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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-01-11 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII MINUTES Meeting Date: January 11, 2022 Time: 5:21 p.m. Location: Online Meeting CALL TO ORDER Commissioners Present: Shaun Roth, Bryant Ching, Jasmine Crusat, Michaela Ikeuchi, Riley Smith, and Zon Sullenberger Absent and Excused: Ann Kern and Arne Werchick Office of the Corporation Counsel: Deputy Corporation Counsel Jean Campbell Planning Department: Rosalind Newlon (Planner), Deanne Bugado (Planner), and Noriko Sauer(Commission Secretary) Applicants/Representatives: Bill McCowatt(New Business Item 1); and Zach Hanson (New Business Item 2) Pursuant to Act 220, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, which amended the Sunshine Law to allow meetings to be remotely conducted online, effective January 1, 2022, and to the Governor's Emergency Proclamation Related to Sunshine Law In-Person Meetings dated December 29, 2021, this meeting was held online, with live stream video for the public to observe the meeting and no in-person meeting site. A quorum was present. Chairman Roth called the meeting to order. He introduced the Commissioners and confirmed with them that nobody else was at their locations. He described the Commission's duties and meeting procedure. STATE SUNSHINE LAW CHANGE UPDATE BY CORPORATION COUNSEL The Commission took up this item at 5:24 p.m. Deputy Corporation Counsel Jean Campbell presented the Sunshine Law change that had become in effect as of January 1, 2022, noting that some of the provisions had been put on hold due to the recent COVID-19 surge. She encouraged the Commissioners to review additional information and training available on the state Office of Information Practices website. Ms. Campbell first went over Sunshine Law's basic requirements and provisions. She then talked about the update and said that the change allows remote meetings so long as certain requirements are met, such as: • Interactive conference technology must allow audio-visual interaction between board members and the public. • At least a quorum of the board members must be visible and audible during the meeting. 1 • At the start of the meeting the names of all participating board members must be announced. • While they do not have to disclose where they are,remotely participating board members must disclose who else is in their location even if they are not there for the meeting, so as to avoid any issues in case they have side conversations with their microphone on mute; it is not required to disclose the names of those individuals. • All votes must be conducted by a roll call vote unless they are unanimous. • Meetings must be recorded, and the recordings must be posted online and available to the public until written minutes are posted. • At least one in-person location must be provided with an Internet connection that will allow the public to participate; this requirement has been suspended due to COVID-19. • If the connection is lost and is not restored within 30 minutes, the meeting must be terminated. Ms. Campbell also noted that the two other meeting methods that were allowed under the Sunshine Law prior to the change are still allowable, specifically: • In-person meeting at one site. • In-person meeting at multiple sites that are connected with technology, for example, at the County Building in Hilo and the West Hawaii Civic Center using videoconference connection. Upon Commissioner Ikeuchi's inquiry, Ms. Campbell clarified that the Commission could continue to meet remotely, but that once the suspension is lifted, at least one physical location with an Internet connection must also be provided for people to participate in,present testimony at, or observe the meeting in order to hold an online meeting. Asked by Commissioner Smith, she also clarified that the Sunshine Law requires at least a quorum of the members to be visible, along with audio connections, throughout the meeting; so if someone's connection is lost, resulting in fewer members than a quorum being visible, a recess can be taken up to 30 minutes to reconnect, and the meeting can continue; but if the reconnection is unsuccessful within the time frame, the meeting must be terminated. Upon inquiry by Chairman Roth, she confirmed that the information and training on the Office of Information Practices website is available to the general public. There being no further questions, Chairman Roth concluded this item at 5:50 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the Meeting of November 9, 2021. Chairman Roth asked if there were any corrections to the minutes. No corrections were made, and the minutes were approved as circulated. 2 Kailua Village Design Commission January 11,2022,Meeting Minutes STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS Upon inquiry by Chairman Roth, Ms. Newlon confirmed that the Commission had received no public testimony regarding the items on the agenda. Staff also confirmed that there was no one wishing to testify online. NEW BUSINESS 1. PL-KVD-2021-000007: The applicant, Mr. Bill McCowatt, agent/applicant for Sarah L. Akona Partnership/Kona Square Associates, is proposing exterior and tenant improvements for an existing commercial building for a restaurant/bar (Spinners Daiquiri Bar and Lounge) and retail center along Alii Drive across from Kailua Pier. The exterior improvements include: removal of first floor glass extension and awning with new bronze roll-up door; new entry stairs off sidewalk; new stained wood(mid- brown) suspended trellis and outdoor umbrellas and tables underneath; new 36-inch black guardrail above a CRM wall along the front yard with landscaping; hanging rattan chairs in courtyard; a new mural alongside concrete block fence/wall; no changes to exterior colors of building; and interior tenant improvements not included in the design review. Applicant: Bill McCowatt Landowner: Sarah L. Akona Partnership Lessee: Kona Square Associates TMK: (3) 7-5-006:025 Location: 75-5669 Alii Drive, #1104, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 The Commission took up this item at 5:51 p.m. Ms. Newlon gave a PowerPoint presentation on proposed exterior improvements to the existing Spinners Bar building in the Kona Square commercial complex. She described the property location, existing buildings and parking lot of the Kona Square, and existing features of the Spinners Bar building. She continued to describe the proposed improvements, including addition of bicycle and moped rack, outdoor dining area with suspended trellis and umbrellas, 36-inch-tall guardrail above CRM walls fronting Alii Drive. She also displayed conceptual images showing the colors of the proposed improvements, as well as photographs showing the features to be remodeled and repainted behind the proposed outdoor dining area. The photographs also showed an existing concrete wall on the eastern property boundary that a mural would be on, and she showed examples of artwork being proposed for the mural. She mentioned that the property has a variance that allows 20 on-site parking spaces and 15 off-site parking spaces, and that that would be reviewed further during the Plan Approval process. Chairman Roth called upon the applicant. In response to Commissioner Ikeuchi's question about the total height of the walls with proposed guardrail, Mr. Bill McCowatt said that those existing walls were cinder block walls faced with rock veneer and retaining the courtyard about 20 to 24 inches above the sidewalk; therefore, the total height together with the guardrail would be 5 feet to 5 feet 6 inches from the sidewalk and roughly 3 feet from the courtyard side. He noted 3 Kailua Village Design Commission January 11,2022,Meeting Minutes that although the county Building Code does not require it, the owner was proactively proposing the guardrail for safety reasons because people had fallen off of the low wall mostly being inebriated. He stated that he and the owner might want to switch the guardrail to horizontal wire from the vertical design as being proposed in the application; he suggested that the Commission consider approving that as an option in its decision. He also corrected a misrepresentation in a conceptual drawing where the guardrail was depicted beyond the steps with yellow safety stripes; he corrected that the guardrail would stop at those steps. Upon inquiry by Chairman Roth, he confirmed that the existing walls get lower as you approach the Palani Road intersection, which would remain as is. In response to Commissioner Ikeuchi's question, he clarified that the guardrail would continue along the curvature of the ramp going up towards the future outdoor dining area, where most falls had happened, and that the existing planters there would remain and be maintained better, which would also add to safety. Chairman Roth clarified that although the Spinners sign was depicted in the drawings, that was not part of the application at this time. Mr. McCowatt confirmed that the application for the sign would be submitted at a later date. Asked by Commissioner Ikeuchi, he also confirmed that the mural would be done by Punky Aloha who had just done nice work at the Kona Brew block, which was proven very popular. Commissioner Ikeuchi expressed her approval for the choice. Chairman Roth opened the floor for discussion and commented that he was in favor of the application for the reason that adding outdoor seating, taking care of the safety of the drop-off, and bringing activity along the street would benefit the community and also seemed to be in keeping with the village. Commissioner Ikeuchi reiterated her support for the mural artwork. She also said that she would prefer the horizontal cable for the guardrail, which would provide the safety measure but draw less attention in her opinion. Mr. McCowatt said that he would agree and would like that to be stated in a motion as a condition of approval. It was moved by Commissioner Ikeuchi and seconded by Commissioner Sullenberger that the Commission approve the application, with the stipulation that the guardrail presented be changed to thinner horizontal cable. There being no further discussion on the motion, a roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried with five ayes (Ikeuchi, Sullenberger, Ching, Crusat, and Smith), no noes, and two absent and excused (Kern and Werchick). 2. PL-KVD-2021-000009: The applicant, Mr. Zach Hanson, of Christopher Kidd and Associates LLC, architect firm/applicant, are proposing exterior and tenant improvements at an existing commercial building for a new outpatient dialysis clinic at the Kona Coast Shopping Center,located off Palani Road at Queen Kaahumanu Highway. The exterior improvements include a new awning; new trash enclosure; new main entrance; new window assemblies; new metal doors; new electrical equipment with protection bollards; new egress lights; repairs to damaged CMU exterior wall; and accessible parking signage on exterior walls. The exterior improvements will be of dark bronze color to match the storefront; there are no other changes to exterior colors of building; interior tenant improvements are not included in the design review. 4 Kailua Village Design Commission January 11,2022,Meeting Minutes Applicant: Zach Hanson, of Christopher Kidd and Associates LLC Landowner: Liliuokalani Trust Estate TMK: (3) 7-4-015:001 Location: 74-5588 Palani Road, Suite 29, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740-3120 Ms. Newlon gave a PowerPoint presentation on proposed exterior improvements. She displayed an aerial photograph, a location map, and a site plan to indicate the property location and the subject site within the Kona Coast Shopping Center. She went over the applicant's submittal and described the proposed improvements and color schemes. She mentioned that the enclosures for the generator and trash were proposed to be right up to the property line, which is allowed because the property's Village Commercial zoning does not have side yard setbacks. She also mentioned that when the applicant comes back with a sign application, it will be reviewed taking into consideration the Sign Code variances that the property currently has. Chairman Roth called upon the applicant. Mr. Zach Hanson provided additional information. He said that the project site was the back three quarters or so of the former Pier 1 Imports space. He described that the awning over the proposed entrance door was to provide some guidance and an entrance feel to the Queen Ka`ahumanu Highway side of the building and would not protrude beyond the existing CMU columns, and that the windows on that wall would provide natural light into the patient treatment area. With regard to the service area in the back of the building, he explained that one of the two proposed doors would be an egress door for patients and the other for clinical waste pickup and removal, that the existing roll-up door with awning would remain as a delivery door, and that there would be some electrical equipment mounted on that wall, with protection bollards. He explained that the height of the enclosure fence was so that it could completely conceal and protect the tall generator. He said that both the generator and trash enclosures would be of a chain-link fence with privacy slats. Asked by Chairman Roth, Mr. Hanson confirmed that the generator was very important for the dialysis procedure because in case of power outage the backup power from the generator would allow them to continue treatment, which typically takes about four hours. Chairman Roth opened the floor for discussion and commented that he was in favor of the project, as it would put the space to good use for the community and also add windows to that particular portion of the building. He further commented that if the owner wished to extend the awnings across all the windows, he would be supportive of it because that would provide nice shading and be acceptable from an appearance standpoint. He added, however, that it would be understandable if they needed to keep it to just the entrance portion for cost reasons. It was moved by Commissioner Crusat and seconded by Commissioner Ikeuchi that the Commission approve the application as submitted. There being no further discussion on the motion, a roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried with five ayes (Crusat, Ikeuchi, Ching, Smith, and Sullenberger), no noes, and two absent and excused (Kern and Werchick). 5 Kailua Village Design Commission January 11,2022,Meeting Minutes ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR 2022 At 6:31 p.m. Chairman Roth opened the floor for nomination for chairperson. Commissioner Sullenberger nominated Chairman Roth, with Commissioner Smith seconding the nomination. There were no other nominations. Chairman Roth accepted his nomination but suggested as a condition for his holdover that efforts be made by everyone to recruit more people to serve on the Commission. A roll call vote was taken, and the nomination was approved with five ayes (Sullenberger, Smith, Ching, Crusat, and Ikeuchi),no noes, and two absent and excused (Kern and Werchick). Chairman Roth abstained. Chairman Roth opened the floor for nomination for vice chairperson. He nominated Commissioners Crusat and Ikeuchi. Commissioner Ikeuchi accepted her nomination, and Commissioner Crusat seconded Commissioner Ikeuchi's nomination. There were no other nominations. A roll call vote was taken, and the nomination was approved with five ayes (Roth, Crusat, Ching, Smith, and Sullenberger), no noes, and two absent and excused (Kern and Werchick). Commissioner Ikeuchi abstained. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next meeting tentatively scheduled for January 25, 2022. At 6:35 p.m. Ms. Bugado announced that the January 25, 2022, meeting was cancelled, as there were no applications to be placed on the agenda, and that the following tentative date was February 8, 2022. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman Roth adjourned the meeting at 6:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary ATTEST: Shaun Roth, Chairman Kailua Village Design Commission 6 Kailua Village Design Commission January 11,2022,Meeting Minutes