HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0011.000 1996-1998
r°~~
v
Roy R. Takemoto ' `
Land Use Planning & Law Consultant „ ~
171 Hoomalu Street, Hilo, HI 96720 ~ hone ax 08) 959-0189
November 20, 1996 p U'~ • ~ ~ ~ ~ I
Honorable John Ray, Chairperson
Human Services and Public Works Committee
Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
RE: Request for Sign Variance for Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
Piihonua, South Hilo, HI
TMK: 2-3-31:21
On behalf of Hilo Medical Investors Ltd., owner of Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center,
transmitted herewith are fifteen (15) copies of a Request for Sign Variance.
Please call me if you have any questions.
Yours truly,
7
~,~0.,~~,
Ro Takemoto
cc: Hilo Medical Investors, Ltd.
Mr. Wayne Onomura, Department of Public Works
titlt~la
nl. x.. ADS
~Cet. 2m 1~YJ ~ PC.
spy 2 51396,
ter. flx:e -
REQUEST FOR SIGN VARIANCE
Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
Piihonua, South Hilo, HI
TMK: 2-3-31:21
Submitted to:
County Council
County of Hawaii
Applicant:
Hilo Medical Investors, Ltd.
Submitted by:
Roy R. Takemoto
Attorney & Urban Planner
171 Hoomalu Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Phone/Fax (808) 959-0189
November 1, 1996
A
CONTENTS
1 APPLICANT 1
2 LOCATION 1
3 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED SIGN 1
4 NATURE OF REQUESTED VARIANCE 1
5 REASONS FOR VARIANCE 2
5.1 Hardship and Unique Circumstances 2
5.2 Not contrary to spirit and purpose of sign ordinance 3
LIST OF EXHIBITS
A Location Map
B Sign Dimensions
C Lettering Detail
D Sign Location
E Photographs of Other Signs in Vicinity
REQUEST FOR SIGN VARIANCE
Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
Piihonua, South Hilo District, Hawaii
1 APPLICANT
The subject sign is for the Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center, a private long-term
intermediate care and skilled nursing facility. The Applicant-owner is Hilo Medical Investors Ltd., a
Georgia corporation that is affiliated with the owner of the Life Care Center on Kawailani Street. The
Applicant leases the premises from the State.
2 LOCATION
The sign would be located on the business premises in Piihonua, South Hilo District, Island and
County of Hawaii, along Waianuenue Avenue across from Hilo Medical Center (TMK 2-3-31: 21) (see
Exhibit A). The 9.173-acre parcel is zoned Residential (RS-10). The County Planning Commission
issued a Use Permit for the project in 1993 (USE #117).
3 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED SIGN
Purpose and Content. The purpose of the sign is to provide identification to people approaching
the facility in their vehicles or walking along the street. The sign will read, "Hale Anuenue Restorative
Care Center".
Type of Sign and Dimensions. The sign would be an unlighted, double-sided ground sign (see
Exhibit B). The sign dimensions are as follows:
o Sum of letters (including space between letters): 6.61 s.f. (6'9" x 8" (line 1) +
6'4" x 4" (line 2))
o Area of lettering (including space between lines): 9 s.f. (6'9" x 1'4")
o Area of wall: 46 s.f. (5'11" x 8' trapezoid)
Materials. The lettering will be mounted on a stone wall. The lettering consists of bar mounted
aluminum letters painted a gold enamel finish (see Exhibit C).
Sign Location. The sign will be located 13' from the front property line in the landscaped area
between Waianuenue Avenue and the porte cochere (see Exhibit D). The sign will be oriented
perpendicular to the street to maximize the viewing distance from either approach direction(as compared
to a sign parallel to the street which can be viewed only when nearly fronting the sign).
4 NATURE OF REQUESTED VARIANCE
The sign ordinance permits one ground or wall sign per parcel in the residential district, not
1
$
exceeding 6 square feet.' The Department of Public Works considers a two-sided sign attached back-to-
back as one sign. In order to have an adequately sized sign that meets the 6 s.f. limit, the sign would
need to be a wall sign. However, the Department of Public Works considers a sign to be a wall sign only
if a building permit for a wall is issued. For such a building permit, the wall needs to be in excess of
6' high. However, according to the zoning code, a wall over 6' is considered an accessory structure and
must meet the front yard setback requirements.2 The zoning code requires a front yard of 20' in the
RS-10 district,3 a distance which is impractical for the proposed project because of the porte cochere
design.
A stone wall 5'11" has already been constructed within the front yard setback area. Because this
wall is less than 6', no building permit is required and the wall is not considered an accessory structure;
therefore, this existing structure is legal. The applicant desires to attach letters to this structure to identify
the business. The requested variance would be to permit a sign greater than 6 s.f. in the residential
district. In this case, if measured as a ground sign where the entire wall structure is considered the sign,
the variance would be for 46 s.f.
5 REASONS FOR VARIANCE
5.1 Hardship and Unique Circumstances
Special exception should be granted to the Applicant for the following reasons:
• Commercial Use Requires Sign Visibility. The long-term care center is a commercial operation
permitted as a special use in a residential district. The project is amidst several health-related
businesses that line Waianuenue Avenue in this area. To distinguish and identify a business in
this busy context, the sign must be large enough to be readable from a sufficient distance in order
for a driver to see the sign, read it, decide that they wish to turn, and signal their intentions to
other drivers. Based on studies, a well-defined one-inch letter can be read from approximately
40'.4 For the proposed 8" lettering, the proposed sign would be visible from approximately
300'. At the posted speed of 35 mph, the proposed lettering size provides a driver barely
adequate time (6 seconds) to read the sign and react.
• Proposed Sign is Comparable in Size to Other Signs in the Vicinity. The following uses along
Waianuenue Avenue in the vicinity of the project are all zoned RS-10 and have signs larger than
the proposed sign (see Exhibit E):
'Hawaii County Code §3-26(a)(1).
'Hawaii County Code §25-65(a).
3Hawaii County Code §25-124(a)(2)(A).
'National Electric Sign Association, A Guideline Code for the Municipal Regulation of On-Premise
Signs, 1991, p. 10.
Request for Sign Variance
2 Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
e
SIGN TYPE OF SIGN AREA LETTER- LETTER-
SIGN ING AREA ING
HEIGHT
Proposed Hale Anuenue ground sign 46 s.f. 9 s.f. 8"
Sign
Hilo Medical Center wall sign 93 s.f. (wall area) 20 s.f. 9.75"
Kaiser Permanente ground sign 32 s.f. (sign) 19.3 s.f. 6.5"
63 s.f. (including (including
base) logo)
The ARC of Hilo ground sign 70 s.f. (including 29 s.f. 14" (largest)
frame and base) 7" (other)
29 s.f. (sign only)
The Hilo Medical Center sign is a wall sign; however the "wall" portion can be clearly distinguished and
considered separately from the railing portion of the structure. If this wall portion is considered
separately, it measures 93 s.f. in area. The height of the lettering at 9.75" is larger than the proposed
lettering height of 8". The Hilo Medical Center sign is permitted because it is a public institution.
Public, charitable, and religious institutions are "exempt" and permitted to have a sign 24 s.f. in any
district.' Since only the lettering area is measured for a wall sign, the 20 s.f. meets the 24 s.f. limit.
The wall presumably received a zoning variance since it is within the front yard setback area of the RS-10
district.
The Kaiser Permanente sign, which was constructed very recently, consists of a blue sign (32 s.f.) set
upon a 2.75' high stone structure. If only the sign portion is measured, the sign meets the size limits of
32 s.f. for a ground sign in a commercial district.' Visually, however, the base and the sign is seen as
one structure. If measured to include the base, this sign is 65 s.f. which is much larger than the proposed
46 s.f. sign for Hale Anuenue. The Kaiser Permanente sign is also located much closer to the front
property line than the proposed sign. Although zoned RS-10, the County approved the Kaiser
Permanente sign as a commercial sign based on its actual use rather than zoning and considered the sign
portion exclusive of the stone base.
The ARC sign is a ground sign on a frame. Because the frame is not a solid background, it makes visual
sense to consider only the sign portion and not the total frame and base. If the entire frame is measured,
the structure measures 70 s.f. Because the ARC is a charitable organization, it falls under the same
"exempt" category as the Hilo Medical Center. The actual sign at 29 s.f. (not including the frame and
base) is slightly larger than the 24 s.f. limit.
5.2 Not contrary to spirit and purpose of sign ordinance
The proposed sign is not visually obtrusive. As a stone wall masonry structure, the proposed sign
'Hawaii County Code §3-32(a)(3).
'Hawaii County Code §3-29(a)(1).
Request for Sign Variance
3 Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
4 ,
will be part of the project's landscaping. It would fulfill its function to effectively identify the property
in an aesthetic manner without imposing on its surroundings.
The proposed sign meets the size limits if considered a "wall". If the proposed sign is considered
a wall, notwithstanding the 6' policy definition of a wall, the proposed lettering conforms with the limits
for a sign in a commercial district-- i.e., the lettering area would be equal to or less than 20% of the wall
surface area (9 s.f. of lettering is 20% of 46 s.f. of wall area). If only the area consisting of the sum of
the letters is measured as set forth in the sign ordinance for an unframed sign,' then the 6.61 s.f. area
nearly meets the 6 s.f. limit for a sign in the residential district. As a ground sign, the proposed sign
would be smaller than the approved Kaiser Permanente sign if the "effective" sign area (entire structure
including the base) for the Kaiser Permanente sign is considered instead of the "technical" sign area
(excluding the base).
The proposed sign location does not pose any public safety hazard. The proposed sign location
would be sufficiently set back from the street to not pose a traffic hazard in terms of distracting drivers,
obstructing visibility, or adding potential collision obstacles for veering vehicles. A minimum of 10' has
been recommended for street setback.' The proposed sign would be located 13' from the right-of-way
boundary.
11 i
DATED: Hilo, . ••.ii, November 13, 1996 wIv. sto, Executive Director
Hae Restorative Care Center
'Hawaii County Code §3-24(a)(3).
'National Electric Sign Association, A Guideline Code for the Municipal Regulation of On-Premise
Signs, 1991, p. 38. Hawaii County's sign ordinance does not address minimum setback distances from
street rights-of-way.
Request for Sign Variance
4 Hale Anuenue Restorative Care Center
II
a r.�ra ..,a.,.< s !S:'1/ : ,',..;:s;-. \ l,.-.„ ra.., i 19
t c n,�a.NCavnx.» ^� t'.« .. oanms �,�
�"4-...-r....1::-.
5 w d.�w,8eacr 4 KaWa Wtf r�r�Wy 1` .0-, �
.:'''''.,...--,...—",,.(../•
` yt B f�lE w.ron Sw. [1a,% !A'a r F oi� L!a Me y n'i.: .�.
`\-2r4.7"".'
7 7w 7q
>,.N is� 'Aw+� k"41,--;„,„::',--,,. 8A Coacma wr YkJ -.Rdryn,� �,y•
',,f l,ii..ARU Hi4rp2 ,,,,,4,...„.... tx iS. L{mr '^ ..
`\
(MO • �.,"awtn" titro+� % w t a ;° KEAUKAHA
r f � m •
.^,•,.'!,r,'!. eta C s
\<•••;.,.,.,(....7,1,....'
. rs�t' �, 96720 �,: p C l,. ;86723 , ....)6,'.
, .
/ T Vu",;t.
0 .^u+6St� �, as7'
_.y. ' + CI J w� ..,x:xxa
-'.'ti.''''.
r ,,/a, 8r 'a^. Hilo'lntetnaionaJ Arrpart
wti&ttif..4fr;ti:
. ,..
,‘,. ...
_....
�'� K:. M f 9 Y { � j/p:�'
, .140(.:. .p.v.,
... ..
r 4A_ :� ,'-.4,.7..
4'W.,;„,,,....\: t. f 6 'f,�IYH�1. t V \....-7,::-. 1/on ))1
Ni
'''''r4SL
c &""t ` '. �. ,..„,.., „,.. ;:.... ... ............„....a3,,,,..,(W
• �m/ nti zaW aw Iaa,
JtK i a JE
i7 fy,7 .'4Lh tricf ^•J1�Afa Aiwa a` % �
;.,,...„::. . ,.. ,.„,„,.....,.. t, ,, __,.,,..... \ /....., ,,,
',10:.".:'''';':' C...":rAr.1....41a. '..1 ... 1 .. :... 1 .t.). -1;..... . ,,s \
'J
I} KA Ai I4{ E I 4��
41441)jT i (" ,. 1
�/! lei', % �3' i i \ �(�tl4y`K. z9 �)c)e: HAWAII
t i " Il I■ se k5 '?'1� u n .1 967 O
I1
t5 A...I .1r1.1 t'& r1
...V7:..... ...41.1.`..
mµ .. � Ira{ ^. i R_ w Mb `^' .."."1. , No—It t �'t
'q4t. s . 5� . .' �. `r} .. 4 1 ii S4'?'GA M j. r �6 R ,3 4., ' t
LL r" ,,,, .1".:!...,...:1:,.t,� : +i r t D iii gyp T S '� {LOG170R
,,,:l 11 .
1 Al-Lit it s 4 _�' st?3t/"`"". 1cckHxuw., CxwMr :T �
`mak wiser Permanents Hilo Hospital
AVENUe
��� hero,,, ..
p
•
.y aI JY/NCI./r1C.)M, :}e.. s�
.—o•a"•Y r N,°r..,..>fii .ler i:.:t,�u
�iinie • 4 mu,i 9 ' C�
lost i 3i
t-
•......
� r
`moi. ti _ 'n
•
Subdivision approved by County (#6137)
a.
d
cam
„
I ^v I
�ti.�i •I S !,:...:_r...-."'
� iii na ..r :
I.
�.- f^A lcr tet A-1 D•1'/7 Ace. ''
,. rr.V4y Ac J. r
i
I
.-
l4„., 3 83S
I n L.y/V'I•
\ EXHIBIT i It,
\. A '~.J.L J..%w4....'.'....4.r�M..�.'n PIAT
sell:,
LOCATION MAP
•
n
I
v, Oca-tt - \
Sa- t- (3, 3 \...........),0
5
� �- J Laml Mini
a. u. ,_
t0omN
ZZ13►au In.
.k. . W °
m 0— . , 4
mil w
T
W a
I eC
CD
0
.3.., '41,_ '-if,
E3 CI CC (C7—;1..C:'
110111111 .
0 r
o
1 \ N
Z
0 5
V \ 4
tiiiiib
i rim,ireir
La
Z ,-
... MI6=Rm. \s) ±
.. N
EXHIBIT B
•
•
WALL SIGN shall have a total area of 9 square feet, or within
the 20 percent of the total wall area of 46 square feet . There
will be two sets of bar mounted aluminum letters , Univers 67
style caps painted a gold enamel finish. Top line reading :
"HALE ANUENUE" shall be 8"h x 3/8"dpeth letters double bar
mounted. Bottom line reading "RESTORATIVE CARE CENTER" shall
be 4"h x 1/4"depth letters single bar mounted. Bars shall be -
painted a dark color to match wall .
it A A
rummy. ,
V:C2 -A-T 1 C A ° -P
4 I-
._. � I `L
BM-3A BM-3B
Double back Single back bar
bars or channels or channel
HALE ANUENUE
RESTORATIVE CARE CENTER
EXHIBIT C
• $
• El 13 -
tr. __
g >4
ad
�.
; ,...4
o
C4 STONE WALL
8'x 2' x 5'11" HIGH
4 _:; .;�;: EXISTi C ��'G POF
N
r-0rr, 81-Or1 12'-O" , 1
•
_______4.
• •
..,
1.,,,
,%
...
1 . .
. :. -STONE WALL
e* ,
-1) PLAN. lis":1'
TAX MAP;KEY .
3RD DN. 2-3-31:21
EXHIBIT D
iiiiek
•
• • i , ,
Proposed Sign -•••••41.
Hale Anuenue Restorative Care
' •
LL t — i 81"
«1• •, •. • 16"Lettering area=9 s.f. 1
I 41 71
i, '' '' , Wall area=46 s.f.
11 V
96"
.4
41
Hilo Medical Center
HILO A Tr
14IEDICAL .
'�E iT ' 3T'Lettering area=20 s..
rei. t', •' •" j 75"
Wall area=93 s.f.
4 IP-
179"
FN
ilitKaiser Permanente
3
Sign area=32 s.f.
_,- • "
•
35. Lettering area=19.3 s.f. 27"
b L t
73" 126" 69.5„
33"
Base area=31 s.f.
111111"11allir y
134"
Total area=63 s.f.
The ARC of Hilo
^. A IAI Sign area= 29 s.f.
34"
82" 124.5" I.
,..
Aar
1
.,
'�. Sit
"
DtA liVQC-tit
Total area=70 s.f.
EXHIBIT E