2014-03-18 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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 Re-roofing includes an improvement to the roof drain system where roof water will be collected and directed through a common pipe to the drywells on site, thereby no longer allowing roof water to pour onto the walkways.  Improvements to the building, while maintaining the existing design, include new cladding on the columns, modifications to the awnings, a new parapet design symbolizing the slopes of the volcano, and wood and metal siding that characterizes the transitional location between the industrial zoning and the village neighborhood.  The parking ground will be re-graded to provide level access to the shops in the Kuakini Highway wing.  The 42-inch height difference between the finish floors of the two wings will be put to use to create a patio elevated to the entry level of the Kaiwi Street wing. This elevated patio will provide more functionality and be used as a platform for outdoor dining, events, activities, and seasonal decorations. There will be an ADA ramp besides two staircases to access the patio and the shops in the Kaiwi Street wing.  There are 62 parking stalls, exceeding the required 52 stalls, and the proposed configuration includes ten tandem stalls to accommodate large trucks that take up two stalls, as well as employee vehicles so as to minimize an impact on customer parking.  The existing building-mounted flood lights will be removed, and pole-mounted site lights will be installed in the parking lot to improve the quality of site lighting.  The existing walking path along the eastern property line will be upgraded with paver stones. The rest of the walkway around the building, which currently has slick tile finish, will be redone with patterned concrete.  The applicant’s objective, besides providing needed maintenance, is to attract customers for the tenants to be successful and also to have a mix of tenants; for instance, if it were to become a food court, the parking, restrooms, electrical and plumbing would be inadequate. The scope of the work to achieve the objective is determined by QLT’s budget for this particular phase of its overall improvement plan.  As for signage, QLT intends to establish a master plan to guide the tenants, which will be submitted for the Commission’s review. The Commissioners expressed their appreciation and support for the proposal. It was moved by Commissioner Hetherington and seconded by Commissioner Kitchens that a recommendation for approval of the proposed project be sent to the Planning Director, as submitted. The Chair at this time allowed a statement from Mr. Eddy Cho out of order. Mr. Cho commented that there seemed to be a great opportunity for this project to introduce bioluminescent facility lighting to the community, which emits more light than regular lighting fixture and is more controllable and self-sustainable, and that if Kailua-Kona became one of the first towns in the world to implement this lighting system, it could become an attraction for tourists as well. The Commissioners discussed the following concerns and recommendations:  There used to be a row of palms within the 50-foot wide landscape strip. Planting palms or trees back in the area would produce a cooling effect and give a softer look to the building.  Install bicycle racks to accommodate cyclists.  The parking area gets particularly hot because the building blocks breezes. Additional trees would provide more shade and lower the temperature. 3