KILAUEA – The Kilauea Neighborhood Association will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss local realtor Jim O’Connor’s new proposal for a 38-acre future growth area. Gary Blaich, a Kilauea resident and Neighborhood Association member, said the issue is complicated
KILAUEA – The Kilauea Neighborhood Association will hold a special meeting
tomorrow to discuss local realtor Jim O’Connor’s new proposal for a 38-acre
future growth area.
Gary Blaich, a Kilauea resident and Neighborhood
Association member, said the issue is complicated and community input is
important.
Blaich added that the proposal is posted on bulletin boards at
the Kilauea Farmer’s Market and the North Shore Pharmacy.
The proposal is
also available at O’Connor Realty in Kilauea.
“This land, west of town, has
long been viewed, by planners and community members alike, as the logical place
for future neighborhood growth,” Blaich stated.
Blaich said O’Connor is
representing owners of 164 acres of agricultural land on the Hanalei side of
Kilauea. Blaich said many Kilaueans are hesitant about more growth on this
plateau west of town.
Blaich pointed out that 30 years ago, Kilauea had a
population of about 650 people; now there are 2,500 or more.
Blaich said
the newest proposal from O’Connor is reduced in scale from one the Realtor
“floated’ in late 1999 that would have included 15 acres of commercial
development and 397 housing units, including multi-family.
Blaich said the
new proposal is “bold, caring and unprecedented,” but that there are still
strong concerns, including water, adequate buffer zones and a continuing
relationship between the developer and the community.
O’Connor could not be
reached for comment.
Tuesday’s meeting is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at
the Kilauea Neighborhood Center.
Additional information is available from
Blaich at 828-1438 or O’Connor at 828-1464.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken
can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or dwilken@pulitzer.net
