4-wheelers. On other occasions, there have been prompt and effective responses. Asking them to regulate speed, type of vehicle access, noise levels, etc., does not seem like anything I would expect to be done on a regular basis unless they dedicate a couple of officers to it.

This has been a lengthy response by even my standards, but I think it is an important issue. Thank you again for your hard work, Rob.

Cheers,
Jerry

[Rob Tucker]

Thank you both for the kind words. I am still anticipating slings and arrows. They will come too. I do not intend to make this proposal a "cause" or anything. It is a proposal. It will either have legs and be able to stand on it's own or it will fall down.

It is also designed for an approaching future rather than "today". I suggest it is best viewed through whatever lens provides one with a sense of what life will be like in 20 years.

I do agree that enforcement of all laws and codes is a huge issue that we all need to pressure the county about.

[John S. Rabi]

Nice job Rob! Yes, the NIMBY people will show up to protest and fight but I hope they too will realize something has to be done.

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
75-5870 Walua Road, Suite 101
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(808)327-3185

[Genxor]

This is a very impressive, thought- out plan and I am impressed.
The vehicle stickers are a bit "off topic" , but I fully understand the thought behind them.
Great Job !

[Punamom]

Yes Rob that is a beautiful proposal very well done and thank you for all your volunteer work.
But as a resident of HPP that proposal scares the pants off me. The road is larger and faster than what I had in mind.
My main concern about a road through HPP is the "wrong side of the tracks" scenario I think it would divide the subdivision creating a good side and a bad side over the years. Of course the makai side would be the desirable one so everyone mauka could possibly see a decline in property values etc..., for this reason many more folks in HPP could be affected.(the fact that you actually mentioned a rail!!!!!!! so scary and it seems to much like a commuter route than an emergency route)
I am against any road through HPP at this "time", but if I had to choose (and even though I live right in the way of the proposed 15th street bypass and I've been entertaining fantasies of the coh jacking up my house and moving it to a lovely lot in the tsunami zone.The house my family and I built with our own hands, the house my last baby was born in,The house that as long as I'm alive is not going to see a road in its backyard.(sorry for the rant but I have familial issues with eminent domain)).

I would choose Gov't Beach road basically pave or grade the red road all the way from kalapana to hilo why?
a.It would open up an area of otherworldly beauty (and beaches) for all to enjoy.
b.It provides alternate access for "all" of lower puna
c.It could be in the historical corridor so no threat of making it a commuter route it would be protected.
d.The folks on the Makai side of beach already think they are in their own subdivision so no change there.
e.Being that most of the red road is already paved and enjoyed by many its probably the most logical and economical.
The idea was tossed out because its in a tsunami zone but so are many other roads in Hawaii and supposedly we are to be warned in advance making the road still usable for evacuation.

The focus seems to be on HPP and Hawaiian Beaches but in the next 50 years I can see kalapana,seaview,Lelani and all parts of kapoho areas growing and developing, it doesn't seem like the plan addressed these areas if they could not use the existing highways.

I'm thinking if they put in a center turning lane and shoulders on the main roads of HPP, kaloli,paradise and makuu that should handle the traffic woes in the park.As well as increasing hwy 130 to allow better access in and out of the park.How folks think a bigger highway is more dangerous I don't know, its the cars that don't have lanes to pull into now that are the problem.

I had also heard that the village center idea was shot down because a certain amount of people have to live within a 1/2 mile of the center and that is not possible in HPP unless we subdivide the surrounding lots and build multi units like condos and apartments.
Has anyone else heard about that?
Anyway, I guess I have to get started on the "NO RAILS IN MY PARK COMMITTEE" now.

[Rob Tucker]

A very thoughtful reply. Thank you. May I encourage you to expand on your views, in writing, and submit them to the Puna CDP Transportation Working Group. All such thoughtful proposals should be considered.

The future of a Village Center for HPP will be in the hands of HPP. The opportunity is there.

I suggest it is HPP residents who would most be in need of rail service someday when the area is 90% built out and gas becomes $40 per gallon. (Impossible?)

The CDP process is a community process and you too are part of that. Please participate.

Aloha,

[Aki]

Rob, there are a lot of worthwhile elements in your proposal. I would suggest that the 15th street area is still the best fit overall for a road through HPP, rather than moving it down towards 10th. Moving it down to 10th would increase traffic on Kaloli, Paradise and Makuu for anyone accessing the future commercial areas/bus loops near the 15th street commercial areas. Also, even if the parkway was fairly wide through the balance of HPP, there is no reason it could't be narrowed or incorporated into the commercial areas along 15th, since no buffer would be required from adjacent residents through these commercial areas.

Aki

[Rob Tucker]

I think that the comments I'm hearing, for example - discussing the advantages of a 15th Street route - are all good and valuable. Good logic can be applied and different conclusion arrived at.

The dialog is valuable.