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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-01 T2H_HAWAII WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT APRIL 1, 2010 2H HAWAII LLC (SMA 10-38) A regularly advertised hearing on the application ofwas called to order at 9:46 a.m. in the County of Hawai‘i, Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i, with Chairman Rell Woodward presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Rell Woodward, Dean Au, Takashi Domingo, Zendo Kern, and Wallace Ishibashi. STAFF PRESENT: Brandon Gonzalez (Deputy Corporation Counsel), BJ Leithead Todd (Planning Director), Norman Hayashi, (Planning Program Manager), Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Phyllis Fujimoto (Staff Planner), Jeff Darrow (Staff Planner), and Maija Cottle (Staff Planner). And approximately 5 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: 2H HAWAII LLC (SMA 10-38) Special Management Area Use Permit to allow the construction of a medical office building. The property is located at the corner of Punahoa Street and Nawahi Street, Downtown Hilo, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMK: 2-3-9:26 and 27. WOODWARD: The third application is 2H Hawaii LLC requesting a Special Management Area Use Permit for construction of a medical office building in South Hilo. Jeff. DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If I could direct your attention to the presentation on the wall. Our next applicant IS 2H Hawaii LLC. They are requesting a Special Management Area Use Permit. The area of the application is within Downtown Commercial, Commercial Downtown Hilo. More specifically we’re looking at Kamehameha Avenue, Bayfront Highway running along the, parallel with the ocean. And we have Ponahawai Street that’s running in a mauka-makai direction. The area of the subject properties are identified with a black outline. There are two at this time. One of the conditions in the application is that the applicant consolidate these two properties into one, which I believe is in the process as we speak. This is on the corner of Punahoa Street and Nawahi Place. This is an aerial photo that kind of shows the area being built out. We have the farmers market that’s located on Mamo Street that’s pretty active, and it’s in the general area. This is directly next to Agasa furniture in that particular area, as well as the gas stations along the Kamehameha Avenue. 1 EXHIBIT B The applicant is requesting a special management area use permit to allow the construction of a two-story medical office building and related improvements on 7,295 square feet of land. The ground floor will be used specifically for parking. And the second floor will be used as a general medical office with a patient waiting area, reception area, examination rooms, and other required elements of a standard medical office. This is the first floor plan which shows the proposed parking. You have Punahoa Street that’s located on the right side of the map; and Nawahi Street that’s located on the bottom portion of the map. The second floor shows the layout for the medical office building. And this is a rendered elevation of what this will look like.Again, we have Punahoa Street and Nawahi Lane. Here are some site photos. This is the location of the property. To the right side is the existing Agasa Furniture; and in the background you can see some of the structures for the Famers Market. This is looking towards the ocean on Nawahi Street. Again, we have the subject property on the right side. You can see that Nawahi Street is used for parking; and there is an existing sidewalk on Nawahi. This is the subject property itself. Currently there are no existing structures on the property, just a tree and a temporary vendor. The Planning Department is recommending approval with conditions. We do have one condition that we’d like to make a change. This was handed out to the Commissioners in a yellow piece of paper. It’s a change to Condition No. 5; and so we are proposing to replace Condition 5 with this language. The main issue is that Department of Public Works asked that this be dedicated, the sidewalk improvements be dedicated to the County. Are there any questions? WOODWARD: Any questions for staff? All right, seeing none, if we could have the applicant and/or the representative come up. All right, if I could swear you in. If you’ll raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth today before the Windward Planning Commission? DUERLER: I do. MITCHELL: I do. WOODWARD: Very good. Okay, if you’ll give us your name and phone number and then you may begin your testimony. KERN: Address. WOODWARD: Name and address, yes, excuse me. DUERLER: Tim Duerler, 50 Ululani Street, Hilo. MITCHELL: Michele Mitchell, 50 Ululani Street, Hilo. 2 EXHIBIT B WOODWARD: Very good. Sir, would you like to begin? Please speak into the microphone. DUERLER: I don’t have too much to add about the general information. We did have one concern with, actually, related to the amended condition and the sidewalk improvements. We understand that it’s a pretty small, I mean it’s a pretty small lot to begin with. We feel it’s satisfactory for what we propose to do. But we were, we worked really hard to try to maximize the off-street parking, which we feel is important. And if you look at the Planning Department’s recommendation it’s at least 15 parking stalls, 2 ADA accessible stalls which are obviously very important, a loading zone, two stairwells because it is, you know, tsunami area, so that would be elevated. And then the concern was with additional sidewalk requirements, we don’t, you know, we haven’t looked at it specifically but I think it would be very hard to fulfill all of those requirements. And so that was just one thing that, you know, I wanted to bring up. And, you know, obviously we feel off-street parking is an important thing for the use of it. I don’t have anything else. WOODWARD: Okay, any questions? Commissioner Domingo? DOMINGO: What is the length of the proposed curbs and gutters that we’re looking at if they were to build it? WOODWARD: I believe it’s the sidewalk they’re talking about, sidewalk? DOMINGO: Yeah, the sidewalk. DARROW: The width of the sidewalk or the length? DOMINGO: The length. DARROW: The length would be along both Punahoa Street as well as Nawahi Street. DOMINGO: I see. DARROW: If I could interject on this. The reason for the condition is based on the Department rd of Public Works’ Memorandum dated February 23. The last sentence in the memorandum states that “In the interest of pedestrian safety, the applicant should provide concrete sidewalks along the property’s frontages of Nawahi Lane and Punahoa Street.” On Nawahi Lane, as we saw earlier, we do have sidewalks along the left side of the road. But on the applicant’s particular side of the property, there are no sidewalks. Additionally on Punahoa Street there are no sidewalks. So the concern is that people might be walking directly on the roadway. MITCHELL: May I respond to that? WOODWARD: Sure. 3 EXHIBIT B MITCHELL: One of the things that we considered when we were entertaining the idea of how to have patients come into the building was the underneath parking would prevent them from going outside the property. In order to obtain access to the building, the patients will be parking underneath the building itself. The building is raised and they will be accessing the building from the parking directly. So although I recognize that there is safety issue for people who would be waundering the streets, in theory our patients should not be going out that way. DUERLER: And just to dovetail on that, we did try to incorporate in the parking design, you know, some sidewalk access underneath the building as well to try to, you know, mitigate some of that. So -. WOODWARD: All right. Commissioner Domingo, did you have anything further? DOMINGO: I was thinking about it. And, you know, I reflect back on the discussion we had at the last meeting regarding the Downtown Development Plan, and that , you know, we envision that place, the EnVision Plan, it was called the EnVision Plan. And what would happen at that time when things start to, people start to develop or redevelop the place in order to make Downtown more user friendly and, I guess, solidify the economic base, that all of these requirements that you’re facing will be, will apply to them, and that would be elevating the building to a height that would be suitable for parking. So what they’re looking at is in the future, might be not in my lifetime, but in the future if they do develop or redevelop Downtown that is what we’re going to see, a whole line of buildings elevated, and parking structures in the bottom of that. And I think one of these requirements definitely in the core area of that development would be this sidewalks, curbs and gutters; and with regards to, as you go out to the outer perimeter would be a requirement for sidewalks for the whole area. And I’m going to look at this not only based on your individual application, but as I look at yours I’m thinking of the total area, the development area for Downtown; and that’s how it’s going to be. You know, I think should this requirement be exempted or left out of it, it would set a precedent. And I hope you can look into it; and I hope that if this is a requirement that you have to meet it would not change your desire to develop the place. I think what I see is that you’re being pioneers with respect to Downtown taking a new direction. WOODWARD: Okay. One thing that I was just looking at here, and this is on your diagram here of the building, it looks like you’re right up to street corner, the pillars that support this second floor. DUERLER: You’re looking at the kind of 3-D renderings. And that was just the, that’s probably not completely accurate in terms of the, you know, that was, the floor plans and the parking, you know, is more accurate to scale. The 3-D renderings were more to give kind of, I mean it’s fairly to scale but it’s not, you know. I think there is some leeway that’s not, it’s not exactly up to the street corner. The 3-D rendering is not completely to scale. So it’s just more of, to give you a 4 EXHIBIT B general kind of feel for what we’re proposing. WOODWARD: Okay, well, on your lot site plan, it also has your parking area essentially going up to the street with a few palm trees planted there. I mean that does seem to be a problem as far as not necessarily the people that’s your patients but other people that would need to walk along side of that street. They’re going to either be walking on other side or in the street. You see what I’m talking about here, this diagram? So, you know, I would think that you need to consider working with Public Works. And it’s not just question of patients but it’s a question of the public having access to a place to walk along that side of the street. Okay, do you have any comment on that issue? DUERLER: I guess, you know, Nawahi is a one-lane road. When I’ve ever been down there, I’ve been down there multiple times, you know, certainly Farmers Market Wednesday and Saturday, there’s more, you know, people potentially walking. But I know before the little temporary coffee cart was there the grass was all overgrown, and I don’t think anybody was able -. You know, they kind of mowed that down, and you can walk on that side now. But before I think everybody had to use the sidewalk on the other side of that pretty narrow lane. It’s definitely not highly traversed. You know, we’re open to the sidewalks. It’s just, you know, the concern is all of the requirements, the sidewalks, plus the level of parking, if that’s, you know -. If we weren’t able to physically meet all the requirements if, you know-. If sidewalks are an absolute necessity then we probably wouldn’t be able to provide as much off-street parking. DARROW: If I could interject again. WOODWARD: Yes, Jeff. DARROW: The requirements in Downtown Hilo do not require off-street parking. This would be something that, it would be your proposal for the off-street parking. So I don’t think there’s a requirement. You don’t have to have so many stalls that would be applicable for an additional proposal in another area in Downtown Hilo. It’s just going to be, you know, your benefit by providing the off-street parking. WOODWARD: Madam Director. LEITHEAD TODD: Well, I think it benefits Downtown Hilo if they can provide off-street parking, because parking is at a premium in Downtown Hilo. You know, the comments from Public Works came in really late. I think from what I know of the area you do need some type of a sidewalk on Punahoa, the frontage there. And one of your site plans for, I guess it’s Appendix A, indicates some area for sidewalk in front of your property on Punahoa Street. The architectural rendering doesn’t show it but on one of your, on Appendix A it shows a line for a County sidewalk there. And I think that, you know, I understand where Public Works is coming from because you’ve got two streets there, but there is very little traffic on Nawahi. It doesn’t really lead from like parking areas to something. You’re 5 EXHIBIT B more likely to get traffic coming in from Agasas and Punahoa to them because there is parking on Punahoa Street. And so, you know, if there wasn’t enough parking on-site for the medical facility, people would try to park on Punahoa. Punahoa is also going to have traffic because people will try to park there to walk to the Farmers Market. And so you said that there is a sidewalk on Nawahi on the other side of the road? DARROW: Correct. LEITHEAD TODD: Okay. DARROW: There’s a picture. Where the vehicles are parked in here, there’s a sidewalk that runs along the left side of the road. LEITHEAD TODD: Okay. So it seems to me that the critical thing is to provide a sidewalk on Punahoa more than anything else; and, you know, perhaps some of that we could address in plan approval. But I can’t see doing this without some type of a sidewalk on Punahoa. I understand you want to have the off-street parking, and that’s actually good for Downtown Hilo. But we do need some kind of a sidewalk. And I also thought that sliver that you have on Nawahi where you wanted to put potted plants, perhaps that could be a small sidewalk, too. So I thought that, you know, maybe they could work with Public Works in the plan approval section on this. But I can’t see you going in without the sidewalk on Punahoa Street. WOODWARD: Yes, sir. DUERLER: Yeah, and, you know, we’re definitely fine with working with Public Works. It’s just that the number of requirements -. And, you know, one of the, the reason the plants were put there was that was another, you know, the EnVision Downtown, you know, talking with the folks they wanted part of a landscaping screen for the parking, so to incorporated that. And, too, I mean, it’s all of these requirements just trying to look -. You know, I definitely agree sidewalks are important and, you know, for our type of service, and parking is very important. So -. WOODWARD: All right. Well it seemed to me that we have a commitment from the Planning Department to work with Public Works and to work with you. I don’t know that we can change conditions necessarily, but they have at least given that degree of flexibility. So I think that that’s probably the way it’s going to be. Is that, would that be acceptable to you to leave the condition in with the idea that there will be some flexibility? Planning Department will work with Public Works and with you? DUERLER: That’s okay with me. WOODWARD: Okay, very good. All right. Okay, just for the record we have nobody from the 6 EXHIBIT B public signed up to testify. Okay, you folks may be seated. Thank you. Okay, would somebody like to make a motion? Commissioner Domingo? DOMINGO: Mr. Chairman, regarding the applicant, 2H HAWAII LLC, application for SMA Permit 10-38, I move for its approval with the insertion of the condition regarding sidewalks be included as a condition of approval. KERN: Second. WOODWARD: Okay, any discussion? ISHIBASHI: Yeah. One comment. WOODWARD: Commissioner Ishibashi. ISHIBASHI: I wanted to thank the applicant for working with us. This is very important, the public safety. And I think for the future of Hilo town we appreciate your working and putting in the sidewalks. So thank you. WOODWARD: Okay, very good. Any other comments? Okay, Jeff, take the vote please. DARROW: Okay. The motion before us is to approve with the amended Condition No. 5. With that I’ll take the roll. Commissioner Domingo? DOMINGO: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Kern? KERN: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Au? AU: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Ishibashi? ISHIBASHI: Aye. DARROW: And Mr. Chairman? WOODWARD: Aye. DARROW: The motion passes five to zero. 7 EXHIBIT B WOODWARD: All right. The discussion ended at 10:07 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M. Nomura, Secretary Windward Planning Commission 8 EXHIBIT B