by Jeri DePietro on 2 January 2008
David Nelson, the Michigan developer of the Koloa Marketplace is scheduled to be on Kauai on Monday, January 7th. This is a possible date for the cutting of the monkeypod trees on the site. A vigil is scheduled for that day:
WHY:
Save the historic trees of Old Koloa Town
WHEN:
Monday, January 7, 2008 10am - 10pm
WHAT:
Save the Trees - BLOCK PARTY!
Come make signs under the monkey pod trees
Candlelight Vigil at sunset
WHERE:
Old Koloa Town, on Koloa Road
MESSAGE:
Design around the trees, let them live!
CONTACT:
Jeri DePietro
email: OFSTONE@aol.com
Message to Koloa marketplace developer
by Juan Wilson on 3 January 2008
Aloha David Nelson,
I am an architect planner who lives in Hanapepe Valley in the Kona Central Moku District of Kauai. Eastern Kona (Koloa & Poipu) is being destroyed by too much bad development that was hatched in the heyday of fast money and easy pickings on this island. I don't want that disease to spread to my area of the island before it peters out, so I'm involved as a volunteer to slow the wave of destruction heading my way. Koloa Marketplace is part of that.
You are doing a disservice to the Kola community with your present scheme for the Koloa Marketplace. A much better urban plan could just as easily be proposed that will have a better reception in Koloa, and throughout Kauai.
In order to test that possibility, I used the site plan sketch provided in 2006 that showed building locations, parking and trees and found in a matter of a few hours that another scheme, retaining building footprint areas, could be worked out that saved many more trees with a slight reduction in parking count. I offered it to the Koloa Community Association.
If you adopted such an approach to save trees (as a priority) you might find an offer from the County to provide a variance on required parking. have you asked for one or do they have to come to you? This variance could be easy to justify as part of the area's new Traffic Master Plan that was recently completed that relies on a multi-modal scheme with enhanced mass transit.
Here's one alternative I showed the KCA. It is a PDF file about 8 megs. (Click here S-2 Atlernative )
I have also seen a tree plan for the site dated 12/28/07 and have overlaid it on an aerial photo of the area. It appears the extent of the existing trees has been under-represented and that an unrealistic expectation of tree re-location is suggested.
 image above: tree canopy plan [click here for full article]
I think the community has been misinformed on the extent of the number and size of the existing tree canopies, and the possible success of relocating large trees. if you want to be a trusted player here it would be useful for an honest revelation of what is on the site now and what will be there in the near future. I felt compelled to document this on my website www.islandbreath.org. That article is reproduced below.
I understand you will be on the island on January 7th. I'll be at the site and look foward to meeting you.
Juan Wilson
Architect-Planner
PO Box 949
Hanapepe HI 96716
(808) 335-0733
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REACH OUT TO:
OWNER
Eric Knudsen - owner
PO Box 415
Verdi NV 89439
Stacey Wong - trustee
E. A. Knudsen Trust
PO Box 759
Kalaheo HI 96741
Phone: (332-5676)
DEVELOPER:
David Nelson - developer
drnelson@nelsoncos.comSend at least a cc, if not a separate e-mail to
Susie Wojtowicz - lease administrator
swojtowicz@nelsoncos.com
Nelson Development
6960 Orchid Lake Rd suite 200
West Bloomfield MI 48322
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