Archive for October 6th, 2006
Laaloa Avenue Extension
The Laaloa Advisory Group met on Wednesday, October 4, 2006. The
group consists of 21 people who are interested in proposed improvements to
Laaloa Avenue.According to the article published in West Hawaii Today on Thursday,
October 5, 2006, the group is using Contest Sensitive Solutions (CSS) as a
methodology to address issues and find a way to create a mauka-makai
connector road, currently proposed as the Laaloa Avenue Extension.
The Federal Highways Administration describes CSS as a collaborative,
interdisciplinary approach and considers the total context within which a
transportation project will exist. “CSS principles include the employment
of early, contiguous and meaningful involvement of the public and all
stakeholders throughout the development process.” More information is
available about the CSS process: Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) .There is a history involved in creating a mauka-makai connector road in
the Laaloa Avenue area. Unfulfilled developer promises and delayed
performance are among the problems that contribute to connectivity
problems in Kona communities.In the CSS method, alternative solutions are considered. It is noteworthy
that the Laaloa Avenue Extension is not the only mauka-makai connector
road proposed in the area. Additional connectivity is not presented as an
either-or solution: more than one mauka-makai road is advisable to create
a road network – something seriously lacking in Kona.The D-Bar Ranch SMA includes a Planning Director recommendation for
Condition 5, related to an alternate mauka-makai emergency route from Alii
Drive to Kuakini Highway. The July 21, 2006 transcript provides references
to unresolved issues regarding the mauka-makai connector road.
Planning Commission Hearing Transcript – D-Bar Ranch SMA
The transcript includes a discussion regarding the 1994 Rezoning Ordinance
to support a proposed project. Twelve years later, the Rezone is still in effect,
with no time limit related to the original rezoning.
Ordinance 94-124, Effective 12-7-1994
Pahoehoe 2nd, North Kona, TMK 7-7-08:21 and 23
Original Zoning: CV-1.25 Final Zoning: RM-3.5, RS-7.5, RM-3.5
(Ref.: COH, County Code, p 978: North Kona § 25-8-3, ¶ 141) According to Bureau of Conveyance records, in 1994, the D-Bar Ranch property
owner was Keauhou Investment Co. The property ownership transferred to
Paul Dumas and to D-Bar Ranch in October 2004. Before the month ended,
D-Bar Ranch transferred ownership to Paul Dumas, who is a principle in the
California Partnership, Keauhou Investment Co. D-Bar Ranch is the listed
property owner in tax records, a subsidiary of Westpro Development under
Westpro Holdings (John Stevens). It looks like the transactions brought the
property ownership in a full circle back to the original owner, with Westpro
managing the project under the D-Bar Ranch name. We have to rely on
County officials to enforce development approval conditions – it looks like a
good trick when projects are managed through an ownership maze.Barbara Scott
