2012-09-25 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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Commissioner Stanbro expressed her support for the project, mentioning that she had lived in the subject condominium in the 1980’s and always wondered why there were no ramps. She moved that the Commission recommend approval of the proposed project as submitted. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Broderson, and carried with five ayes (Stanbro, Broderson, Au Hoy, Herbert and Hetherington) and three absent and excused (Andreae, Burns and Kitchens). 2. Design Review of a proposed “Arts and Media Educational Training Facility” for University of the Nations. Applicant: University of the Nations. Landowner: Pacific-Asia Christian University dba University of the Nations. Property Tax Map Key No.: 7-5- 010:003. Location: 75-332 Hualālai Road, Kailua-Kona, fronting both Kuakini Highway and Hualālai Road. Vice Chair Hetherington made a disclosure that he had had minor involvement with the subject property in the past. Commissioner Broderson also disclosed that he had worked on the project during the past phases. It was confirmed, however, that neither of them were presently under contract to the applicant. There were no objections to their participation in the discussion and action on this agenda item. Mr. Childs oriented the Commissioners regarding the subject and surrounding properties on the location map and site plan, and described the proposed projects. He said that he had explained to the applicant the reason why their proposed design was not acceptable in the Kailua Village Special District; as a result, the applicant presented a revised set of drawings, which showed additional design features such as a lava rock wainscot and an eyebrow roof. He said that according to the applicant, the reason for the extensive height of the walls with virtually no windows was because the purpose of the building was media production, which would require a high ceiling, a large wall space and controlled lighting; he added that the building, therefore, would essentially be for an industrial use. He discussed possible visual impacts, saying that because of the topography of the land, surrounding buildings and foliage, only certain parts of the building would be visible from most of the view planes, except a short segment of Hualālai Road from which substantial sight of the building could be possible. He noted that the proposed coloration was consistent with the recommended color palette, and that although the architectural design as revised still did not meet the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona guidelines, it was a significant improvement from the original submittal. The applicant’s representative, David Cunningham, introduced himself and the other representatives in attendance. He briefly spoke of his personal background as being a Konawaena High School graduate and a film developer, and said that there was no self-sustaining film industry on the Big Island, and that their goal is to develop one with the proposed facility where students would learn film making and live performance. He talked about how beneficial the industry would be not only to the students but also to the local community and the entire island. He elaborated on the reason for the windowless walls, saying that the walls would be soundproof for the sake of neighbors. He said that the color scheme would match that of the adjacent Hualālai Village condominiums, and that a significant amount of additional landscaping would be put in. Mr. John Mason, who works as economic development specialist in the Big Island Film Office, which is part of the County Department of Research and Development, provided comments in 2