Cartoon
in the San Antonio Express by John Branch
Nowhere
is Everywhere and Everywhere is Nowhere
Ralph Lerner AIA - Former Dean of Architecture at Princeton
speaking on the spread of suburbia
Costco
vs Kauai
Recommendation
The Class IV zoning permits requested by Costco to build a Big-Box-Superstore
and a large fueling station just west of the Kukui Grove Shopping
Mall (KGSM) should be denied because the operation of Costco
on Kauai would not be in line with the General Plan for Kauai
and would not be in the interest of the people Kauai or the
businesses they operate.
The
Planning Commission Role
The County Charter provides that the Kauai General Plan be the
guideline for the Planning Department to advise the Planning
Commission on making decisions regarding land use and zoning.
Therefore, the decisions of the Planning Commission should further
the achievement of the policies of the General Plan through
implementing actions by the county. (See Kauai County Code Section
7-1.2)
Individual commissioners have a responsibility to support the
General Plan. In fact, the only way for the General Plan to
be achieved is for the Planning Department and Planning Commission
to be it’s defender and implement the plan through their
actions. The character and impact on our island of project of
this size requires careful consideration to determine if it
meets the goals of the General Plan.
The Case Against Costco on Kauai
To begin with, these Class IV zoning permits are requested for
a “Wholesale Warehouse” and a “Wholesale Fueling
Facility”. (see item #2 & #3 in Public Hearing Notice).
These facilities are misrepresented in this permit request.
These are in fact primarily “Retail” sales operations.
To evaluate these Costco proposals as wholesale operations does
not do justice to them in evaluating their impact on traffic,
community planning, and their effect on other retailers in the
area. These permits should be withdrawn and re-submitted describing
the actual operations of the kind of facilities run by Costco
in other communities - “Regional Retail Sales Centers”.
The economics of these Big-Box-Superstores requires volume.
That requires a large stable regional population or a fast growing
area of development to justify the economy of scale needed to
sustain profitability. Until recently, Kauai could not support
a Home Depot or Costco due to low population and only moderate
growth. Only recently has Kauai achieved green light for expected
“unlimited growth”. The planners of these “superstores”
are expecting and planning on a sustained fast growth in population
on Kauai.
Is that what we want? Given the growth required by these businesses,
what will the population of Kauai be by 2020? Will it match
Maui today with well over 100,000 residents? If you think it
would be better to have a population well under 100,000 on Kauai
in 2020, then let’s look closer at the General Plan that
is our map designed to get us there.
aerial view of parking and traffic in Meadowlands,
New Jersey (The Garden State)
Kauai is still truly “The Garden Island”, unlike
New Jersey, which can no longer be called “The Garden
State” (see illustration above).
The General
Plan states “Our environment IS our economy”
(see General Plan section 2.1).
Well, the
environment is more than that. It’s beauty and health
IS the quality of our lives. Whether it is as a set for an exotic
movie, a taro farm in a rural valley or an upscale destination
resort, the shear beauty and health of our island is it’s
greatest asset.
Costco will endanger the beauty & health of Kauai
The site of the proposed Costco Big-Box-Superstore is now the
Kukui Grove Park & Pavilion. The park is available for rent
from Grove Farms for public or private events. Music Concerts,
Indian Pow Wows and private parties are just a few of the kinds
of events that occur on the site. The views from this park include
a spectacular view of the Kipu Mountains. Looking from the north
towards the pavilion the pacific Ocean can still be seen.
The Kukui Grove Park and Pavilion is a good use of the land
it occupies. That will only become more apparent as development
continues on Kauai and open space is at an increasing premium.
The area of the Costco site just north of the Kukui Grove Park
could readily host a regular crafts fair, like the one successfully
operated in north Kapaa, or a host of other small business opportunities.
That kind of use supports more local people and manufacturing
than Costco and would bring dollars to Kauai rather than taking
them away.
The General Plan has as a goal the “Protection, management,
and enjoyment of our open spaces, unique natural beauty, rural
lifestyle, outdoor recreation and parks.... with balanced economic
growth and development promoting and providing good jobs and
a strong economy, without sacrificing our environment and our
quality of life.”
(see General Plan Section 2.1)
Once the Costco is built the view to the west from Kukui Grove
Shopping Mall (KGSM) will be ruined. Kukui Grove is the the
number one shopping center for residents on Kauai. It is also
an important shopping location for visitors. Damaging the view
from KGSM will only downgrade the the setting of the this shopping
center and somewhat nullify the fifteen-million dollar renovation
recently completed.
Costco will do more than ruin the view. K-Mart and Sears are
two important anchor stores at Kukui Grove. Both national chains
have had to shut down hundreds of stores throughout the mainland
United States due to competition from Walmart and Costco. The
KGSM Sears and K-Mart barely survived the last round of store
closings. If Costco had been across the street then these anchors
would be gone today.
If there is doubt about the impact on local retail merchants,
just examine what happened to Hale Kauai, a local chain that
provided building supplies at several locations throughout the
island. When Home Depot opened in Kukui Grove there was brave
talk from Hale Kauai about going head-to-head with the Big-Box-Superstore.
How many weeks was it before Hale Kauai retail operations were
reduced to a single hardware store in Koloa?
The General Plan states “Small business is the foundation
of Kauai’s economy, employing the largest percentage of
population.”
(see General Plan Section 4.0)
Costco will also damage business at Lihue area food supermarkets
as well. Two local operators will be threatened. The Big Save
at the Lihue Civic Center and Star Market at KGSM will be hard
pressed to compete with Costco’s discount prices and one-stop-shopping
“convenience”.
The regional effect on locally operated businesses will be widespread.
Certainly, the Cost-U-Less facility in Kapaa will be threatened
and there is little likelihood that any new local business will
be able to enter into direct competition with anything Costco
sells.
The General Plan states “In order to support continued
growth of Kauai’s existing businesses and to encourage
the start-up of new enterprises, policies and implementing actions
in the following section should be adhered to... Support and
encourage the development of a wide range of small businesses,
including home-based businesses. Support small businesses by
providing needed infrastructure to towns and urban centers.”
(see General Plan Section 4.5)
Costco is neither a start-up enterprise nor the growth of an
existing Kauai business.
Approving Costco is the antithesis of our General Plan
policies.
Once Costco is here there will also be a negative impact on
Kauai’s visitor industry. The tourists come here, rather
than to Oahu or Maui, for the natural beauty and scenic vistas
of our island. They don’t come to see the same strip development
they have back home, populated by Home Depot, Costco, Walmart,
MacDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Starbucks. They come instead
for a little piece of old rural Hawaii. They want to visit places
with exquisite scenic vistas and do business in small stores
that retain a little local culture and sell something they can’t
get in New Jersey. many repeat visitors to Kauai have bemoaned
the traffic and urban sprawl occurring here and stated that
they would be looking to other destinations in the future.
The General Plan states “Concentrate commercial and
industrial development, particularly new shopping centers which
attract a large amount of vehicular traffic, in Kauai’s
major towns and job centers in order to minimalize highway traffic
and avoid urban sprawl and strip development...
The County shall place high priority on deterring strip development
and urban sprawl when making strategic decisions on new commercial
zoning or recommendations to the State Highways Division on
highway development.”
(see General Plan Section 4.6.4)
There is no doubt that the approval of Costco will lead to urban
sprawl and more traffic problems on the island. Due to the fact
that Kauai is a mountainous island, traffic will always be arranged
like a necklace around the perimeter. It will not be a grid
as in many places on the mainland. In other words, the highway
system on Kauai is basically a one dimensional network rather
than a two dimensional network. Even a minor traffic problem
almost anywhere on the island produces a disproportionate problem.
It cuts the necklace in two.
In a limited network it is better to distribute nodes than depend
on one point to supply a need for all. For example, to reduce
traffic on our island it is better to have a Big Save Food Store
in every major population center so that shoppers do not have
to depend on a clear highway for twenty miles in order to buy
a quart of milk and a roll of paper towels. Approving the Big-Box-Superstore
model for our island is traffic suicide.
The decisions the Planning Commissioners are making may preserve
or forever damage our unique way of life on Kauai. Now is the
time to take a stand against ugly sprawl and runaway development.
We ask that each Planning Commission member take a stand in
support of the intention of the General Plan. Commit yourself
to a sustainable future for Kauai which keeps it’s rural
and cultural heritage intact. Once lost we will never get it
back.
Keep
Kauai Kauai!
Reference
Material
Note: The following are portions of the Kauai
County public documents referenced in the testimony above.
Planning Commission Public Hearing Notice
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, of a public hearing to be held by the
County of Kauai Planning Commission at the Lihue Civic Center,
Mo`ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A-2B, 4444 Rice Street, Lihue,
Kauai on Tuesday, February 8, 2005, at 1:30 p.m., or soon thereafter
to consider under the provisions of Chapter 8 of the Kauai County
Code, as amended, the following:
2. CLASS IV ZONING PERMIT to allow the construction of a wholesale
warehouse facility on property situated at Lihue, Kauai, immediately
south of the Kukui Grove Shopping Village bounded by Kalepa
Street, Pikake Street, and Nuhou Street, further identified
as Tax Map Key 3-3-10: 48 and 51, and affecting a total area
of 13.251 acres.
3. CLASS IV ZONING PERMIT to allow the construction of a wholesale
fueling facility on property situated at Lihue, Kauai, south
of the Kukui Grove Shopping Village, immediately east of the
intersection of Nuhou Street and Ulu Maika Street, further identified
as Tax Map Key 3-3-10: 50, and containing a total area of 1.51
acres.
Kauai County Code
ORDINANCE NO. 753: THE GENERAL PLAN FOR THE COUNTY OF KAUAI
Chapter 7 of the Kauai County Code 1987, as amended, is repealed
and a new Chapter 7 is enacted, to read as follows:
Section. 7-1.2 Purpose
Pursuant to the provisions of the Charter for the County of
Kauai, the General Plan sets forth in graphics and text, policies
to govern the future physical development of the county. The
General Plan is intended to improve the physical environment
of the County and the health, safety and general welfare of
Kauai’s people.
The General Plan states the County’s vision for Kauai
and establishes strategies for achieving that vision. The strategies
are expressed in terms of policies and implementing actions.
They may be augmented and changed as new strategies are developed.
The General Plan is a direction-setting, policy document. It
is not intended to be regulatory. It is intended to be a guide
for future amendments to land regulations and to be considered
in reviewing specific zoning amendment and development applications.
Kauai
General Plan
Section 1.2 Purpose of the General Plan
The General Plan fulfills legal mandates of State law and the
Charter of the County of Kauai. More importantly, it provides
guidance for land use regulations, the location and character
of new development and facilities, and planning for County and
State facilities and services.
Section 2.1 Community Values
• Protection, management, and enjoyment of our open spaces,
unique natural beauty, rural lifestyle, outdoor recreation and
parks.
• Recognition that our environment IS our economy, our
natural capital, the basis of our economic survival and success.
• Balanced economic growth development promoting and providing
good jobs and a strong economy, without sacrificing our environment
and our quality of life.
Section 4.0 Developing Jobs & Business
A healthy economy provides income to island residents and is
essential to the well being of families and a good quality of
life.
Section 4.5 Supporting Business & Jobs
The Vision for Kauai 2020 states that, “Small business
is the foundation of Kauai’s economy, employing the largest
percentage of population.
... between 1995-97 more than one-half of all business establishments
had between one and four employees. All but four percent of
Kauai’s businesses have less than 50 employees.
Equally important is the ability of Kauai residents to obtain
employment that allows them to earn a livelihood.
In order to support continued growth of Kauai’s existing
businesses and to encourage the start-up of new enterprises,
policies and implementing actions in the following section should
be adhered to.
Section 4.5.1 Policy
(a) Support and encourage the development of a wide range of
small businesses, including home-based businesses.
(c) Support small businesses by providing needed infrastructure
to towns and urban centers.
(f) ... Seek commitments from new or expanding businesses that
they will actively recruit and train Kauai residents for new
jobs.
Section 4.6 Land Supply for Commercial & Industrial Use
Having land available to develop new business facilities is
essential to the well-being of the economy.
Section 4.6.1 Commercial Development
Not included in the shopping center inventory is the Walmart
Store in Lihue., which by itself has more floor area than most
of the island’s shopping centers.”Section 4.6.3
Policy
(a) The county supports commercial and industrial development
on appropriately zoned lands by providing the necessary infrastructure
and services.
(c) Concentrate commercial and industrial development, particularly
new shopping centers which attract a large amount of vehicular
traffic, in Kauai’s major towns and job centers in order
to minimalize highway traffic and avoid urban sprawl and strip
development
(d) Concentrate commercial development in Lihue, other urban
centers and in town centers.
(e) The county shall strive for a balance between meeting community
shopping needs with new commercial development and supporting
local businesses in older business areas.
Section 4.6.4 Implementing Actions
(a) The County shall revitalize and improve central Lihue and
Kauai‘s small town commercial areas by upgrading sewer
and water facilities, increasing the amount of public parking,
and improving streets and sidewalks.
(b) Develop a collaborative planning partnership among County
agencies, community and business organizations, private entities,
the State Highways Division to design highway and road improvements
in a manner that supports commercial activity in Kauai’s
business areas.
(c) The County shall place high priority on deterring strip
development and urban sprawl when making strategic decisions
on new commercial zoning or recommendations to the State Highways
Division on highway development.
|
view
looking west towards the Kipu Mountains from Kukui Grove Shopping Mall at
Kukui Grove Park & Pavilion, 
view
looking southt towards Kukui Grove Park & Pavilion from Home Depot at
site of proposed Costco.
the
real thing. Costco in Murry, Utah with mountain view obliterated