The Kaua‘i County Council yesterday received a multi-faceted study aimed at significantly reducing traffic congestion in Po‘ipu and Koloa — prime South Shore resort destinations where unprecedented development is underway. Meeting at the Historic County Building, council members and residents
The Kaua‘i County Council yesterday received a multi-faceted study aimed at significantly reducing traffic congestion in Po‘ipu and Koloa — prime South Shore resort destinations where unprecedented development is underway.
Meeting at the Historic County Building, council members and residents thanked Mayor Bryan Baptiste, at least six developers who paid for the study, the Koloa Community Association and the Concerned Citizens of Koloa for helping Charlier and Associates, a nationally renowned traffic expert based in Boulder, Colo., for developing the report with community input.
“Mayor Baptiste, on April 27, 2006, brokered an agreement between the area developers and Koloa residents for a regional multi-modal transportation plan,” Koloa Community Association member Ted Kawahinehehelani Blake said. “There was history between the players of doubt and trust, and Mayor Baptiste helped bridge this gap.”
Some of the biggest developers from the region — including Kukui‘ula’s 1,002-acre residential, resort and commercial project in Po‘ipu, and Starwood Resorts’ expansion to the Sheraton Hotel in Po‘ipu — put up funds for the report, which was estimated at $446,000.
While the plan showed that diverse stakeholders can come together on a project that will benefit the community, all could be lost if they don’t move forward to implement some $40 million in improvements proposed in the plan, Councilman Mel Rapozo said.
“Let’s make an honest effort to implement the plan,” he said. “Don’t let it sit on the shelf.”
With regard to getting the plan implemented, Rapozo likened the county administration to a football team poised to score from the 1-yard line. “The time is of the essence. Now is the time to punch it in,” he said.
Among the report’s recommendations, Charlier and Associates suggested building more bicycle pathways and sidewalks, expanding the county bus system, connecting roads among resorts to keep cars off main roads and building roundabouts to move traffic efficiently.
Councilman Ron Kouchi said all the work by Charlier and Associates and the community will only have meaning as long as Baptiste’s administration conducts a study on impact fees and the council can approve the fees by ordinance.
But from her point of view, Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura said those who are ready to move on the plan will have to wait a bit longer.
In its action Tuesday, the council merely accepted a donation and the next step is for government to officially accept it, she said.
Without that approval, “(the Charlier plan) is only a reference and guideline,” she said.
Grove Farm, Kiahuna Mauka Partners, E.A. Knudsen Estate, Honu Group and Creekside were among the developers that donated funds for the report.
At its own cost, Starwood Resorts brought Charlier and Associates representatives to Kaua‘i to speak on the plan at a meeting in May 2006 at the Koloa Neighborhood Center.
The developers offered to pay for the plan after Yukimura proposed a moratorium on the issuance of permits to developers in South Kaua‘i until the county administration had completed a development plan for Koloa, Po‘ipu and Kalaheo.
The plan is still being worked on by a consultant, said a county official who asked not to be identified because of concerns his comments could lead to repercussions.
Yukimura said she only suggested a moratorium because more and more South Shore Kaua‘i residents had become frustrated about the lack of control over development in their neighborhood.
But luckily, she said, developers, government leaders, Kaua‘i community groups and residents took a positive approach on the issue and began working on the traffic plan.
Sixteen months prior to yesterday’s acceptance of the plan, Koloa, Po‘ipu and Kukui‘ula faced dire traffic circulation problems, as “13 developers were coming on line,” he said.
However, Blake said that the South Shore community “pushed against the wall and began to take proactive measures” through an eventual agreement that would have the developers fund the traffic study.
Yukimura said what impressed her was that Charlier and Associates listened to community needs.
She added that the plan brought a conflicted community together for a project that has been largely positive.
Residents also said they wanted a plan that will help retain the rural flavor of the old plantation town.
Among other South Kaua‘i leaders applauded for the work on the plan, Blake thanked Louis Abrams, president of the Koloa Community Association, and Don Cataluna, the Kaua‘i representative on the board of the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs and a po‘o, or leader, with the Concerned Citizens of Koloa.
Sam Lee, a retired Kaua‘i official with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and a member of the Concerned Citizens of Koloa, also offered his support.
Other audience members praised Baptiste for “rising to the bar” in supporting the developer of a plan. The county Planning Department, for instance, provided background information and maps to Charlier, and County Clerk Peter Nakamura and his staff provided technical support.
Koloa merchant Rod Sueoka said the Charlier plan is a “big step forward for residents.”
• Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.
