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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-01-17 TYAMAKAWA PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI`I HEARING TRANSCRIPT January 17, 2003 A regularly advertised public hearing on KEITH K. YAMAKAWA, DDS (REZ 02-023) was called to order at 10:03 a.m. in the County Building, Councilroom-Room 201, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawai`i, with Chairperson Fred Galdones presiding. PRESENT:Fred Galdones ABSENT & EXCUSED: Aurelio C. Mina, Jr. Earl Fujikawa Hannah Springer Geraldine Giffin Florence Kubota Jeffrey McCall Francis Smith Grant Togashi Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel Christopher J. Yuen, Planning Director Alice Kawaha, Staff Planner Susan Gagorik, Staff Planner Esther Imamura, Staff Planner Larry Brown, Staff Planner And approximately 15 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: KEITH K. YAMAKAWA, DDS'QDY/1,/12(i@ookhb`shnmenq` Change of Zone by changing the district classification from Single Family Residential (RS-10) to General Commercial (CG-10) for approximately 10,110 square feet of land. ` The property is located at the west corner of the Kinoole Street and Lanihuli Street intersection, across of the Social Security Administration Office, Waikea House Lots ` 2 nd Series, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMK: 2-2-21:25. GALDONES:Commissioners, we are on subject matter, on the agenda New Business No. 3, which is an applicant, the Applicant being Keith K. Yamakawa, DDS (REZ 02-023). This is an application for a Change of Zone by changing the district classification from Single Family Residential (RS-10) to General Commercial (CG-10) for approximately 10,110 square feet of land. Staff? IMAMURA:Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I can direct your attention to the ` location map, this white diagonal line is Kinoole Street, downtown Hilo is at the top, and going towards Volcano at the bottom. Cross streets include Mohouli Street, Lanihuli Street, Kamana and Lono Streets. The subject property is located on the 1 EXHIBIT C ` northwest corner of Kinoole and Lanihuli Street. The zoning of this property, as well as the surrounding yellow is RS-10; and these three parcels here are CG-20. The Applicant is wanting a rezoning of the subject property to construct a 2,520-square foot office building. Moving on to the site plan, again, the property outlined in blue. We have the office building outlined in red. Access will be from Lanihuli Street. The parking is indicated in brown at the rear of the property. For your information, this property is designated Medium Density Urban according to the General Plan. However, when these three were rezoned, the General Plan determination at that time was that this area was High Density Urban. And with the ` current amendment to the General Plan, this general area mauka of Kinoole Street, ` roughly approximately between Hualalai, Kawailani, I'm sorry, Kapiolani and West Kwili is, was determined to be Medium Density to be changed to High Density. In your folder is a letter from the Applicant's agent dated January 13 th concerning DPW comments. The Director is recommending that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the County Council. Are there any questions? GALDONES:Any questions of Esther? Commissioner Togashi. TOGASHI:Thank you, Mr. Chair. I noticed another, off to the right, there is a green and a red dot. What are those signifying? IMAMURA:Those were the two applications we had earlier, one was Dr. Lee and the other was, there were two next door, Branclek. TOGASHI:Oh, okay. Thank you. IMAMURA:Office. Again, office buildings, converting the existing building. TOGASHI:Requesting CG designation though? IMAMURA:Yes. GALDONES:Any further questions of Esther? Commissioner Fujikawa. FUJIKAWA:On the rental space next to the dental office, what is their intention to -, what type of tenants are they looking to rent that space? IMAMURA:I'm not too sure. The Applicant and his agent are here. 2 ` FUJIKAWA:Okay. And the other question is the Kinoole Street, what street is that? Yeah, right there. I can't even read that. IMAMURA:Lanihuli. FUJIKAWA:Yeah. Can they park their cars on that street? IMAMURA:We are not allowing that. They have adequate parking based on the square footage of the building. They have adequate parking. FUJIKAWA:In the event the parking is full. IMAMURA:Well, based on the square footage, all they are required is eight stalls right now. FUJIKAWA:Okay. GALDONES:Commissioners, any further questions? If not, if the Applicant or the Applicant's representative are here, please step forward. Could you please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the ` Hawaii County Planning Commission? MOORE:I do. GALDONES:Thank you. Could you please state your name, resident address. MOORE:My name is Bill Moore. I'm a planning consultant representing ` the Applicant, Keith K. Yamakawa. My address is 159 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. GALDONES:Mr. Moore, the gentleman next to you? MOORE:Is again the Applicant, Dr. Keith Yamakawa, ` YAMAKAWA:Yes, I'm Keith Yamakawa, and my address is 610 Mlae Place in Hilo. GALDONES:Thank you. Mr. Moore, have you received the Background Report and the Recommendation? MOORE:Yes, we have. GALDONES:Do you have any comments to those documents? 3 MOORE:Yes, we do. We appreciate the favorable recommendation. The only question that we have with respect to the conditions is -. First of all, if I may respond to the question. Or with respect, we'd like to proceed, how would you like me to proceed, responding to the -? GALDONES:Well, first, if you have any concerns that you would like to -. MOORE:Okay. GALDONES:Address in the Background Report and the Recommendations. MOORE:Yes. GALDONES:We would like to hear it. MOORE:Okay. GALDONES:If you don't have any, then I will have the Commissioners question you if they have any questions. MOORE:Okay. Thank you very much. The only question that we hav with respect to the conditions is Condition G, which calls for the widening of the sidewalk, the full improvement of the sidewalks. We have no objections to providing those improvements along Lanihuli Street. Lanihuli Street is currently a grassED area, there's no sidewalks there, and provide full pavement sidewalk. No objections. We volunteered that as part of our initial rezoning. The area that we have some questions about, and it's really a matter of aesthetics, is ` that the area on Kinoole Street, there's approximately a 10-foot sidewalk area and four ` feet of that is paved, and then there is a six-foot grass planting strip along Kinoole Street. The Department of Public Works' comments is that we need to pave that, we need to tear up the grass and put in cement. From an aesthetics standpoint, the Applicant would prefer to keep those existing sidewalk improvements. And so, and again, this generally, this issue is generally addressed at the Council level. They're the ones that normally impose sidewalk improvements, so we're willing to get the discussions here. We're also very willing to accept the recommendation at this time with the understanding that we will bring this matter up at the Council, so I just don't want to have any misunderstandings. So I leave that to the pleasure of the Commission whether we discuss this now, or that we will again not object to this condition as it stands with the understanding that we'll raise these concerns up at the Council level. But other than that, the other conditions of approval are fine, and we're willing to abide by them. 4 GALDONES:Okay. Mr. Moore, in reference to Condition G, that would be the wishes of the Applicant if they can accept the recommendation as it stands before the Planning Commission; and we may proceed forward under those circumstances. And if you choose to bring it up as the subject matter with the County Council, then at that time, that would be your wishes to do so. MOORE:Yes. I just want to be clear on the record that we do have concerns about the condition and that we will bring this up at the Council level. But we don't have any objections to the Commission passing it on this way. I just don't want to have any misunderstandings that we accepted this condition without clarification. GALDONES:Thank you for that clarification. Commissioners, any questions to the Applicant? First Commissioner Togashi, then Commissioner Fujikawa. TOGASHI:Thank you, Mr. Chair. As Condition G is worded, "to provide full improvements to the entire frontage along Lanihuli Street," is that going to be a 10-foot wide concrete sidewalk? MOORE:We will work with that. Whether it's 10 feet, the normal requirement I believe is closer to eight feet. TOGASHI:Eight feet. MOORE:But we will do what is required by the Department of Public Works along Lanihuli Street. TOGASHI:But it's not going to contain any kind of a grass strip or anything. So isn't it going to look weird to have part grass and -? MOORE:We don't believe so. We have some pictures here. The area across the street along Lanihuli Street, this property here has full pavement sidewalk along that frontage, and then a similar situation where the corner is paved full. But then it continues on as a grass swale, a grass, sorry, a grass swale with a cement, four- foot cement walkway, and a landscaping situation. So we would actually continue the existing situation there rather than having one side of the road being partly grass, grass and cement, the other side being completely cemented. So -. TOGASHI:I was just wondering maybe to just have an ell that would be fully cement, wouldn't that be perhaps more consistent, I guess or -? MOORE:Again, we don't believe so. TOGASHI:Oh. 5 MOORE:Again, just having green space along the highway we think is a better situation. Again, it's not a matter of money, it's just more aesthetics so -. But that is, and again, just to continue the current situation there. For the record, we do have some pictures showing the existing sidewalk improvements, if the Commission would like to see them. GALDONES:If you wish to -. Mr. Moore, if you wish to have the Commissioners view it, we would be more than happy to take a look at those. MOORE:I'm going to hand out then three pictures. The first picture is the view from Lanihuli Street looking back Hmkua. The second picture is a view ` Hmkua looking towards Puna, showing Kinoole frontage. And the third picture is looking mauka of Lanihuli Street showing the grass situation right now. For the record, the area, as you will clearly see, people are parking along the street on Lanihuli and then, again, that's overflow from the existing offices across the street. GALDONES:Okay. Commissioner Fujikawa. FUJIKAWA:Yeah, my question with Bill was -. I'm looking at the picture right now, that crosswalk on that intersection. Does it cover all four corners? MOORE:Yes. FUJIKAWA:It does? MOORE:Yes. FUJIKAWA:Now we had an issue just like this in Kaloko recently where we had sidewalk called for and the other portion wasn't sidewalk. Can the Planning Director tell me what was the outcome on that, Kaloko in Kona? Do you remember on the side of Home Depot? YUEN:We put it in and the Council at committee level has taken it out. FUJIKAWA:Oh, I see. What was the reason? YUEN:Council felt that people are not going to walk around there and are just going to drive. We had put it in on the thought that people might walk from one shopping area to another. That was the Department's recommendation; and the Commission, Planning Commission, went along with our recommendation against the wishes of the Applicant. And this has not passed the full Council yet, but in committee 6 they did change that; and the stated reason by the Council member was that they're just going to drive and not walk so -. FUJIKAWA:I see. YUEN:That was, that's what happened. FUJIKAWA:Wouldn't this be almost the same? YUEN:Well, this is clearly an area -. I think the only question here is ` whether we continue to have the grassy strip on the Kinoole Street sidewalk. Clearly, this is an area that as it develops into Commercial we want sidewalks so that people can walk along, walk around the area. And there's, the sidewalk is already in place on ` Kinoole Street. The new sidewalk we're talking about is on Lanihuli Street, actually the frontage of their property, and they don't have any objection to that; and even if they did, the Department would still be recommending certainly the Lanihuli Street sidewalk improvements. FUJIKAWA:So I have another question for you. YUEN:Yeah. FUJIKAWA:So if the County is going to make it all sidewalks, how are you going to address the fire hydrant? People will be walking into the hydrant if you're going to replace the lawn area with sidewalk. YUEN:That's a good point. I'd have to say I personally like the grass better. FUJIKAWA:Maybe the Council -. YUEN:Who maintains the grass? Can I ask the Applicant a couple questions? FUJIKAWA:Council can consider that. YUEN:Who maintains the grassy strip now? Is it Public Works comes and maintains that? MOORE:You know, I believe the -, well, generally, and I believe it's in the Code, is that the landowner is responsible to maintain that, the grass strip. The Applicant is willing, I mean we talked about it, is willing to maintain that. But I believe that that is part of the County Code that they have to maintain it. 7 YUEN:And the same treatment, this, you know, I'm not -. I don't, I'm not visualizing this very well. But the same treatment of sidewalk and grass goes quite ` a distance down Kinoole Street? MOORE:If I can, the treatment of grass and cement goes all the way down from Lanihuli to Mohouli. There's a small stretch in here that is full, and then it continues along this way as grass and sidewalk. There is a, right across the street, there is an area that is grass and sidewalk, and then it continues down the rest as a full pavement; and this way continues down as grass and cement. So it's a mix in there; but the one stretch that is consistent is along the frontage from between Lanihuli and Mohouli Street. GALDONES:Commissioner Giffin. GIFFIN:So if I understood Mr. Moore and if I understood the pictures that are circulating right now, it seems to me that it would be incongruous to follow up with what the Department of Public Works is asking for. Correct, Esther, that the ` Applicant would be doing something different than what is for the rest of Kinoole? Correct? IMAMURA:These were rezoned in the '80s, late '80s, '88. At that time, no conditions were imposed on sidewalk improvements. More of the recent ones, the DPW is requiring full sidewalk improvements. GIFFIN:And in your discussions with them regarding the Background Report and their stipulation, did they state why? ` IMAMURA:They said the full -, they want -, they said Kinoole would be full. GIFFIN:Concrete? IMAMURA:Concrete, right, and they wanted the same on this side. And if you remember, the Mabel Kubota rezoning further above. GIFFIN:How can I forget? IMAMURA:Across Sun Sun Lau. GIFFIN:Yes. IMAMURA:They did require that. 8 GIFFIN:I know, and I remember that we questioned that then, too. But it seems to me that, like Mr. Moore said, aesthetically, it certainly would be more pleasant to have some green there, interspersed with what is the concrete that's currently there, as well. And I personally would be in favor of changing the wording of this condition. Mr. Yuen appeared that way, too. Correct, Mr. Yuen? YUEN:I see the point, honestly. I -, and I think that the pedestrian traffic in the area is such that four feet will handle it; and if there are more people, there's a nice grassy area for someone to step off on. The four feet is ADA compliant, do you know? MOORE:I -. YUEN:That might be the only -. MOORE:I believe it is, I have to double check on this. But the four feet I believe is the minimum. And you have to have, you can't have a four-foot stretch forever. You have to provide every so often a widening so if there's two wheelchairs coming, they can pull over. But at every driveway along here, you know, there is a -, that is fully paved; so there are these areas where you could pull over and the two wheelchairs could pass. So I can double check on that, but I do believe that the four- foot, again, as a minimum, is ADA compliant. GALDONES:Commissioners? Commissioner Togashi. TOGASHI:Now your position on Lanihuli is a full concrete? It's not part grass strip, a four-foot grass strip? MOORE:Yes, we're willing to abide by the requirement on Lanihuli. And, again, part of that is related to this piece here, the Social Security Administration offices; that is a full pavement. The full sidewalk width is paved so -. TOGASHI:To me, what would be incongruous would be to have, keeping ` the Kinoole partly grassed and to have full pavement on Lanihuli. That would be incongruous to me. MOORE:Again, we -. TOGASHI:Despite across the street -. MOORE:Yeah. TOGASHI:Being a full -. 9 MOORE:But we would prefer, again, you know, the Lanihuli to be in the same situation. But, again, we're not, you know, so again -. TOGASHI:Right. MOORE:We're not -, we didn't want to look like we're trying to get out of something, because that's a similar requirement on the other property. But if the Commission was not objecting or would be supporting that kind of sidewalk improvements, we would appreciate that. GALDONES:Commissioner Fujikawa. FUJIKAWA:Yeah, I have a comment. If you widen the sidewalk there with a hydrant there, it would be pretty rough for the blind people because they won't know the edge of the sidewalk and walk into the hydrant. So that's a consideration the Council should look into. GALDONES:Commissioners, any further questions? GIFFIN:Mr. Chairman? GALDONES:Commissioner Giffin. GIFFIN:Did you want us to come up with some suggested wording if we are in favor of altering or amending Condition G? GALDONES:Yes, at some point, Commissioner Giffin. When we are through with the discussions and we go into a motion, at that time, the amendments should be introduced. GIFFIN:Okay. KUBOTA:Mr. Chair? GALDONES:Commissioner Kubota. KUBOTA:Mr. Moore, your entry to this project site is via Lanihuli. MOORE:That's correct. KUBOTA:I guess my question is you're not opposing the entire entryway being concrete sidewalk, but you would like to have a strip of grassy area on the ` Kinoole side which is really not the frontage of this project building, is it? 10 MOORE:Well, you know, it's -, I mean as a street frontage, it's a frontage. The driveway access will be off Lanihuli Street so -. KUBOTA:The house faces which side? I thought it faced Lanihuli. MOORE:Well, the house is going to get torn down, you know, again -. KUBOTA:Oh, okay. But -. MOORE:Yeah. KUBOTA:Okay. The new building that's coming up is going to be fronting, facing -. MOORE:Yeah. KUBOTA:Lanihuli, right? MOORE:Well -. KUBOTA:You're not entering from the side, are you? MOORE:The entry will be on the side here, really facing Lanihuli Street. KUBOTA:Okay. So the front of the building will be on the Lanihuli side? MOORE:That's correct. KUBOTA:Okay. So wouldn't it make more sense, I'm for keeping the strip, don't get me wrong. I would prefer to ask that the frontage be left with a strip of what you call -. MOORE:Grass landscaping. GIFFIN:Grass. KUBOTA:Grass. And because of the issue that Mr. Fujikawa just brought up about visual difficulty for people, it would be better to have diversion of a strip of concrete there for safety purposes. I would suggest that you go for a landscaping strip right around your property. MOORE:Aesthetically, we think that would be a much better situation. So we're happy to work with the Commission on coming up with language in that regard. 11 GALDONES:Any further questions? Commissioner Fujikawa. FUJIKAWA:I have another question with Bill. Bill, on your Applicant rental space, what do they have in mind, type of business? YAMAKAWA:At this point, we don't have anything confirmed or any prospective rentals, but it's just kind of a general rental. Knowing that we have 10 spaces, it has to be a low -. FUJIKAWA:Right. YAMAKAWA:Volume rental. We fully realize that. FUJIKAWA:Yeah, I was concerned of that parking. YAMAKAWA:Yeah. We're trying to get all our parking onto our space, because we know that a lot of overflow from Social Security Building and Hawaiian Eye is in the back. FUJIKAWA:Sure. X@L@J@V@9Vdb`m&sfds+cnmlsv`mssgdlto park all over the place. So any rental we're doing, it has to be somebody that's low turnover, low car, we would have to accommodate all of our people. FUJIKAWA:Fine. Great. Thank you. GALDONES:Commissioner Giffin. GIFFIN:So, Mr. Chairman, you know, I need your help. I agreed with what Commissioner Kubota said regarding the Lanihuli entrance. And I am also in ` favor of leaving the Kinoole frontage, for want of a better word, alone, so that it exists the way it is now; and that it is the same all the way up, despite what Public Works wants. So I guess what we need to do is ask Counsel or Mr. Yuen for wording so that we can amend Condition G. MOORE:May I suggest something? GIFFIN:Sure. MOORE:Mr. Chairman and Commissioners? GALDONES:Mr. Moore. 12 MOORE:Under the current Condition G, that, if I can read it through, "Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any new commercial structure, the applicant shall provide," I would suggest deleting "a full width," so would provide "a concrete sidewalk," adding in the new phrase, nhmbktchmf`k`mcrb`ohmfok`mshmf ` strip, along the entire frontage of" and deleting "KinonkdRsqdds+o`mcnoqnuhcdetkk improvements to the entire frontage along." So that the condition would then read shall provide concrete sidev`kj+kds&rkds`mn`+o!rg`kk provide a concrete sidewalk, including a landscaping planting strip along the entire frontage of Lanihuli Street, bnmrhrshmfneatsmnskhlhsdcsnt-!Ntqoqdeerence is to delete the words "pavement widening with concrete swales," but because again it's fully paved already. GIFFIN:Right. MOORE:And if you wanted to go with that, deleting "pavement widening with" so that it would be but limited to, "consisting of, but not limited to, concrete curb, gutter, and sidewalk, and any other required drainage improvements and utility relocation, meeting with the approval of the Department of Public Works." GALDONES:Esther, did you get the change? IMAMURA:If he could just read it one more time. MOORE:Okay. The, "Prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy for any new commercial structure, the applicant shall provide`+!cdkdsdnetkkvhcsg+o nbnmbqdsdrhcdv`kj+o`cchm the phrase "including a landscaping planting strip, along ` the entire frontage oe+!cdkdsdnJhmnnkdRsqdds+on`mcoqnuhcdhloqnudldmsrsnsgd dmshqdeqnms`fd`knmf+o`mcqds`hmsgddwhrshng language "Lanihuli Street, consisting of, atsmnskhlhsdcsn+!cdkdsdno`udldmsvhcdmhmfvhsg+o`mcsgdmsgdqdrsnesgdbnmchshnm would stay the same. GALDONES:Okay. Thank you. Commissioners, any more questions? I note that there's nobody from the public who had signed up to testify, however, I am giving that opportunity if anybody from the public wishes to testify on this agenda item. Seeing none, Commissioners, what is the pleasure of the Commissioners in reference to this agenda item? Commissioner Giffin. GIFFIN:Mr. Chairman, regarding the application of Keith K. Yamakawa for Change of Zone Application REZ 02-023, I move that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the County Council, along with the background and the conditions as forwarded to us by our Staff and our Director, with the amendment to Condition G as read earlier. KUBOTA:Second. 13 GALDONES:It has been moved by Commissioner Giffin and seconded by Commissioner Kubota that the Applicant Keith K. Yamakawa, DDS, Change of Zone Application REZ 02-023, be given a favorable recommendation and be forwarded to the County Council along with the Background Report and the Recommendation and the amendment to Condition G as stated and recorded. Are there any further discussion? Commissioner Togashi. TOGASHI:I do not have any problem with the amended language in Condition G, but you pointed out the sidewalk fronting the Social Security ` Administration. Doesn't the frontage along Kinoole also have that same grass strip, too. So that if you go in the Puna direction from Social Security, the corner of Social Security on all the way to Kwili, doesn't it have that grass strip, as well? MOORE:There is a full pavement along a portion of the frontage of that Social Security offices along -. TOGASHI:That's on the bend, right, on that corner? MOORE:And, again, extending beyond. They just, again, they just did some concrete ramp improvements there, just completed a week ago or so. But I think it does continue through possibly the frontage of the property; and then from there it picks up as a grass planting strip for the balance of the way. So hslrnmsg`sbnqmdq+ again, not to be misleading, on the Lanihuli-Mohouli corner, across from the Applicant's site. TOGASHI:Right. Right. It's full concrete. ` MOORE:It's full concrete along, on Kinoole Street for a short, for a short ways, and then it continues on as a grass swale. TOGASHI:And it was essential because of perhaps a ramp, a wheelchair ramp? MOORE:Well, the corner itself is full pavement, and that's required under ADA to provide for your access. Again, if you have the pictures there, for your wheelchair ramp access, the corners are fully paved. So there's no grass planting on the corners themselves. TOGASHI:So if we do go with the amended language, it shouldn't be a problem to have a grass strip then, no problem? MOORE:We don't believe that there will be. And, again, you know, just for the record, if there is an ADA requirement, we're willing to abide by that, whether it's a condition or not a condition, it's just a safe situation. So we will need to work 14 with the County to make sure that whatever we do, I mean if we -. With respect to the new improvements, we have no choice but to follow the ADA; but we're willing to work with the County on ADA improvements even if they're in the portion. Again, keep in mind, the sidewalks are not part of the subject property, that's part of the right- ` of-way. So we're looking at, we're not touching Kinoole Street, that's not part of the project. But we're willing to work with the County if there's any ADA requirements there. GALDONES:Thank you. Any further discussion? Any questions from the Commissioners? Hearing none, Esther? IMAMURA:Commissioner Giffin? GIFFIN:Aye. IMAMURA:Commissioner Kubota? KUBOTA:Aye. IMAMURA:Commissioner Togashi? TOGASHI:Aye. IMAMURA:Commissioner Fujikawa? FUJIKAWA:Aye. IMAMURA:Commissioner McCall? MCCALL:Aye. IMAMURA:Commissioner Smith? SMITH:Aye. IMAMURA:Chairman Galdones? GALDONES:Aye. IMAMURA:Mr. Chairman, the vote passes seven to zero. GALDONES:Thank you. Mr. Moore, you will be notified in writing of the Commission's actions today. 15 YAMAKAWA:Thank you very much. I'm very encouraged. MOORE:Thank you. GALDONES:You're welcome. GIFFIN:You're welcome. The discussion ended at 10:35 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M. Nomura, Secretary Planning Commission 16