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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-03-06 THILOFARMERS MARKET PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT MARCH 6, 2008 HILO FARMERS MARKET LLC A regularly advertised hearing on the application of (SMA 07-000026) was called to order at 11:15 a.m. in the County of Hawaii, Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawaii, with Chairman Rodney Watanabe presiding. PRESENT: Rodney Watanabe Kimo Alameda Lani Bowman Takashi Domingo Andrew Iwashita Shelly Ogata Alvin Rho Rene’ Siracusa Rell Woodward Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel Christopher Yuen, Planning Director Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner And approximately 10 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: HILO FARMERS MARKET LLC (SMA 07-000026) Special Management Area (SMA) Use Permit application for the construction of a 3-story commercial building at the current Farmers Market site at the corner of Kamehameha Avenue and Mamo Street, downtown Hilo, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMK: 2-3-8:20. WATANABE: We are now on Agenda Item No. 4. This would be Hilo Farmers Market LLC Special Management Area Use Permit (SMA 07-000026). And so I believe Mr. Darrow is going to make the presentation. We do have some individuals signed up to testify. If there is anyone else who would like to testify please make sure you address this with Sharon Nomura. Mr. Darrow? DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The applicant in our next application is Hilo Farmers Market LLC. They’re requesting a Special Management Area Use Permit to allow the construction of a 3-story building and related improvements on 7,456 square feet of land. The application is located within South Hilo, more appropriately it’s within Downtown Hilo. Just for reference we have Kamehameha Avenue, we have Bayfront Highway. The ocean is actually on the top right-hand portion of the map. Mamo Street is for reference. The area of the EXHIBIT B 1 application is identified with a blue outline. It’s on the northwest corner of Mamo Street and Kalanianaole Avenue intersection. HAYASHI: Kamehameha. DARROW: Oh, I’m sorry, thank you, Kamehameha Avenue. The applicant is requesting a 3-story building. Most of us are familiar with this particular location. Since 1987 it has been the operation of a farmers market. I’m not sure how long the present owner has owned the property, but previously it was owned by a person named by Richard Rankin who had come in for multiple SMA Minor Permits to establish this particular use. We’ve all seen that they’ve been operating for a period of time under temporary tents. The County has made efforts to meet with the different owners in this particular location to ask them to look at the long-range vision for this area and their improvements. Mr. DeLa Cruz, the applicant’s representative or the owner of the Hilo Farmers Market, has been working with the County over a long period of time, and also has been working with the Mayor on this particular issue. The ground floor of this building will continue to operate as the Farmers Market. The applicant is proposing to add on a second story which will have restrooms for customers and vendors, as well as food service and some retail space. At this time it is unknown whether or not the food service would be a restaurant style or just like a food mart type of place with numerous vendors. The third floor will consist of offices and overnight accommodations or residential units. At this time we do have some proposed layouts. The second floor of the proposed building will include, again, the area where there will be a restaurant or food service type activity, as well as restrooms for customers and vendors of the Farmers Market. The third floor on this particular proposed layout, they’re showing a 10-unit hostel layout which is part of the proposal. It could be hostel overnight accommodations or it could be actual residential units. This is the proposed elevations of the building.This is from Mamo Street, just giving you an idea of the design and character of the proposed structure. These are from Punahoa Street, as well as from Kamehameha Avenue. The Exhibit 2 within your application is a letter from the Mayor showing his support and also mentioning that he will be having the County work on improvements to the sidewalks and the roads in this particular area.Another area that we want to bring to your attention is that in 2005 the Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 Plan was adopted by resolution by the Hawaii County Council. Within that plan, one of the elements was to establish a permanent farmers market within Downtown Hilo. So this application is definitely consistent with not only the Envision Downtown Hilo Plan but also the General Plan, which is also calling for a farmers market in this particular area. The Planning Director is recommending that the Planning Commission approve the Special Management Area Use Permit. I want to bring to your attention that we do have Ron Thiel from the Traffic Division with us, but unfortunately he has to leave within 10 minutes. He did send us some comments and they are incorporated within the recommendation regarding possible improvements to the intersection. They’re proposing a stoplight to this particular area. They’re proposing on market days which are considered Wednesdays and Saturdays to do a trial basis of closing the road from Punahoa Street to Kamehameha Avenue just in this particular area, and to do this as a test basis to see if it helps the situation as far as safety and pedestrian access, as well EXHIBIT B 2 as at the intersection to allow a full access, pedestrian access, which is similar, I don’t know if you might have seen those in Waikiki where all lanes will be stopped and pedestrians would be able to walk through the intersection in any direction. Anyway, are there any questions? WATANABE: Ms. Siracusa. SIRACUSA: Well, I was going to suggest that since there are time constraints we might want to move his testimony up on the agenda so we could hear him before he has to leave. WATANABE: You think that’s okay? YUEN: That’s fine with me if the Commissioners have questions of Ron Thiel. I do want to emphasize though that we asked him here primarily because people do -. You know, anything in Downtown Hilo people are interested in traffic implications and safety implications and the like. This is an SMA permit. The criteria, the SMA Permit is primarily environmental and ecological conditions and to protect those situations. The traffic is not a condition of the SMA Permit unless it’s something that interferes with public access to the shoreline, say an access route that the public uses to the shoreline. So Ron Thiel is here more as an informational resource, just for general questions. We do not have, none of these proposed changes are actually part of the permit. We don’t see that the traffic issues are really part of the SMA in this case so we are not imposing any particular requirements on the applicant as far as roads and traffic. WATANABE: Okay, if there are no objections, Mr. Domingo, you had -? DOMINGO: Yeah, just for a short question. In view of what you said, Mr. Yuen, then if a project such as this is built and there are traffic concerns, then the traffic problems that may result from the development, then the County would be responsible to address that concern? YUEN: Right, right. We’re not recommending any particular improvements that the developer has to make to the neighboring roads and streets which are abused, you know, by many people using many other businesses in the area and also by through traffic. So any improvements that will be made to the area will be on County funds not specifically required of the project. DOMINGO: I see one of the conditions states that, “The County will address those things that are complementary to the project, referring to streets and sidewalk improvements. Possible improvements to the area proposed by the Department of Public Works-Traffic Division may include the construction of a stop light at the intersection of Kamehameha Avenue and Mamo Street. To increase pedestrian safety, a full access intersection crosswalk is proposed, which would allow pedestrians to cross through the middle of the intersection as traffic is halted at all sides.” So what we’re looking at is the County will then bear the full expense of all these improvements regarding the, as a result of the project being built? YUEN: Well, I really wouldn’t put it that way. There are issues that are present right now as far as traffic; and whether this is built or not there are improvements that the County hopes to implement. These are more, so this paragraph here is more in the terms of information EXHIBIT B 3 for the Commission as to what the overall plans of the County are, rather than saying that, it’s not a condition of the permit. None of these things are proposed conditions of the permit itself. DOMINGO: But that -. WATANABE: Mr. Domingo, because of the time constraints, could we hold that question? Because the Director would still be here and we can address that to a greater extent. DOMINGO: Okay, okay. WATANABE: Mr. Terry -. THIEL: Thiel. WATANABE: Thiel, excuse me. Would you please provide, take a seat here. Since he’s a County employee I don’t need to swear him in, yeah? TORIGOE: It’s up to you. WOODWARD: Mr. Chairman? WATANABE: Yes. WOODWARD: If I might address Commissioner Domingo’s concern, one of the things in the recommendation from Director Yuen, “Offsite parking is not required for this area in Downtown Hilo. Patrons of the proposed project will utilize on-street parking in the area and the parking areas located across Kamehameha Avenue at Mooheau Park. Additionally, the applicant owns a private parking lot with space for over 80 vehicles for vendors and customers on a parcel located across Mamo Street.” So I’d just like that for the record. WATANABE: Okay, thank you. Maybe we can have you, and since you are a County employee I’m not going to require you to be sworn in. Would you then provide your testimony and enlighten us on the potential mitigating factors. THIEL: My name is Ron Thiel. I’m the Chief of the Traffic Division for Department of Public Works. I’ve been in communication with the owner, Keith Dela Cruz, for several months looking at addressing the current traffic concerns that we have. And we are looking at closing a portion of Mamo Street for 150 feet in length on Wednesdays and Saturdays; and in doing that we’re going to be losing some parking spaces. And we are also looking at trying to figure out how we can get additional parking in the area. So these are negotiations that I’m working now with the owner. It has nothing to do with this SMA. But the Planning Department thought that since we were doing this already it would be of interest to you to have this information. We don’t have any concrete plans at this point in time but I am proposing methods in which we can eliminate the pedestrian-vehicular conflict in the area; and the best way to do that is to put in a pedestrian signal with an all pedestrian, or a traffic signal with an all pedestrian crossing phase EXHIBIT B 4 which will eliminate conflicts between the pedestrians and the vehicles, and then also to close Mamo Street. So those are the activities that are going on right now. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have -? Yes, Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA: Just a comment that they have the all-pedestrian crossings in Auckland, New Zealand and they work very well. People can even cross the street diagonally because the traffic stops in all directions. And I was very impressed with that when I was there and wondered why no one was ever doing it here in America. So thank you for thinking about that. THIEL: Well, we have two locations on the island, both one in Kona and one in Hilo, same thing, farmers market. I’m looking at both intersections with all cross-walk of pedestrian phase; and it will be the first one on the island. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any further questions? Well, I do have a question. I believe I read an article in the paper regarding potentially lowering the speed limit or extending the 25 mile an hour speed limit. I believe it’s on Kamehameha Avenue. Are you still considering that? THIEL: That didn’t come from me and I’m not considering it. The reason that there are concerns -. We received concerns from the police about people not slowing down prior to the high business area use and they were thinking of moving the speed limit reduction location further away from the business area in the hopes they get the people to slow down. The problem with doing that is there’s not a change in the geometrics of the road. There is a change in geometrics to the road now where the speed is reduced. But if we move it back we’re going to be trying to reduce the speeds on a very wide section of road. What I have done in order to address that, you’ll notice out there you’ll see zigzag stripes approaching that intersection. That is an attempt to get the people to be aware that something is changing and to slow down. We also are going to change the signage. We’re going to do as much as we can to get the speeds down without moving the zone. WATANABE: Yeah, I did notice those zigzag stripes yesterday. Mr. Alameda, did you have -? ALAMEDA: Thank you, yes. Just for piece of mind, so under your expertise then the development of this particular project, given the Wednesdays and Saturdays closure of Mamo Street and maybe the private parking in the back, that somehow the traffic, that this will mitigate traffic issues? THIEL: I’m trying to address the mitigation of the issues at current operations. ALAMEDA: Okay. THIEL: And, you know, I don’t know exactly the limits on this proposal because I think it’s going to extend or there’d be more days, but I am looking now at Wednesdays and Saturdays. EXHIBIT B 5 ALAMEDA: All right, thank you. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any further questions? Ms. Bowman? BOWMAN: Yes, I just have a question. So you are not reducing it because it’s a, there are four lanes coming in? I’m a little hazy on that. THIEL: Well, the request that I received was to try to get the cars to slow down when they move, come into the business area; and they are not doing that now. So they want to move, and this is, you know, I received a lot of these requests, move the reduction further away so it gives the people time to think they might want to start obeying the law. I would rather try to get them aware of where the signage is. And if we can get them to slow down where we have the signage now, it would eliminate our issues of high speeds through that intersection. BOWMAN: But I still don’t understand why you can’t make that area 25 miles an hour zoned. You know, I’m from Kohala and we have 25 mile an hour zones. We come from 45 to 35 to 25 coming into Hawi; and we have far less traffic, but I do know that we only have two lanes. But I just think it’s so crucial for such a busy place to, and maybe I’m just ignorant about the speed limits because then, you know, -. What recourse do you have if someone is going 35 through there even though you have the bumps and things? Cause they’ll say, well, it’s still a 35-mile an hour zone. THIEL: Well, the request wasn’t to move the speed reduction too much further away. It was just to develop a cushion. And I don’t like to address the -. I like to get to the heart of the problem rather than to address the symptom. And to me the symptom is what they’re trying to address. I want to get to the heart of it. I want to get the people to slow down in the areas where we need to have them slow down. BOWMAN: Okay. THIEL: So we are addressing the issue. And if I, we’ll keep on doing it until we get the results. BOWMAN: Thank you. THIEL: Now to further, to carry that a little bit further, what I’m saying is it’s a wide street and it’s very difficult to get the people to slow down on the wide street. We have another project coming up; and if we don’t, aren’t successful in slowing them down with the measures that I’m proposing we’ll try to interject some type of a change in the geometric design in this up-and-coming project in order to accomplish what we’re trying to accomplish. BOWMAN: Thank you. WATANABE: Ms. Siracusa? SIRACUSA: Yes. Mondays and Wednesdays are going to be different. I’m wondering how people will know or even remember that, oh, today is Wednesday so therefore it’s different. EXHIBIT B 6 I know a lot of times people forget. Now what day is it again, is it Tuesday or Wednesday, or -? Is there going to be, I mean, just posting something in the newspaper a lot of people don’t even read that. Will there be some kind of signage or something as people approach the area that will remind them that this is Wednesday or Saturday therefore change your driving behavior? THIEL: The road will be closed with barricades. SIRACUSA: But I mean ahead of time before they get to that point and suddenly hit a barricade and say whoops. THIEL: I haven’t thought about the signage yet, advance warning signage. We would need something like that. We’ve got to be careful not to put too much signs out so we get everything cluttered so they’re not understanding. But -. SIRACUSA: Right. THIEL: But you’re right, there should be -. SIRACUSA: Right, too many signs, yes, too many signs -. THIEL: There should be some type of advance warning. SIRACUSA: Too many signs do confuse the driver; however I think it’s better to know a block away that up ahead you’re not going to be able to continue going straight, that there’s going be a detour, or at least a sign that says “Detour on Wednesday and Saturday,” something like that, so that they’re forewarned. THIEL: Yeah, there’s no problem. I have no problem with that. WATANABE: Mr. Alameda? ALAMEDA: Thank you for coming. After a while people will get it, like the Hilo High one way coming down. I mean I got it already so -. I think after two months we’re going to get it. Okay. WATANABE: Well, I appreciate your staying. I know you are on a tight schedule so -. It doesn’t seem as though there are any other questions. And, again, thank you for your testimony. THIEL: Okay, you’re welcome. And if anything more comes up, just call. I’m just a whistle away. WATANABE: Thank you. Okay, so with that, then I believe we should call up the applicant. Is the applicant or the applicant’s representative here? Okay, would you raise your right hand so I can swear you in, please. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth now before the Planning Commission? MELROSE: I do. EXHIBIT B 7 DELA CRUZ: I do. WATANABE: Okay, thank you. Before you begin your testimony, would you state your name and address for the record; and then you can proceed. MELROSE: Okay, my name is Jeff Melrose, Island Planning, 1405 Waianuenue Avenue. So I thank you for your time today. What Mr. Dela Cruz is trying to attempt today to do, and over the next couple of years to do, is something that nobody has done in Hilo since Nihon, since the Nihon was constructed. This would really be the first building inside the inundation zone that has been constructed since we kind of came out of this run of tidal waves a while back. So it’s a, from a construction perspective, from a design and implementation perspective it’s something that others have feared to tread in that environment. But because the market is such an important part of Downtown Hilo over the 20 years that it has been in place and that the, you know, 200 or so small business people who come regularly and depend on that venue to sell what they sell, it has become a real important part in the cornerstone for a lot of downtown on revitalization; and it spreads not just in the market but in downtown generally. So the proposal, and this is really in much credit to Mr. Dela Cruz for his work with the Mayor and with others to try and respond to their desire for an improved facility. There are all kinds of issues. There are certainly handicap issues, there’s lighting, there’s water, a bunch of issues that are all going to have to come into this. So these kinds of improvements we are in a conceptual design phase, so we’ve done a conceptual design. That’s what Keith has had his architects prepare. As we get closer to the implementation, once we get this permit if you approve it today, we’ll continue to implement, you know, to follow through with the design process. So we’re still kind of trying to figure out just what’s going to go on the second floor and whether a third floor goes on at this point in time, and those kinds of things. But we’re looking for the envelope approval, which is give us enough to be able to work from. I just wanted to address one thing from Ron Thiel’s conversation. I really think we’re very fortunate. Ron has done a really good job of just being applied, and like he said to Commissioner Bowman, I just want to get to the meat of the matter. You know, he goes right to the topic. The conversations we’ve had with him about Mamo Street closure are preliminary conversations. You know that idea is something that he asked us to go out and talk to; and Keith and I have been talking to neighbors because it doesn’t just affect the market. It’s a neighborhood thing. So we’re really not looking to see this be an announcement of that solution because, in fact, it’s not. It’s something that we’re exploring. It has some benefits but there’s a whole lot of -. Communication strategy was one piece that you mentioned, Ms. Siracusa, that that needs to be worked out, relationships with other landowners nearby all of which are going to get affected, circulation and the like. So those things are all in process. So although the Planning Director says it’s not a condition, it is something that we’re interested in because pedestrian safety and circulation in that area is of concern now as a sense of business owner, and as a resident in Downtown Hilo, as a player in that part of the environment. So, I don’t know if Keith has anything in particular to add to that, go ahead. WATANABE: Mr. Dela Cruz, if you’d like to testify give your name and address please, first. EXHIBIT B 8 DELA CRUZ: Keith Dela Cruz, owner of Hilo Farmers Market, 91 Halaulani Place, Hilo, Hawaii, 96720. WATANABE: Thank you. DELA CRUZ: You’re welcome. WATANABE: You can proceed with your testimony. DELA CRUZ: Thank you, first of all, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Commission. We’ve been working on this project since about 2000-2001. So we’ve come a long way. I’m sure a lot of people have wondered what was going on in that timeframe. And in that timeframe we’ve been trying to get grassroots support, as well as comments and input to what we should be doing at the market. As you know the market is under tarps and gravel; and when it rains and there’s a big wind or any type of big weather there’s problems at the market. So we’re trying to address that with a permanent structure. And as you saw on the board there, that’s one of the conceptual drawings that we have presented for you today. Jeff has been instrumental in helping us get to the SMA Permit point up till today, as well as a bunch of other people, like the Downtown Improvement Association and the Friends of Downtown Hilo, to the Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 Plan. And what we have today is an accumulation of their inputs as well as inputs from my travels abroad to check out other markets. And I hope up to this point we’ve provided something that is concrete and worthy of being in Downtown Hilo. WATANABE: Thank you. Mr. Melrose, as a representative of the applicant, you’ve already had an opportunity to review the Director’s comments and recommendations and conditions. So would you care to comment on those? MELROSE: We have reviewed the recommendations. We have no specific comments on the recommendations. They’re standard and they’re appropriate. WATANABE: Okay, thank you. With that, Fellow Commissioners, are there any -? Yes, Ms. Siracusa. SIRACUSA: Yes. The overpass from one building to the other side of the street, do you intend to put that in even if the road is closed on Wednesdays and Saturdays as was suggested here? MELROSE: The overpass was an early conceptual drawing. It’s not part of the application. We’re not seeking permission to do that. It was Keith thinking outside the box trying to figure out ways to accommodate, he does own property immediately on the other side of the street; but it’s not part of our application so -. It shows up. Unfortunately the Tribune Herald got that image early on and replayed it more recently so it kind of stays in people’s mind. But it’s really not part of the application and part of the current thinking at this point. And if it was that might in fact mitigate some of what you’re talking about. But there’s still a ground level of walking backing and forth. Mamo Street is actually not -. The real safety issues, I think EXHIBIT B 9 Ron would concur with this, Mr. Thiel, that Kamehameha Avenue is where speed and where impact is; and that’s really a regional issue. It happens when the roads are closed on Bayfront Highway, you get every truck and everything coming through there. There is already a fair amount of back and forth from the parking and the bus depot as the bus use is increasing. Mamo Street is a fairly quiet street. It’s broken up three or four times by stop lights and pedestrian crossing ways. So we really aside from people being courteous to each other and in the cross- walks, we don’t really see that as, at this point it’s not where the biggest issue is. It’s really across at Kamehameha Avenue, I think. So we will continue to work at safety connecting the two sides of that across Mamo. SIRACUSA: Follow-up, please? WATANABE: Follow-up. SIRACUSA: Yes. Well, I’m aware, and Mamo Street is only like three blocks long anyway. MELROSE: Right. SIRACUSA: So it’s certainly not a through street, but it is important to Downtown Hilo. So the overpass isn’t definitely part of the project. There was also some mention that possibly a third floor. How firm is that in the plans, the third floor? DELA CRUZ: Just a thought on the bridge. This project here is a part of our first phase. We own property across the street and kitty corner to it. And my thought was to connect it to the parking lot that is on the third property with the third phase. As far as the question about the third floor, we do intend to have a third floor but it’s a much-scaled down third floor. We had about 4,000 square feet. We’ve we reduced it down to about 1,000 square feet. SIRACUSA: Will there be an elevator? DELA CRUZ: Yes. SIRACUSA: So it will be ADA accessible to the third floor then? DELA CRUZ: Yes. SIRACUSA: But then of course it will also be a staircase, is that right? DELA CRUZ: There would be two staircases. SIRACUSA: Okay. The reason I’m asking -. DELA CRUZ: Actually, I’ll correct me, it’s three staircases. SIRACUSA: Okay, the reason I was asking about that was because this is in a tsunami evacuation zone and so I was concerned if there were people, especially if you did a hostel, EXHIBIT B 10 upstairs and suddenly a tsunami hit and people are sleeping up there how hard would it be or easy would it be for them to get all the way down to street level so that they could run. DELA CRUZ: Yeah, so that’s a concern and we’ve scaled it down to not include the hostel at this time. WATANABE: Mr. Alameda? ALAMEDA: I was just going to say I’m curious to hear testimony. WATANABE: Yeah, okay. Do we have any further questions of the applicant? IWASHITA: I just have one. WATANABE: Okay. Yeah, okay, Mr. Iwashita. IWASHITA: Good morning, Keith. I just wanted to make sure you smiled. You were real serious in the meeting. I know him as a real smiley guy. There was mention in the papers that we got before this matter came up today reference to the Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 community-based vision and living action plan and that your project obviously is consistent with the farmers market’s reference in that plan. I just wanted to know if, I couldn’t tell looking at the papers, if you actually talked to the current members of the, I forget what they call it, the committee that’s supposed to make sure that it works. Have you talked with them and gotten their support? DELA CRUZ: The Friends of Downtown Hilo or the Vision Keepers? IWASHITA: I guess the Vision Keepers. DELA CRUZ: I think we reported officially to them in our Downtown Improvement Association Annual meeting in, I think it was 2007; and that was at the Palace Theater, and that was an update of what, you know, what we had so far on the drawings. IWASHITA: What was the response there? DELA CRUZ: It was pretty much positive. Some people voiced concerns about the parking and pedestrian safety; and so we made some headway into mitigating those problems. IWASHITA: And just, if you can spend a minute -. You mentioned you visited other farmers markets, and I have some minimal exposure via television to the benefits that farmers markets provide to a community. Can you spend a minute and share some of your experiences. DELA CRUZ: Well, some of the markets that we’ve looked at in the North Pacific, specifically Pikes Place Market, Grandville Island Market, Longsdale Key Market, Olympia Washington Market, Vancouver, the Victoria Bridge Columbia Market and couple of others in San Francisco. I can’t recall the names. They all generate a lot of the activity and economic diversity in the city or little towns; and that’s what the Hilo Farmers Market I believe has done EXHIBIT B 11 th for Hilo in the last 20 years. We’ve been in Hilo, well, this is our 20 year and we have over 200 plus vendors. A lot of them are local agricultural farmers, backyard growers, hobbyists, food vendors, and crafters. And so it brings a lot of colorful life and diversity to Downtown on those two days, Wednesdays and Saturdays. And I guess one of the things that’s driving me to get this structure up has been the desire to improve upon what we already have as a market as well as a Downtown community. We don’t have bathrooms, or we didn’t have bathrooms – well, actually we had one bathroom when I first got here and took over the market in ’99, and that was across at the bus station at Mooheau Bandstand. Since then we’ve added 1, 2, 3, 4, 4 bathrooms. And so, you know, a lot of the people, the vendors as well as the customers, appreciate the bathrooms. But even more with this new structure we hope to bring in more bathrooms so that it makes the shopping experience and the market and Downtown a more pleasurable and safer environment and comfortable. So I think that’s what we’re trying to do here, is just make things a little more better for something that’s already good in the community, and hopefully make it better for the next 20, 30 years. IWASHITA: I know Pike’s Place Market is a permanent structure. Have, do other places you mentioned, were they all permanent buildings that the farmers markets were housed in? DELA CRUZ: Well, the one that I liked the most was Grandville Island and Vancouver and it had a mix of both. They had permanent structures and they also had tents or tarps and also just, you know, no tarps at all. And so we’d like to model that market in the respect that on this Phase I will be permanent structure, and then across the street and kitty corner to that would be tarps and tents. Eventually we’d like to replace those with more durable structures, maybe tents or maybe even other solid structures like what we’re proposing today. IWASHITA: Thank you. DELA CRUZ: You’re welcome. Thank you. WATANABE: Okay, do we have any -? MELROSE: Could I add two quick thoughts to that response? WATANABE: Yes. MELROSE: One is that, just understand that in comparison to other markets around the country, one of the unique things about the Hilo Farmers Market is -, many of the other markets are public markets, they’re actually on public streets, managed by public contract in public facilities. So the fact that this is a private one gives it an interesting kind of quasi-public, quasi- private sense. The public feels very much a part of this market. And we’re running a business that is in fact feeling like a public place. That’s an honor at some level and it’s also an interesting challenge from a liability perspective. But it is in fact not unique in the country by any means but it’s in the minority of the markets that are around the country. The one other thing I wanted to mention, Andrew, Mr. Iwashita, was that the other comments that we’ve heard from follow-up conversations and even our last meeting with Envision folks is -- we’re aware that people look at the drawings that have been produced and say, you know, this building is big EXHIBIT B 12 or it’s bulky, or whatever -- they’re concerned about the look. And I think we see that as a, we share that concern. The interest in the building, we really want the building to be something that is a partner in Downtown that matches what the visions of Downtown have been for many years in terms of a consistent vernacular old style. That’s clearly what we’re doing. The only real difference is we’ve really got to get up 15 feet to let the wave pass underneath the building. So size-wise you’re prompted up in your first floor, and that may create a certain amount of sense of size; but our intention is that the building does fit and is a visual partner. But we’ve had those concerns and see those concerns more as a statement of the value of the market toward the people who live here and the value of Downtown; and that’s something that, well, Mr. Dela Cruz again and again has said is an important part of the business he’s in and what he wants to do. WATANABE: Thank you. IWASHITA: I just, to follow up -. WATANABE: Follow-up. IWASHITA: A follow-up comment and -. You know, I think that your idea, the farmers market idea, is being duplicated, attempted, people are trying to copy it in other places; and I think that’s great. It just shows that, you know, the markets are really, to me, as far as planning and the concerns we have, in this case an SMA approval, but just generally in planning that, you know, markets, farmers markets like these really can be the nucleus, the center, of every community on this island, and something that we should always try and encourage. WATANABE: Ms. Bowman? BOWMAN: Just a comment and a question. I’ve been to several of the markets you’ve mentioned; and I think, you know, they’re great and exciting.And pardon my ignorance but the farmers market here is a cooperative of vendors? Is that correct? Your farmers market, is there, I’m just wondering and I don’t know if this in the purview of the SMA but, you know, what will happen to the vendors that are here now? Will prices go up, I mean, how do the vendors that are already in the market feel about this? Would the cost of the building be passed on to the vendors? Is that -? DELA CRUZ: The first part of your question is if it’s a cooperative, it’s not. They’re individual businesses that made the market part of their business lives. A lot of them have been there, some of them, 18-20 years. As far as the second question about will the rates go up? Yes. As we mentioned, we do have to take into consideration the additional management and associated expenses that go with the building. So, yes, they are going to go up; but we will keep it reasonable. As everybody has known, or some of the vendors that might be here, the prices are, on Wednesdays it ranges anywhere from, well, in any day of the week of the market the price ranges from $10 to $25, depending on which day. And so the prices are fairly reasonable right now despite comments from other markets or other people that come up to me and say how come you charge so cheap? So we try to keep it reasonable; and that’s what we’re going to do with this new market. And that’s why we’ve gone through three or four designs in trying to keep within the cost factor; and we’re at that stage right now where we do believe that the cost factor will be able to be sustained by reasonable prices by the vendors. EXHIBIT B 13 BOWMAN: But would your second story retail help to alleviate, is that the reason why you have the second story retail to create income? DELA CRUZ: Yeah. And that’s part of, that is the result of the tsunami code that we have to follow, is that we have to build 15 feet up. And we could just build a roof on there; but to do the cost, it wouldn’t make economical sense for us to put something which is a roof. So we had to add in the second floor area for leasable space. And that goes in keeping with what we wanted to do, which was to expand the amount of floor area for additional vendors as well as bathrooms and a restaurant dining area. BOWMAN: Thank you. WATANABE: Ms. Siracusa. SIRACUSA: What kind of provisions are you making for your current vendors during the time that you’re under construction and how long do you expect construction, that interim adjustment to last? DELA CRUZ: The preparations, we’ve up to this point, this is one of our first official milestones for the market. And so subject to the outcome of this Commission’s review of the SMA it will start the ball rolling as far as our written memo communications to the vendors as far as how we’re doing in the process of our construction, meaning -. SIRACUSA: I meant starting from when you break ground, and that’s when the vendors have to be relocated somewhere else. So have you made, I assume that you’ve made some sort of provision for that, for their relocation. And I’m wondering from when you break ground until everything is completed and they’re ready to move back in, for how long a period do you expect that these people will be displaced? DELA CRUZ: I think we wrote in our SMA application anywhere from 12 to 18 months. But certainly if we can do it sooner we’re going to try our best efforts to make the construction phase go faster. I personally would like to see it done within 6 to 8 months. And so I’m, you know, that might be a stretch but that’s one of goals that I have. SIRACUSA: But where will they go in the meantime? MELROSE: The intention is to move them across the street and relocate them. Understand that this business is about vendors, and treating vendors well is really the key to the success of the business. So displacing them and not caring about what happens to them in the meantime isn’t a good business move. So there is space across the street. There may be some shifting in food and craft across the street a little bit; but I think the intention is to maintain the market during that period in time and to try our very best to make it as quickly as possible because, you know, vendors can move off to other places. We think this is the right place for the market. It does a lot for Downtown. So it’s really important that the market maintain and manage a good relationship with the vendors to the extent that they can. This will be a EXHIBIT B 14 displacement process but I guarantee you that there’s going to be a high level of concern to make sure that those issues are addressed. SIRACUSA: Please notice, Jeff, I didn’t say will you make provisions for the vendors. I assumed that you would -. MELROSE: Okay. SIRACUSA: Because they are your bread and butter. I just wanted to know if you had already figured out where they would go. DELA CRUZ: Well, across and kitty corner to the market we have almost an acre and a half; and so we were looking to set up temporary shops there. We’re also working on some other plans where we might be able to expand into the property that is across the street directly across from us also. WATANABE: Are we done with the questions? I think so. Thank you. So you may be seated. I do have five people from the public who wish to testify on this. So maybe I’ll call you up three and two. Could I have Hope Louise Cermelj, Andrea Tischler, and Eddie Ombac come up, please. You’d be Hope Louise? Is Andrea still there? TISCHLER: I’m Andrea. WATANABE: Oh, you’re Andrea. Oh, then Hope Louise, is she here? No? PUBLIC: She’s not here. WATANABE: Not here, already left. Okay, okay. Can I swear you in then, both of you? Thank you. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth now before the Planning Commission? TESTIFIERS: Yes. WATANABE: Okay. It looks like you have the mike already in your hand so -. Before you begin your testimony though would you state your full name and address for the record, please. OMBAC: My name is Eddie Ombac. I live at 626 Awa Street here in Hilo. And I’m here to support Mr. Dela Cruz. My wife Debbie and I have been vendors at the Hilo Farmers Market for over 15 years. We sell potted orchid plants that we grow at our farm in Panaewa just out of Hilo. Not only does the Hilo Farmers Market provide fresh produce to people that live in our community and visitors as well, the market helps farmers like my wife and I provide for our family; and beautifying the market will attract more customers which will be good for my business. Lastly, as a fan of Downtown Hilo, I’m tired of the tarps. Beautifying the market is way overdue. Locals showing their family and friends visiting from other places around Downtown Hilo should be proud of how beautiful our town is; and I just think the tarps got to go. Thank you for your time and consideration. EXHIBIT B 15 WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any questions of the testifier? None. Thank you. This would be Andrea? TISCHLER: Yes. WATANABE: Yes, would you state your name and address. TISCHLER: Thank you. My name is Andrea Tischler and I live at 564 Hoaka Road in Hilo and I’m a resident of the Big Island. I go to the Farmers Market at least twice every week and I love it; and I thank Mr. Dela Cruz for providing a place for that to happen, to allow that to happen. It’s a wonderful place to get fresh produce, and sometimes organic produce as well; and that’s really important with our family. My problem with this project is not that something needs to be done. Certainly the floor and the tarps need some serious, serious work. But I think that the way I see it is that Hilo is an intact historical city and there’s not too many places like that in the United States any more. And a lot of places have really lost a lot of their character because they’ve gone ahead and done things project by project. And all of those are as the gentleman over here on the right said, you know, are fair, and those are fair. But one project after another project changes the character of a very, very beautiful place. And Hilo is a very, very beautiful place to me, and I think to a lot of other people who are here. I think my problem is with the bulk of the building, the size of it, the three stories. And I was very, very happy to hear Mr. Dela Cruz and the architect talk about the possibility of only building two stories; and that’s where I would really strongly suggest that a two-story building be built there. In relationship to the other buildings Downtown, the Hata building is right there; and really when you look at it there are no other three-story buildings down there. It’s all two stories. And it seems to me that we don’t want something that’s going to tower over everything else with that size and the bulk; and that size is a little too big. So I would strongly suggest that the work be done and the improvements be made, and it’s going to be a wonderful feature on the landscape, but make it a two-story building rather than a three-story building. I thank you very much. Aloha. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any questions for this testifier? No? Seeing none, then both of you may be seated. I have two remaining people who requested an opportunity to testify, Tip Davis and Sam Puluole. Okay, would you both raise your right hands so I can swear you in. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Planning Commission? TESTIFIERS: I do. WATANABE: Okay. Mr. Davis, it looks like you have a hold of the mike so would you state your name and address for the record, and you may begin. DAVIS: Full name, William Tip Davis, 150 Kilauea Avenue. I live walking distance to the market. I am a landowner Downtown, I’m a landlord, a businessman, I live in Downtown, our residence is Downtown. I’m also a market vendor, probably I’ve been in the EXHIBIT B 16 market longer than anybody else in this room. You might have been there as long as we -- but I was there in the early stages when we used to flag people down -- Mike, we call him Mike, not Richard -. But we used to waive at people, locals, to stop to buy our stuff in the old days. And we still have a stall there. And I intimately know the area because we’ve renovated a major property very nearby and it was the dump. This is a vacant piece of land. There’s not much else you can do with it; and you can’t renovate it. And I really admire Keith’s, you know, taking this, I mean, it’s a risk. It’s a financial risk. But I think what he’s doing is very important for Hilo. I’ve watched over the years the difference that the market has made from its very beginning in Hilo, and not only just the businesses Downtown.But a lot of the people that are at the market are selling other people’s products as well.It has a huge effect on the economy of this community and elsewhere. And I don’t think for a moment that Keith is going to take a chance with raising prices to the point where vendors are not going to be there. I know we’ll be there. You know, we used to have the little café across the street, as a matter of fact. And we served only what we grew from our farm, which wasn’t of course Downtown at the time. But we worked with many, many, many other growers to produce our products. And I think it’s a very important part; and I really thank Keith for doing this. It’s very important to the fiber of our community. And as a DIA Member, as a former Envision Keeper, I’m committed to Downtown and I’m committed to this project. Thank you for your time. Any questions? WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have -? BOWMAN: Yes. WATANABE: Yes. BOWMAN: I have a question for Mr. Davis. Since you live Downtown what is your, do you have any comment about the three stories versus the two? Thank you. DAVIS: Well, I’m also a businessman and a landowner and I know that what he needs to do is to be able to afford to put concrete floors. I know that when it rains hard that gravel is really hard to clean. The markets everywhere else we can shoot down with a hose, concrete floors. But there doesn’t seem to be any other way than to do a real building, and a real building costs money. And so I really don’t have an objection as long as -. I mean, I think there needs to be sensitivity, and I think that this builder, this owner, is sensitive to restrictions. I mean sure it would be great if it was exactly the same height as the adjoining buildings, which is sort of part of the Hata complex there on the front street, Kamehameha Avenue. But I think that the reality is that, you know, I don’t see how somebody can, you know, make it work, just -. I mean, to me the best possible use for that space is a market, either that or a parking lot, you know. And a parking lot would never produce the income nor the benefit to the community as the market would produce. And so I’m willing to give a little bit to see that the community benefits from this man’s investment. BOWMAN: So you’re in favor of the three stories, is that it -? DAVIS: Well, -. BOWMAN: If need be economically? EXHIBIT B 17 DAVIS: If need be. You know, and I trust that he’s going to be making a good judgment on that. BOWMAN: Okay, thank you. WATANABE: Do we have any other questions for this testifier? Thank you. Mr.-. PULUOLE: Puluole. WATANABE: Puluole, yeah. PULUOLE: Aloha. WATANABE: Aloha. PULUOLE: My name is Sam Puluole. I’m the executive director of the Hilo Downtown Improvement Association. The address is 329 Kamehameha Avenue, Hilo, Hawaii 96720. We manage the bus terminal right across the street at the Mooheau Bus Terminal, that is part of our contract and part of what we do there. So we are intimately familiar with the market itself; and we refer to that area there really as the gateway to Hilo.There is another gateway which is, runs by Tip’s property, and there’s some exciting things happening over there. But I come here before you this morning, and appreciate the opportunity, to voice the Hilo DIA’s support for this project. I’ve known Mr. Dela Cruz even before I came on as the Director over a year and a half ago; and I’m in pretty much continuous communication with him. I respect his business acumen, but I really appreciate his commitment to having that marketplace and looking at the revitalization as it fits in with the Hilo DIA’s mission to make Hilo a safe place to live, work and play. My comment would be that I trust his sensitivity to the core culture of Hilo, which is our ethnic diversity. And I trust, I’ve looked at some of the renderings and I trust his and his consultants’ commitment to keeping that architecture so that it is in flow with existing structures. And what I want to get to is that it’s the vibrant flavor of what Hilo is really all about, and so this becomes a part of revitalizing that and keeping that core culture, that sensitivity. You know, we have a story that we tell to visitors. We have a website that creates a lot of traffic online, and we already did a feature on the Hilo Farmers Market. So there’s a lot of interest into what Hilo is really all about, and we want to tell that story. We believe this is complimentary to the story of Hilo and it fits well within what Hilo is really all about.And it’s the crown jewel of the Big Island. This is the best preserved Pacific township in the State of Hawai‘i; and this is the story that we tell people, the visitors. We get a lot of traffic that comes through there. It says information office. We have everybody come in through there. And we tell them that, you know, at one time all of the Pacific townships that used to be along the coastline basically had this kind of architecture that we have and, the more important, the core culture of the people that reside there. That area there, especially the Farmers Market, that’s where you have a mixture of visitors, you have a mixture of, well, for a while now cruise ship passengers, you’ve got residents, and you’ve got visiting kamaaina that come through there. So everybody loves the Hilo Farmers Market; and I believe that this revitalization that is now being launched is well EXHIBIT B 18 within what the Envision Downtown Hilo 2025 aspires to be and what we support. And so I ask you please on behalf of the Hilo DIA that this should be approved. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any questions of -? SIRACUSA: Mr. Chairman? WATANABE: Yes, Ms. Siracusa. SIRACUSA: Yeah, certainly the market has a tremendous impact on Hilo and there are a lot of people I know, you know, even from Puna who come out to the market, especially on Wednesdays because they can’t wait till Sundays for our own market. And you definitely need help with the tarps and gravel. My first impression was that the three stories was bothering me, you know, and thinking about how it would block viewplanes. And I was surprised that the Downtown Improvement Association didn’t have concerns about the viewplanes being blocked. But hearing that the third floor has been scaled down, that the architecture is going to be in keeping with the surrounding architecture, and thinking about it directly upslope of the market there are no residences that, you know, whose vision would be blocked by the third story, I’ve changed my mind about that particular issue. And thank you both for, and Jeff as well, for mentioning those things because that answered the concerns that I had. MELROSE: You’re very welcome. WATANABE: Thank you. Do we have any further questions of the testifiers? Well, you may be seated. We’ve had quite a bit of testimony and discussion so maybe a motion might be in order. WOODWARD: Mr. -. SIRACUSA: I’ll make a -. WATANABE: Commissioner Woodward? WOODWARD: I will yield to Commissioner Siracusa. WATANABE: Oh, okay. SIRACUSA: Okay, you can second it then. WOODWARD: Okay. IWASHITA: I wanted to make the motion. EXHIBIT B 19 SIRACUSA: I move that the application for a Special Management Area Use Permit, SMA 07-000026, Hilo Farmers Market, LLC, be approved based on the Planning Director’s recommendation and proposed conditions. WOODWARD: Second. IWASHITA: Third. WATANABE: Okay, we’ve had a motion and a second for a favorable action. Any further discussion? ALAMEDA: Mr. Chairman? WATANABE: Yes. ALAMEDA: I’d like to make a comment. WATANABE: Mr. Alameda. ALAMEDA: Thank you. I used to live up Waiakea Uka way on the top and I used to ride my bike down when I was a young boy all the way down to the Farmers Market and played with my friends across the street at Mooheau Park. The Farmers Market is just an unbelievable place, I think, where cultures and diversity can meet at one place. And that cultural exchange, there’s no better experience than people from diversed backgrounds, ethnically, age, socio- economic, to meet at one place and use food, and now get flowers and other nice tangibles, if you will, to talk story. And so I fully support this application. I think it will do wonders for the Hilo community in bringing everybody together like it has in the past. And so I really congratulate all of you for putting this together. That’s all. WATANABE: Thank you. Mr. Iwashita? IWASHITA: Yeah, two things. First, as far as the building height, if you look at the picture on Page 4 of the materials, the Hata Building, you’ll see that the façade of the Hata Building is considerably higher than the actual roof height. Facade, façade, I went law school. I didn’t go to architectural school, sorry, façade. Actually lawyers think of façade is like a bad, you know, something fake. Right? The façade is considerably higher than actually the line of the adjoining building, which is the line you see in the architecture or rendering. So I just don’t see, you know, I guess my really eyeballing it, the actual buildout of this building to three stories is not going to be that much higher than the façade of the Hata Building. And, in fact, the Hata Building has a third story. You can’t see it but all the way in the back there is a third story and a room and it’s rented. It used to be used by a court reporter, that’s how I know. But I think it used to be a residence, part of a residence before. One of my classmates used to live there. So, one, there is a three-story building on front street, Downtown Hilo. The only other thing I want to say is, you know, in Seattle they throw the fish around. Maybe in the Hilo Farmers Market they can throw the taro around or something to juice it up. But, again, EXHIBIT B 20 it is really not just a cultural engine but, you know, it is a cultural engine, as well as an economic engine in our community; and I do support it wholeheartedly. WATANABE: Any further discussion? Mr. Darrow? DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The motion before us is to approve the Special Management Area Use Permit for the Hilo Farmer Market LLC. With that I’ll take the roll. Commissioner Siracusa? SIRACUSA: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Woodward? WOODWARD: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Alameda? ALAMEDA: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Bowman? BOWMAN: Yes. DARROW: Commissioner Domingo? DOMINGO: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Iwashita? IWASHITA: Yes. DARROW: Commissioner Ogata? OGATA: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Rho? ROH: Aye. DARROW: And Mr. Chairman? WATANABE: Aye. DARROW: The motion passes nine to zero. WATANABE: Okay, Mr. DeLa Cruz, you’ll be notified in writing of the decision. EXHIBIT B 21 The discussion ended at 12:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M. Nomura, East Hawai‘i Secretary EXHIBIT B 22