2008-04-04 Planning Commission Minutes

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Mr. Lim explained that the Hawaiian Ocean View Community has been very receptive to their plans, noting the various letters of support submitted into the record. He added that the Applicant will be providing a service to the community by grading the area of the HOVE community center and granting free storage space for the Ocean View Volunteer Fire and Disaster Response Team. For Commissioner Domingo’s information, Mr. Lim explained that the managers, husband and wife, who will live on the top floor) and one full-time employee will be working at the facility and they will be using a catchment system to service the Managers’ residence on the top floor of the facility, noting there was a water variance granted for the initial 7-lot subdivision that they will use for their 2-lot subdivision. Commissioner Woodward said the rainfall this year for the area is below the average 30-inch rainfall, and a water well is being considered since there is no water piped in and most of the people have water trucked in when needed. He added that there are no homes in the immediate area; and he pointed out that Ocean View residents use the highly efficient drip irrigation system where they run it off a water tank with a timer. In response to Mr. Yuen’s inquiry, Mr. Lim said since the facility is occupied during the day and there are no immediate surrounding residents in the area he did not think there were special fireflow requirements. For Commissioner Domingo’s information, Mr. Lim said the storage units are 8 x 10 to 10 x 10. In response to Commissioner Siracusa’s inquiries, Mr. Lim said the applicant will be consulting with the Planning Department on having the walls painted in a fairly attractive color and pattern. He noted that the permit was approved in 1998, one of the original owners is no longer involved and the current three owners are under contract to sell to Mini-Pro Construction. He said Mini- Pro Construction has been working to develop such a facility for the past 25 years, and they have sufficient funding to build the whole project in one phase without any loans. He added that the applicant is willing to provide landscaping on the Kona Garden Estates side of the property. In response to Commissioner Woodward’s suggestion Mr. Lim stated that the applicant, along with the 10-foot wall, plant tall bushy trees as illustrated in their submittal toward Kona Gardens, and landscaping perhaps along the makai border of the property. Mr. Yuen then suggested Condition 2 be amended by adding to the second to the last sentence “, or a textured 10-foot high concrete wall around the perimeter of the property plus landscaping as approved by the Planning Director.” Mr. Lim then clarified for the staff and Commission that the 10-foot wall is really the exterior face of the self-storage unit and they will have landscaping within the setback area. Frank Guistiniani said they are willing to work with the Planning Department in coming up with a pattern for the wall that will satisfy the Planning Department, noting they have over 100 patterns which are very attractive and elegant looking. 3