2008-02-12 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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NEW BUSINESS 2.Discussion of Sign Code Enforcement within the Kailua Village with Chris Domino and others from the Department of Public Works, Building Division. Commissioner Ross requested Mr. Domino to make suggestions to the Commissioners – besides the various aspects of the matter he was about to address – from the standpoint of the Commission’s goal that is to improve the overall appearance of the Kailua Village Special District. Chris Domino introduced himself and Dwayne Inouye. Mr. Domino stated that illegal signs are a big concern of the Department of Public Works’ and the Department is trying to handle the matter as best as it can. He mentioned that the current sign ordinance is being revisited, as there may be some contradicting issues within the ordinance. He presented to the Commission a brochure that the Department created in response to many calls from the public regarding the interpretation of the Sign Code (the Code), which is now available to the public at the front desk. He also stated that the economy has changed significantly since the Code was written and it’s about the time to revise it, just as the Building Code is revised approximately every three years. He noted that in most cases business owners are responsible, rather than their contractors, to meet the Code for their signs; but they are often unaware of the Code or if they are, they don’t follow it because they want better exposure than the Code allows. He mentioned that the Department currently has one violations inspector for the area between Kapaau and Ocean View, who is also responsible for Building Code enforcement; and as far as Sign Code enforcement is concerned, the inspector is presently enforcing signs that are in the public right-of-way and are impeding public safety. He noted that the Department needs to make the public more aware of the Code, and that the new brochure should help them to do so. He said that they would also like to talk to sign makers who throw the total responsibility on business owners, as well as property managers who throw the responsibility on tenants. He suggested that the Commission partake in outreaching to the community, not so much to enforce it, but to make them aware of the Code. He then handed to the Commission the complaint form that the public is asked to fill out; he explained that the form is used for all violations that are administered by the Department. There was a discussion regarding the new brochure. Mr. Domino mentioned that the brochure is the first publication and may be revised. The Commissioners made some suggestions, which include on-line publication, a hyper link to the Code, more detailed definitions and an explanation of the reference numbers used for each kind of signs; Mr. Domino explained that those numbers refer to the definitions in the Code. In response to the Commissioners’ inquiries, Mr. Domino said that the brochure is for a county-wide use, and that one must research into the Code to get specifics for a particular area such as the Kailua Village Special District. In response to Chair Marone’s comment about a case where the applicant didn’t follow his promise to the Commission that he will remove all illegal signs from the subject property, Mr. Domino stated that it can create a legal issue for applicants to remove something from a private property, and that in this particular case the Department confirmed with the applicant that he was not contracted by the owner for the removal of 3