2010-01-12 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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Commissioner Ogin expressed his concern that the proposal did not quite reflect the group’s wishes, referring particularly to the allowable letter height. Ms. Newlon opined that the 18-inch letter height is quite large considering the fact that the Kailua Village is a pedestrian-oriented area, and noted that the Kona Community Development Plan designates the area as such. She then pointed out that the Design Factors and Resulting Basic Design Elements chart in the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona indicates that a 17-inch letter height is sufficient for traffic moving at 60 mph on a four-lane highway, which is similar to Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway. Commissioner Ogin disagreed, from his experience as property manager, that the Kailua Village is a pedestrian-oriented community. Mr. Domino and Ms. Newlon referred back to the chart, noting that the appropriate letter size for traffic moving at 30 mph on a two-lane roadway, such as Ali‘i Drive, is seven inches. Chair Coats, who owns a business on Ali‘i Drive, said that the eight-inch letters on her sign are large enough for the street front location, and that the proposed 18 inches is higher than what is allowed in other communities she researched. Commissioners Ross and Saito suggested some changes to the proposed wording to clarify the intent; the proposed Section 3-58 (c) should read as follows: Maximum height of any logo or symbol, including free-standing letters shall be limited to the square root of the area of the maximum allowable size of the sign, but in any case, no lettering shall be larger than eighteen inches in height. In response to Commissioner Ogin’s inquiry, Mr. Domino said that the enforcement issue, namely a County Council resolution that restricts enforcement to County properties only, will be addressed when this sign ordinance has been adopted. Commissioner Ogin mentioned that the biggest concern the same group expressed at the meeting was the present unfair situation where people who abide by the rules go through the permit process including the Commission review while existing illegal signs are left alone. Commissioner Au Hoy said that enforcement is necessary to make the code and guidelines effective, and to clean up the Kailua Village such that it looks the way a unique fishing village should look. Ms. Masunaga shared with the Commission her earlier discussion with Councilmember Brenda Ford, saying that directory signs should be large enough so that motorists can identify businesses as they drive, and that more community outreach should be done on a current law that requires a street address sign for emergency response purposes. She also complimented the Commission on their efforts to improve the appearance of the district. Chair Coats said that she hopes the adoption of a revised Sign Code will facilitate replacement of illegal banners, temporary signs, and the like, with approved signs. Commissioner Kern added that once standards are established by the ordinance, that will also create a sense of consistency and fairness. Mr. Westervelt mentioned that, compared to other counties such as Maui and Kaua‘i, the County of Hawai‘i has a very complicated Sign Code, with some confusing sections. 2