KAILUA, KONA, Hawai'i — Traffic, affordable housing and open-space preservation are the top concerns for hundreds of West Hawai'i residents helping planners shape their communities' future.

The residents met yesterday to make suggestions for a development plan for the county.

"This was the missing layer of planning," said Hawai'i County Planning Director Chris Yuen. "I think we'll get some pretty specific things out of this process."

After more than 100 small meetings during the past five months, Kona residents heard a summary of their vision at a half-day workshop at the Sheraton Keauhou Resort & Spa.

Then the 330 residents split into small groups. Their ideas were submitted to the consulting firm Wilson Okamoto Corp.

Eventually, it all will be fine-tuned into the Kona Community Development Plan, which will be included in the Hawai'i County General Plan.

Kona is the first of the island's nine districts to begin the process; Puna also is beginning to develop its plan.

"The problems and issues are not too much different from the rest of the country," said Gianni Longo, of the New York-based firm ACP Visioning & Planning. "This group is concerned and passionate about the issues."

Longo said Kona is the first Hawai'i community that his company has worked with.

"Here, the Hawaiian community has a long history and a long heritage," Longo said. "We need to preserve that."

Yuen said he heard "a lot of good ideas" and is committed to implementation, although the state and federal governments are responsible in some cases.

Several of the groups voiced support for high-density development.

Yuen said he also favors that concept.

"We are seeing the limitations of an auto-dependent culture," Yuen said.

"People live quite a distance from workplaces, and that is related to affordability."

Longo said the next step toward the plan, which extends 15 years, is a three-day session in March.