HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-01-20 TLalamilo Farm Partners
PLANNING COMMISSION
COUNTY OF HAWAII
HEARING TRANSCRIPT
January 20, 2006
LALAMILO FARM PARTNERS, LP
A regularly advertised hearing on the application of
(SPP NO. 378)
was called to order at 4:05 p.m. at the Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort, 78-6740
Alii Drive, Keauhou, Hawaii with Chairman C. Kimo Alameda presiding.
PRESENT:C. Kimo AlamedaABSENT & EXCUSED: Allen Salavea
Jeffrey McCall
Rene Siracusa
Hannah Springer
Fred Galdones
Chris Yuen, DeputyPlanning Director
Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager
Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner
Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner
Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel
And approximately 10 people from the public in attendance.
APPLICANT: LALAMILO FARM PARTNERS, LP (SPP NO. 378)
Amendment to Special Permit No. 378 to allow the processing of ice cream products within an
existing building that was previously approved for the establishment of a vegetable processing
facility. The property is located along the north side of Lalamilo Farm Road, Lalamilo Farm
Lots,Lalamilo,SouthKohala,Hawaii,TMK:6-6-5:portionof32.
ALAMEDA:TheHawaiiCountyPlanningCommissionnowcomebackinorder.
Alrighty, moving right along. Agenda item number 7. Applicant Lalamilo Farm Partners LP,
SPPnumber378.Mr.Darrow?
DARROW:ThankyouMr.Chairman.IfImaydirectyourattentiontothelocation
map. The area of this application is within the Waimea District or South Kohala District of the
Big Island. This area identified on the map is Waimea Town. This white line running in a north-
south direction is Mamalahoa Highway. We have the Waimea airport in this particular area. In
this blue area is the Parker Ranch race track that you might be familiar with. Directly across the
street is the Lalamilo Farm lot subdivision. The area of this application is identified by this
orange dot. The applicant in this case Lalamilo Farm partners is requesting an amendment to
Special Permit number 378. Special Permit number 378 was originally approved on February 1,
1978 to allow a vegetable processing facility identified in red in this area. This particular area is
the Lalamilo Farm Road coming directly off of Old Mamalahoa Highway. The entire parcel is
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identified here which is a 5-acre parcel. Other structures on the parcel include greenhouses as
well as an existing dwelling. The applicant is requesting to have a- to allow the processing of ice
cream products for a company called Tropical Dreams within the existing facility. The facility is
780-, 7,875 square feet in size. Since February 1, 1978 the State Land Use law has been
amended to include agricultural products processing major and minor. So as a part of this
application the Planning Department will be deleting that portion of the use of this special
permit. The, although the applicant will continue with vegetable processing as part of their
facility. We have received one letter of support from Peter Merriman, the owner of Merrimans
Restaurant and hopefully the Commission was able to get a copy of that. The Planning Director
is recommending that the Planning Commission approve this amendment request. Are there any
questions?
ALAMEDA:Commissioners? Seeing no questions- excuse me, Commissioner
Siracusa?
SIRACUSA:Im just curious is the vegetable processing going to be for the ice cream
also?Imeanlikearewegoingtohavelikecelerysorbetor?
DARROW:Idontbelievesobuttheydostateintheirapplicationthattheywillbe
growing special fruit, vegetables and other crops to use for the dairy products. So Im, if we
could ask the applicant specifically what those items might be.
ALAMEDA:Other questions fellow Commissioners? Seeing none, will the applicant or
his representative please come forward. Please raise your right hand. Do you affirm or swear to
tell the truth now before the Hawaii County Planning Commission?
TESTIFIERS:We do.
ALAMEDA:Could you please state your name and address for the record and you may
proceed.
OHASHI:My name is Yukie Ohashi. Im a Planning Consultant. My address is
P.O. Box 786 Volcano, Hawaii 96785.
EDNEY:And I am John Edney. My address is 56764 Kualapa Place in Hawi.
ALAMEDA:Thank you. Did you get a chance to look at the Departments
recommendations?
OHASHI:Yes we have.
ALAMEDA:You have any questions or comments?
OHASHI:No.
EDNEY:No.
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ALAMEDA:Okay, fellow Commissioners you have questions or comments? Go ahead
Commissioner Graham?
GRAHAM:Just asking the Planning Director the timeframe on the conditions says 1
year should be established which is a lot tighter than our usual timeframe so I was wondering if
there was any particular reason for that?
YUEN:Not especially. It is an existing building so it doesnt take as much but I
dont have a problem with making it a longer timeframe.
ALAMEDA:Commissioner Graham?
GRAHAM:So is that one-year timeframe okay with you folks you could?
EDNEY:Thats fine.
GRAHAM:All right thank you.
EDNEY:Thats not a problem.
ALAMEDA:Thank you Commissioner Graham for bringing that up. Questions, other
questions, Commissioner Siracusa?
SIRACUSA:Yes I seem to be noting a discrepancy or maybe Im just something wrong
th
with me. Ms. Ohashi in your letter dated January 9
, request to allow ice cream processing
delete vegetable processing permitted use under Chapter 245. And yet, next to the last paragraph
you state that Tropical Dreams anticipates 5 employees daily for ice cream and vegetable
processing. So Im wondering is it vegetable processing or is it not what is the situation here?
DARROW:If I could address that question Commissioner Siracusa?
SIRACUSA:Yes.
ALAMEDA:Sure.
DARROW:Asoriginallymentionedthatweredeletingtheportionofvegetable
processing from the special permit because now at this time vegetable processing is a permitted
use.Sowerejustdeletingthatportionfromthespecialpermit.
SIRACUSA:Butvegetableprocessingwillgoonbutitisapermittedusesoyoudont
need to, okay I got it now that clarifies it for me. And I want to say that I love Tropical Dreams
icecreamandIholdyouresponsiblefortheincreaseinmywaistline.
ALAMEDA:Questionsforourapplicantorrepresentative?Seeingnone.Youmaybe
seated. There is no testimony so aerobics? Will the applicant and his representative please come
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forward? A while back our Commission decided to institute this particular procedure and it
makes things cleaner but for now it seems kind of silly. Nonetheless well continue with that
protocol. Any final questions for our applicants fellow Commissioners? Is there a motion?
Commissioner Siracusa?
SIRACUSA:Okay, where was I? I move that the application for Lalamilo Farm
Partners LP for an amendment to their Special Permit Number 378 be approved based on the
Planning Directors recommendation and proposed conditions.
ALAMEDA:Is there a second?
SPRINGER:Second.
ALAMEDA:Motion made by Commissioner Siracusa, seconded by Commissioner
Springer.Discussion?Seeingnone.Mr.Darrow?
DARROW:ThankyouMr.Chairman.CommissionerSiracusa?
SIRACUSA:Aye.
DARROW:CommissionerSpringer?
SPRINGER:Yes.
DARROW:Commissioner Galdones?
GALDONES:Aye.
DARROW:Commissioner Graham?
GRAHAM:Aye.
DARROW:Commissioner McCall?
MCCALL:Aye.
DARROW:Commissioner Watanabe?
WATANABE:Aye.
DARROW:And Mr. Chairman?
ALAMEDA:Aye.
DARROW:The motion passes 7 to 0.
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ALAMEDA:Youll be informed in writing of this decision. Thank you.
EDNEY:Thank you.
This discussion ended at 4:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynette Marushige, West Hawaii Secretary
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