2014-03-18 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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noted that the DPW in its review concluded that both signs met the requirements of the Sign Code and the 1999 variance, and that the proposed materials and colors appeared to be compatible with the Signage Criteria, Guidelines for Review in the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona. In response to Commissioner Hetherington’s question, Mr. Childs confirmed that the applicant was allowed to have two signs, one facing Palani Road and another facing Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway, due to the two-street corner location of the subject parcel. He also pointed out in a photograph that there was actually another sign already mounted on the wall on the parking lot side, away from the public street view; he said that according to the DPW, because of its orientation, this sign was not recognized as a sign for the purposes of the Sign Code and therefore not regulated. Ms. Malia Bolton, the applicant’s representative, provided additional information on the proposed signs. In response to Commissioner Andreae’s question, she said that the signs would have a white background with raised lettering in a dark green to match the color of the trellises and trim of the building. Commissioner Stanbro expressed her appreciation for the improvements the applicant had made to the building, and moved to send to the Public Works Director a recommendation for approval of the sign permit application as submitted. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Au Hoy, and unanimously carried by a roll call vote. 2. Design review of a proposed exterior renovation of Kuakini Center, including landscaping and parking layout modifications. Applicant: MGA Architecture. Landowner: Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust. TMK: 7-4-010:005. Located at the southeast (mauka-Ka’u) corner of Kuakini Hwy. and Kaiwi St. in the Kailua Industrial Subdivision, across from the West Hawai‘i Today building. Mr. Childs oriented the Commission of the subject property on a location map, Google aerial and street photos, and site photographs that he had just taken. He distributed copies of the applicant’s additional submittal dated February 24, 2014, and said that since Mr. James Brown, the author of this material, was present, he would defer to Mr. Brown on detailed information. He noted that the landowner, Queen Lili‘uokalani Trust (QLT), was the operator of the subject property as well and also owned a large area of properties in the immediate neighborhood, and that this renovation was part of the overall area improvement that QLT was envisioning. Mr. Brown gave a presentation on the proposal, with color and material samples, and said that the applicant recognized the site location as a transitional point between the industrial district and the retail district, and that they wished to make this upgrade suitable for the village entryway. His statements included the following:  This project does not propose expansion of any square footage, including the number of parking stalls.  No modifications are proposed to the existing 50-foot landscape strip along Kuakini Highway, which was voluntarily set aside by QLT for beautification purposes. Other areas of the grounds impacted by this renovation work will be modified with new landscape materials to match the existing scheme. 2