2015-11-17 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes

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16, 2015 (Exhibit 2) from Commissioner Roth to the Commission, who was unable to attend this meeting. Mr. Childs displayed some photographs of the subject property, and noted the disadvantage of the property location being off the main thoroughfare, which makes visibility and access-finding a challenge. He also showed some photographs of the Courtyard King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel and its signage, which in contrast has the benefit of wide frontage along Ali‘i Drive. Mr. Childs summarized the proposed signs and the design revisions from the previous application. He pointed out a discrepancy in the size of the new wall sign within the applicant’s submittal where the Sign Permit Application form indicated 18 square feet whereas the specifications indicated 24 square feet. Mr. Childs suggested that the Commissioners keep in mind the following as discussion points during their deliberation: Signage locations, shiny materials and illumination impact. The applicant, Fritz Harris-Glade, introduced himself as the representative for the brand franchise operator. He said that they had to meet very specific standards in order to carry the Holiday Inn Express brand, and that those standards conflicted with the signage guidelines for the Kailua Village. He said that having served on the Commission he was conversant with the guidelines and community concerns, and that his challenge was to find the middle ground between those and the franchisor’s corporate policy. He also said that his client’s chief objective was to provide wayfinding, rather than to sell the hotel rooms. The Commissioners asked about the possibility of installing directional signage in a location, even if it were to be off site, where the signage would be more visible. Mr. Harris-Glade responded that his client had already made the attempt, but that they could not get the neighboring landowners’ cooperation. Commissioner Au Hoy pointed out that glary or brightly lit signs were not welcomed in the Kailua Village Core area. Commissioner Andreae agreed, but at the same time expressed her concern about the safety of motorists, especially at night, having difficulty in finding their destination, and said that she would agree to one illuminated sign. Commissioner Broderson passed around his cellphone with a display of an evening photograph of illuminated signs of another Holiday Inn Express and Suites establishment. The Commissioners’ consensus was to allow dimmed-down illumination that is visible within a block or from the intersection of Kuakini Highway and Henry Street, but not beyond. Commissioner Broderson also mentioned that his research showed that the franchisor seemed to have agreed to changes from its corporate policy in other locations. Sign Number 1. New wall sign above the main entrance facing Sarona Road: Mr. Harris-Glade presented an alternate design for this sign, with the franchise name in a single line following the green and white “H” logo square, making the length longer and the height lower. After a brief discussion Mr. Harris-Glade and the Commissioners agreed that the “H” logo should be centered above the name line for design symmetry with the building’s architecture (Exhibit “A”). 2