REP PWMTC 019 2019/12/03 2018-2020

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i I I REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORDS AND MASS TRANSIT DATE: December 3, 2019 Re: Comm. No. 642/Res.No. 424-19 PLACE: Council Chambers Hilo, Hawaii TIME: 1:34 p.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit, to which was referred Resolution No. 424-19, reports as follows: Resolution No. 424-19, introduced by Committee Chair Sue Lee Loy at the request of the Administration, grants a variance from Chapter 3, Sections 3-5(a), 3-6(b)(3), 3-58(a)(2)(b), 3-58(a)(5)(b), 3-58(c), 3-59(a)(4), and 3-60(a), Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended), to allow construction of certain ground and wall signs at the property located at 75-971 Henry Street, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, 96740, Tax Map Key No. (3) 7-5-004:007. Kona Owner LLC is developing the new Niumalu Marketplace commercial complex on a 19.547-acre site to the southeast of the Lanihau Center, and makai of the intersection of the Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway and Henry Street. The applicant believes that the strict application of Chapter 3 of the County Code (the Sign Code) would create an unnecessary hardship, as it would deprive them of the ability to market the Niumalu marketplace due to the existing sign constraints. The Kailua Village Design Commission (KVDC)took up the sign variance request on March 5, 2019, and voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Director of Public Works. Committee Chair Sue Lee Loy invited Linda Schatz, representing the applicant, and sign designer Richard Vierra to give an overview about the project. Ms. Schatz said the project has been in development since 2017. It is a 19-acre parcel at the intersection of Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway and Henry Street. With approximately 183,000 square feet of retail space, it is anticipated to be the future site of a 63,000 square foot Safeway grocery store, currently under construction, along with a fueling station and other smaller retail businesses. The project is sloped down toward the ocean in order to preserve view planes. Mr. Vierra said the applicant is requesting variances for two ground signs and multiple other building- mounted signs. One ground sign will be at the corner of Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway and Henry Street. The two-sided sign exceeds County Code allowances for size and thickness, and the letter height exceeds the code allowances. The other ground sign is a Safeway Fuel Center gas price sign. This is also a two-sided sign, to face perpendicular to Henry Street, and as with the first ground sign the applicant is seeking similar Sign Code allowances with regard to logo height and thickness of the sign. PWMTC Report No.: 19