2010-03-05 TPD CDH - Laserfiche WebLink

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WOODWARD: If I could get you to summarize, please. MELROSE: This is the last -. WOODWARD: Okay. MELROSE: Three issues associated with the design in the ordinance. There is no other zoning ordinance on the island and none in the State that I’m aware of that has a classical zoning ordinance in which design elements are identified, specifically, and adopted by ordinance. So I think generally that’s a reflection of the fact that design is often less a function of rule and more a matter of guidelines and discussion about specific projects and specific circumstances. So when you, in this case they picked three elements, not necessarily out of a broad array of well articulated design elements. They just picked three elements. All of them have current tales to them. We kind of understand where each of the case is from, but they’re not necessarily chosen out of a context, an array of what the real key issues are in Downtown. But they’re being placed into an ordinance which makes that much harder to deal with. And so our suggestion is that the design elements really belong, first addressed in a comprehensive design review process and that, in which the whole community is involved on how to do that; and then you determine how you implement those issues. So we’ll continue to follow this issue as we move forward, but I think the design issues is probably the one that rubs most specifically for us. WOODWARD: All right. Thank you, Mr. Melrose. Do we have any questions? Commissioner Domingo? DOMINGO: Yes, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Jeff, you know, you mentioned about those flooding areas, proned to flooding. And that’s Alenaio Stream we’re looking at, yeah? MELROSE: No, it’s not. The Alenaio Stream was re -. A LOMAR was done after Alenaio Stream so that the flooding that you related to, after the flood control system went it, that large area of flooding in the Hara Store area by the market, that was removed and rechanneled. So the issue is really the inundation line from the tsunami, which is, that’s the most prominent flood line in Downtown. DOMINGO: Now what if, what if in any event the volume of water that comes down and the flooding begins to be more serious, that would certainly adjust the lines of the flooding areas, wouldn’t it? MELROSE: Right. What they did in ’06 was they just across the board put 50 feet on that boundary, just generally said 50 feet makes it bigger. But more importantly they made the recovery of the investment horizon, you can produce 50 percent of the value of the building. FEMA requires a year, prior Code says three, change went to ten. And it simply stops the ability of a small landowner to invest incrementally, particularly if they have to do ADA requirements and fire suppression issues, and other issues that have to do with keeping those buildings that we admire in Downtown in place. So it’s those changes that we’re focused on. 4 EXHIBIT C