Ideas to reduce traffic

[Seeb]

what about ideas to reduce traffic to hilo that could be reasonably implemented on a county level

like-

changing zoning to encourage more jobs and services to come to puna

lowering the potential build out ,maybe using land fund money in puna to buy lots or subdividable land

[Rob Tucker]

Aloha Seeb, I was working on the Land Use Working Group of the PCDP for eighteen months. When we assessed the full scale and scope of the shear number of buildable lots in our Puna subdivisions and the ramifications of all of them someday having a family in each one the question of "lowering the potential build out" did come up.

There is presently no legal way to deny the owner of a legal lot the right to construct a home. Puna has had the highest rate of growth in the state largely due to the fact that our land is the least expensive. So Puna acquires refugees from Oahu, Maui and the mainland.

Perhaps someone with deep pockets (real deep) could buy up lots and land bank them. Doing so for 5,000 lots at say $15,000 ea would take $75 million. Those are deep pockets indeed.

Within the Puna Development Plan it was concluded that we had to plan for the anticipated growth and that a PMAR was needed. We also developed the Village Center model of growth which is underway now. It is very desirable for improvements in business zoning to take place but some of our efforts have been thwarted or delayed by Hilo council members (Yoshimoto in conjunction with Shipman Ltd.).

A lot of these issues will hopefully be on the table in this year's elections and will get thorough discussion.

Other ideas?

James Weatherford has been a proponent of expanded bus service. Buses would reduce traffic to the degree that they meet people's needs and people use them. So buses should be a part of the solutions.

[james weatherford]

Growing more employment opportunities and more services within Puna is a high priority of mine. From my observation of the PCDP, it is also a high priority there -- higher than PMAR.

Priorities are important. This is how government fiscal allocations work: once Puna gets some money for something (e.g., PMAR), then we will be told, "To the back of the line and wait your turn again" -- with allocation of funds to PMAR, there will be no money for infrastructure to support local business and services.

The "build out" discussion is useful in considering the maximum number of residents. However, it has limits. For example, we all know people who own one or more adjoining parcels -- Elizabeth and I own two adjoining parcels, and we know a number of other subdivision residents who do. So, each and every parcel is not necessarily destined to have a family on it.

Also, one suggestion that never got traction during early PCDP discussions was identifying parcels with high risk of lava inundation, subsidence along the coast, and other similar characteristics and changing their status so that building would not occur on them. These types of parcels exist in abundance in Puna and sell at the bottom of the market, or do not sell at all. So, while buying parcels for purposes of community safety and/or open space enhancement could be expensive, the cost of such parcels is a lot less than the "average" price in Puna. Not a panacea, but it could be part of the solution.

Finally, I firmly believe that a clear look at where the global economy is going in the coming decades shows a need to invest to reduce the transportation cost component of everything -- a highway between Puna and Hilo does the opposite.

[Rob Tucker]

See here is an example where James and I can take the same set of facts and read them differently.

I believe that PMAR, passing through HPP at or near it's 20 acre commercial parcel, is precisely what would spur, enhance, inspire the investment to bring jobs, restaurants, good and services to HPP.

A family or individual considering a large personal investment will look very, very hard at location. There is almost nothing attractive for private investment deep in HPP unless PMAR or something like it can increase the chances for success.

So rather than viewing PMAR as a negative and wishing for investment in good and services (and it will take investment) I believe PMAR is precisely what would help achieve jobs, goods and services. Especially in HPP. Without PMAR I believe HPP will be the last proposed village center to achieve commercial development. Maybe that's the plan.

PMAR and investment in jobs and services are not mutually exclusive. Quite the opposite. Keaau is a prime example too. Take away Hwy 11 intersecting with Hwy. 130 and Shipman's economy goes bust.

[Seeb]

wont give up the dead horse
at 120ft wide thats 14.5 acres a mile or hacking 43.5 acres out of hpp - you couldn't do that much damage with a B52. and houses on what remains of the lots would have a highway running thru their yard that they cant even use with out driving a mile down a privately maintained dirt road
how can you dump trafic(heading up to 130,orcidland, ect.) onto private "substandard roads"
and what are they going to do with the rest of the 120ft right of way?
the county has spent 100s of thousands of dollars and a decade trying to do one condemnation in kona.
How much protest about each Hawaiian burial that has to be moved
How much political will. once they started taking peoples land and trying to plow thru HHL it would be political suicide to be associated with this thing. The PTB are going to do another study so they can funnel the 15 mil.to their buds. then its going to sit on a shelf. for another 20 years

[james weatherford]

Yeah, Seeb, that is pretty much the situation on the ground.
Looking at it on flat piece of paper with a map is one thing -- dealing with the reality is another.

In talking with residents of HPP, the sort of services sought are not the all too familiar Los Angeles in the latter 20th century -- asphalt everywhere and automobile dependent. And, that is what you get when you build a highway to attract sprawl development.

[james weatherford]

Reduce traffic?
What causes the amount of traffic?

School traffic is a big part of the problem on Highway 130.
When school is not in session, the traffic congestion is always reduced.

For example, multiple schools send buses into Hawaiian Paradise Park twice a day.
Also, many parents drive their children to and from school.
Is there not some way that we, as a community, can get children safely to and from school in a timely manner that requires fewer vehicles on the road?

[Obie]

I'm guessing that $6.00/gallon gas may cut traffic.

Coming this summer !!

[csgray]

Getting the DOE to put a K-12 school in HPP on one of the designated lots would do a lot to reduce traffic. According to the census there are right around 2,500 school aged children living in the Park, which breaks down to about 200 kids per grade level. 800 students is a good size for a HS, while 1200 is big for a K-5 school. Currently there is a dividing line right down the middle of HPP and 1/2 the kids get shipped to Pahoa and half to Keaau, minus all the kids who get driven to private schools and public charter schools. I think this is part of the problem in terms of getting HPP to come together as a community, schools are a great place for people to get to know their neighbors when living in a semi rural community.

Carol

[Rob Tucker]

A school in HPP makes sense. Too much sense perhaps. To do a school in HPP it would be necessary to bring in water. I am told that there are forces out there that don't want water and general improvements in HPP.