Agenda Item 1 - Public Testimony (PL-KVD-2022-000017)

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Mori, Ashley From: Planning CDP Sent: Monday, August 8, 2022 12:41 PM To: Planning Internet Mail;Janice Lee Palma-Glennie Cc: Planning CDP Subject: FW: attention: Kailua village design - Wendy's will be another eyesore Aloha Janice, I think you sent us your testimony by accident (the emails are very similar). We're forwarding your testimony to pinn%np(�hawaiicounty. ov to go through intake and then be routed to the folks who support the Kailua Village Design Commission. Mahalo, The CDP Team From:Janice Glennie Sent: Monday, August 8, 2022 10:26 AM To: Planning CDP<cdp@hawaiicounty.gov> Subject: attention: Kailua village design -Wendy's will be another eyesore Aloha, I'm writing in extreme opposition to the design of the proposed Wendy's restaurant on Henry Street— something which this commission can do something about.The "iconic red" parapet should— out of the gate— be a Big "NO". The design of Niumalu shopping center took downtown Kailua-kona down 5 notches with its lack of attractiveness and Smart Growth design. In fact, it screams "cheap, frontage road Anywhere USA". As far as function under Kona Community Development Plan (KCDP)tenets, it's hard to believe it was even approved when, I believe, the KCDP was in effect as the shopping center was obtaining permits, though I may be wrong on that. In any case, there was a phenomenal opportunity to create 2nd story, trendy, local-style housing to comply with and be a part of a Smarter Growth, forward-thinking, mixed use "village." Instead, Kailua-Kona — destination of the stars — got a flat- roofed, sometime-to-be-abandoned-looking strip mall dead center of downtown. As far as attractive landscaping...please don't make me laugh (or cry). I've called Safeway management to talk about the landscape's atrocious condition including a back flow preventer that may still be leaking thousands and thousands of gallons of our most precious Public Trust Resource for over two years.The landscape looks like a second-grader could've put the design together. It has (had) native Hawaiian plants but the layout is pedestrian (and not in a good way).The worst soil was used. Even still, the plan might've looked acceptable if(big if) it had been maintained property. Instead, it's already gone to the dogs. (Sorry if I'm stepping on any toes of folks in my field which is landscape design, but, beside the trees, the place is an eyesore likely due to too-tight budget more than those who did the design.) Look no further than Keauhou shopping center. Despite being quite old, it was designed and continues to have a reasonably sophisticated and comfortable sense of place. And why not look farther north to where the people we'd like to also attract to downtown Kona go to play and spend money?There are shopping areas that don't look like frontage road commercialism like Niumalu. does. i