StarBulletin.com

Welcome to the neighborhood | Kailua


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POSTED: Sunday, October 25, 2009

With proximity to one of the best beaches on the island, water sports are a major activity. For that same reason, local residents are under constant pressure from an increasing number of tourists visiting and seeking overnight accommodations in the community.

While embracing the aloha spirit, we pride ourselves in having a relatively quiet, peaceful and friendly residential community, where residents would like to see their children be able to continue to live. But the demand for homes to be rented to tourists is causing property values to rise to levels that local residents cannot afford, and raising property taxes because of inflated values. That is likely the reason for “;No tourist rentals”; being the No. 1 issue mentioned in our survey.

With good strong support for our existing zoning from our elected officials, we can maintain the existing character of our community. The neighborhood board is fighting to keep our residential character.

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The City & County is beginning to pave some of our streets after a long wait for some. But with smooth pavement will also come higher speeds.

As elsewhere, we have streets that were designed when cars could barely reach 40 mph. It is time that City & County traffic “;experts”; and elected officials move into the 21st century and provide realistic speed-abatement devices so that our streets are made safe.

A new nationwide program called “;Complete Streets”; recognizes this need, and should be implemented.

                       
BOARD NO. 31
        ; THE OFFICERS
        Chairman
        Chuck Prentiss
        Secretary
       
Linda Ure
        Members
        Virginia Enos, Michael R. Hawes, Ursula Retherford, Jon Chinen, Shawn Christensen, Jim Corcoran, Ronald R. Weinberg, Donna Wong, Larry Bartley, Catie Fernandez, Derrick W. Fenske, Debbi Glanstein, Knud Lindgard, Claudine Tomasa, Utey Uch
        GET INVOLVED
        Contact board chairman or any member.

The speeding problem is very likely why “;street repair, traffic calming and pedestrian safety”; was No. 2 in our survey.

Our neighborhood board has received three petitions and many other complaints from neighborhoods asking for relief from speeding vehicles. The board has supported these requests, and has asked the City & County to provide the necessary solutions.

OUR TOP ISSUES

Our top five issues in Kailua came from a survey we did at the last Kailua Town Party in April, where attendees were asked the question: “;What is the most important thing that Kailua needs?”; We received more than 200 written responses and the top five were:
1. No tourist rentals.
2. Street repair, traffic calming, pedestrian safety.
3. Bicycle paths.
4. Beach park improvements.
5. More local-type businesses; small movie theater.

               

     

 

QUICK FACTS

        SO SPECIAL
       

Kailua is a suburban bedroom community on the windward side of Oahu where the majority of residents work in Honolulu or in other parts of the island.

       

Employment is also available at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, and there are many retired residents as well.

       

We are blessed with an astonishing geological and Hawaiian historical heritage.

       

AREA ICONS

       

Kailua has a number of iconic features. The top two are Kailua Beach, characterized by the twin Mokulua islands, and the Kawai Nui Marsh, the largest wetland in Hawaii and home to a number of endangered species.

       

Thanks to the efforts of a number of Kailua residents, especially Muriel Seto, former executive director of Hawaii's Thousand Friends, the marsh has been designated a wetland of international importance.

       

FACTS & FIGURES

       

» Kailua in Hawaiian means “;two seas”; or “;two currents”;—a merge of the words kai (sea) and elua (two).
        » Population in 2000 Census: 36,513.
        » In 1795 when King Kamehameha I conquered Oahu to unite the Hawaiian Islands, he granted Kawai Nui Marsh and old Kailua, which included large freshwater fish ponds and saltwater ponds at Mokapu, to warriors and chiefs who had helped him.