2019-04-09 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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Commissioner Hetherington said that the application appeared unclear about the exact size of the sign itself and of the background. Ms. Newlon responded that according to the application, the size measured five feet tall by six feet eight inches wide, totaling 32.5 square feet. Ms. Bugado added that the total size appeared to be that of the backboard. However, Commissioner Smith pointed out that on another rendering the sign elements appeared to be directly mounted on the wall. Mr. Hwang interjected confirming that the sign would be made of individual cutouts with no backboard. Commissioner Smith said that since there was no backboard, if polygons were drawn separately around the logo and the name to come up with the total area, it might be within the code allowance. In response to his request to clarify the calculation method, Ms. Bugado said that procedurally the Planning Department accepted the application submitted via Department of Public Works, Building Division (“DPW”), as is, on the supposition that the applicant had already worked it out with DPW. She suggested that either Mr. Tanaka or Mr. Erickson clarify the calculation. Mr. Tanaka requested that he be afforded some time to review the application materials. Chairman Roth called upon the applicant’s representatives. Ms. Weaver confirmed again that the logo and letter pieces would directly be mounted on the wall surface. She stated that the sign would not be illuminated out of CU Hawai‘i’s respect for its neighbors and for the observatories, and also for the reason that it was open for business only during the day. Commissioner Sullenberger spoke to share the result of his calculation based on the method that Commissioner Smith had suggested earlier, and said that the three polygons, one for the logo and two for the name, totaled 17.45 square feet, which was within the code allowance. Commissioner Smith, mentioning that he had driven by the subject property earlier, asked the representatives if the existing temporary banner was representative of the proposed permanent sign. Mr. Hwang answered that they were very close as to the dimensions. Commissioner Smith said that as he was driving by at 35 miles per hour, he was barely able to see the banner sign because of the setback distance, and therefore, he had no concerns about the size as proposed. Mr. Tanaka, in response to the earlier question about the calculation method, said that Sign Code Section 3-4(a)(3) provided that the total area was to be measured by the outer boundaries of the geometric shape. Ms. Newlon asked Mr. Tanaka to verify whether or not the logo height and the letter height would also require a variance, although those were not specifically included in the application. Chairman Roth suggested that the Commission review and act on the application as submitted, and that the applicant and DPW sort out the variance requirement on their own. Commissioner Ching pointed out that the letter height was ten inches, which exceeded the allowable nine inches. Chairman Roth responded that the application, however, was not requesting a variance for the letter height. Ms. Bugado and Ms. Newlon clarified that even though the particular request was not stated in the text within the application, based on the specifications the logo and letter height clearly required a variance, and it should be considered requested. Commissioner Ikeuchi commented that the size mattered to her, and that she was not inclined to support the request as presented. She opined that the guidelines were set for a reason, and that 6