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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-08-23 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI`I MINUTES Meeting Date: August 23, 2022 Time: 5:16 p.m. Location: Live-stream online meeting, with the West Hawaii Civic Center, Planning Department Conference Room, Building E, 2nd Floor, 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, as the in-person meeting site CALL TO ORDER Commissioners Present: Shaun Roth, Palani Greenwell, Alayna Kilkuskie, Michaela Ikeuchi, and Arne Werchick Absent and Excused: Jasmine Crusat and Ann Kern Office of the Corporation Counsel: Suzanna Tiapula, Esq. (Counsel for the Commission) Planning Department: Rosalind Newlon (Planner), Deanne Bugado (Planner), and Noriko Sauer(Commission Secretary) Applicants/Representatives: Jason Dearinger and Roger Lundstrom (Item 1), and Kerry Ringrose (Item 2) A quorum was present. Chairman Roth called the meeting to order and introduced the Commissioners. He reminded the Commissioners to keep their cameras on in order to have the quorum verified throughout the meeting. He also noted that all the Commissioners in attendance had informed him that there was no one else at their remote locations. He then described the Commission's duties and meeting procedure. Chairman Roth welcomed two new members, Commissioners Palani Greenwell and Alayna Kilkuskie. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the Meeting of June 21, 2022. At 5:19 p.m. Chairman Roth asked if there were any corrections to the minutes. No corrections were offered, and the minutes were approved as circulated. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS At 5:20 p.m. Chairman Roth noted that there were no statements from the public. NEW BUSINESS 1. PL-KVD-2022-000018: The applicant, Walua Partners LLC, is requesting design review of proposed 18 residential/vacation units in two 2-story buildings and three 1-story buildings at 75-5885 Walua Road. The exterior colors include a combination of 1 gray and tan, and use of metal roofing, stucco walls with horizontal bevel siding, entry porch, and windows with vinyl trim. Off-street parking,pool, office with storage, and landscaping are included. Applicant: Walua Partners LLC Landowner: Walua Partners LLC TMK: (3) 7-5-018:095 Location: 75-5885 Walua Road, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 The Commission took up this item at 5:20 p.m. Ms. Newlon gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed multi-family residential development. On an aerial photograph she showed the subject parcel of land and surrounding developments, which included condominiums and commercial buildings. She also showed the configuration of the subject parcel on the Tax Map Key map, which is located between Kuakini Highway and Walua Road. Ms. Newlon provided information on the development entitlements of the property. She said that the parcel is zoned CV-10 (Village Commercial-10,000 square feet) where multi-family residential and short-term vacation rentals are permitted uses. She said that the property is in the Special Management Area("SMA") and has a SMA Use Permit issued in 2005; however, they must apply for a new SMA Use Permit for the proposed project, since the existing Permit is for a two-story mixed-use building and a two-story commercial office building and has a five-year time limit for construction, which has already passed. She said that the access to the project would be from Walua Road. Ms. Newlon displayed some site photographs provided by the applicant, showing the area along Walua Road, sidewalk, existing rock wall, and nearby developments. She displayed a site plan showing the placement of the proposed buildings,parking areas, and the pool, and said that compliance with setback requirements would be confirmed during the Plan Approval process. She also went over the floor plans, roof plans, sections, and elevation drawings with proposed colors. She noted the roof being metal seam roofing and the exterior colors being gray and tan. She also noted that the side elevation showed lots of windows. There being no questions of staff from the Commissioners, Chairman Roth called upon the applicant's representatives for their presentation. Messrs. Jason Dearinger and Roger Lundstrom were present and said that they were there to answer any questions. Mr. Dearinger stated that the applicant's initial intent was to operate the project as short-term vacation rental, with a condominium overlay for the opportunity to sell the units in the future. Chairman Roth asked for clarification on the roof material. Mr. Dearinger, after confirming with Mr. Lundstrom, answered that to be standing seam. When asked by Commissioner Werchick about the color of the roof, Mr. Dearinger directed the Commissioners' attention to a list of the proposed exterior finish colors on Drawing Sheet A02, which indicated"HPM metal standing seam `platinum"' for the roof, he further described the color to be a medium gray. 2 Kailua Village Design Commission August 23,2022,Meeting Minutes There being no further questions of the applicant from the Commissioners, Chairman Roth opened the floor for comments. He first noted that 18 units as proposed seemed to be the maximum number that is allowed based on the water commitments for the property, and that the floor plans appeared relatively modest for the size of the land. He said that he had been hoping for corrugated roof that would have a nice older Kona reference to it, but that closely spaced standing seam would give a similar look. He concluded his comment by saying that he found the overall appearance to be fine. Commissioner Ikeuchi, noting that her role on the Commission is to provide cultural feedback, said that she would be voting no on the application. She said that she wanted to be transparent as to why she could not support the application; she said that she found it disgusting that a lot of development was happening with the purpose of short-term vacation rentals while the COVID pandemic proved the economy based solely on tourism to be detrimental and while there were so many local families with housing crisis. She said that she also found it incredibly alarming to see archaeological sites on the site plan showing that that was the only area to be preserved even though all of it was archaeological, and to see that all around the subject parcel was developed; she said that it was like trying to squeeze out as much profit as possible from every inch of`aina. She also expressed her concern that there would be more stress on the roads and more pressure on the aquifer. She added that people could not eat concrete or drink money. Commissioner Werchick, mentioning that he was impressed by Commissioner Ikeuchi's comments, said that he was not sure that this was the right time to be building short-term rental units, either. He spoke of the housing issue in his own community and said that building more short-term vacation rentals would not provide housing for residents. He also said that he was familiar with the traffic in the vicinity of the subject property, and that without building the new roads that have been talked about, the area was going to become increasingly congested. Commissioner Werchick further commented that although he realized that it might represent old Kona, he was not a fan of metal roofing, which could become an eyesore unless carefully maintained, and short-term vacation rental owners would not necessarily have the same level of interest in maintaining the property. He said that the roofs, though they might leak if not maintained property, generally would not become as much of an eyesore. Commissioner Kilkuskie said that she had similar thoughts about short-term vacation rentals. Noting that this was her first Commission meeting, she asked if the use of the project fell within the scope of the Commission, which she assumed was the aesthetic aspect of projects. She asked whether their votes could be based on personal feelings about things other than the appearance of the project or they should strictly be based on the aesthetic value. Ms. Bugado responded that the premise of the design review is a design review; the Commissioners have their personal views and feelings, but their review is for compliance to the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona ("Master Plan") and the views and aesthetics that the Master Plan conveys for the Kailua Village. Commissioner Werchick asked whether the zoning would allow the unit owners to engage in short-term vacation rental if the proposed units were sold individually. Ms. Bugado answered that the zoning would allow those units to be operated as short-term vacation rental. She further said that the building was designed to be multi-family residential units, but that the use of them as short-term vacation rentals was permitted. Commissioner Werchick recapped that whether 3 Kailua Village Design Commission August 23,2022,Meeting Minutes they were owned by one vacation rental company or by 18 individuals, and whether the applicant was told to build the project as private residences or as vacation rental units, it was going to end up in the short-term vacation rental market. Chairman Roth also added that even if it came in as low-income homes for sale, the zoning would allow the owners to rent them out as short-term vacation units unless prohibitions were written into the sales contract. Commissioner Ikeuchi commented that she understood that but could not in good conscious vote yes against what she valued most. She said that she had to be responsible for her culture so she could sleep at night, and that it came down to the point where whether or not she should leave the Commission; she mentioned that that was something to talk about on the side. Chairman Roth commented that although aesthetics was a big part of what the Commission looked at, the Master Plan, which he pointed out had been created in 1994, also talks about what the Kailua Village is supposed to be like, and they as commissioners needed to somewhat interpret and think what the village should look like; therefore, if they had strong feelings about what the village should look like, they should be voicing their opinion about that. He opined that having the multi-family density at the location would help the village stay as a vibrant village and would keep everywhere else from getting overrun with sprawl, and that having units that could be used as long-term housing would be a benefit to the village in the long run. Deputy Corporation Counsel Tiapula gave the Commissioners the following advice: 1) With respect to Commissioner Ikeuchi's earlier statement about a side conversation, based on the Sunshine Law, the Commissioners cannot have side conversations, and their conversations have to be public as part of this forum; 2) Section 4.1 of the Master Plan talks about the "Kona Way of Life" and how the physical environment is reflective of the community's character and therefore provides some leeway to the Commission. In response, Chairman Roth reiterated his earlier comment that aesthetics was not all of their review, but the Commissioners needed to interpret what is appropriate in the village. Commissioner Ikeuchi clarified her earlier statement about a side conversation to mean whether or not she would have to leave the Commission and not about any application items. Chairman Roth pointed out that since only the quorum was present, neither motion to approve nor deny seemed to pass, and that the other option would be a motion to defer. Commissioner Werchick moved to defer and said that rather than having the applicant go to the Planning Department with a negative recommendation from the Commission, tabling it would be the best way in his opinion. Commissioner Ikeuchi seconded the motion and said that she would like to hear opinions of the Commissioners who were absent. Upon inquiry by Ms. Newlon, Chairman Roth and Commissioner Werchick clarified that the intent of the motion was to defer to the next time the Commission actually convenes and not to schedule a meeting just for this item. Chairman Roth further said that the intent was also to potentially have more Commissioners present at the next meeting. There being no further discussion on the motion, a roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried with five ayes (Werchick, Ikeuchi, Greenwell, Kilkuskie, and Roth), no noes, and two absent and excused (Crusat and Kern). 2. PL-KVD-2022-000020: The applicant, Kerry Ringrose, sign fabricator for Pacific Sign & Design,is requesting design review of a sign permit. The proposed wall sign is for the new tenant space for The Mind's Eye Interiors, located at the Hale Hana Center at 74-5583 Luhia Street, Kailua Kona. The proposed wall sign measure 18 inches tall by 4 Kailua Village Design Commission August 23,2022,Meeting Minutes approximately 30 feet wide, or 45 square feet, and the maximum logo and letter height would be 18 inches. The sign material would be composed of 1/8-inch-thick acrylic face applied with translucent vinyl,with 3/4-inch white trim cap and would be LED illuminated. No changes to the exterior colors of the building proposed. Applicant: Kerry Ringrose, Pacific Sign & Design Landowner: Liliuokalani Trust Estate TMK: (3) 7-4-015:018 Location: 74-5583 Luhia Street, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 The Commission took up this item at 5:51 p.m. Ms. Newlon gave a PowerPoint presentation on the proposed wall sign. On the Tax Map Kay map and an aerial photograph, she clarified the location of the subject property in relation to the roadways, parking areas, and surrounding buildings. She described the sign specifications and said that an existing sign variance allows signs on both sides of the building and the elevation to go up to 27 feet 3 inches; she noted that the application showed the sign on only one wall, and that the proposed elevation was 18 feet 6 inches. She said that the 18-inch letter height was consistent with the allowance and the 45-square foot sign area was also within the 75-square foot allowance for the Kona Industrial Subdivision. In conclusion, she said that the application was consistent with the Sign Code Section 3-58 for wall signs. Chairman Roth commented that the information on the existing sign variance was helpful. There being no questions of staff from the Commissioners, Chairman Roth called upon the applicant. Mr. Kerry Ringrose introduced himself as the president of Pacific Sign & Design handling this signage project. He stated that it was a fairly low impact sign, considering the sign area being only six to seven percent of the wall facade. He said that his client, The Mind's Eye Interiors, was mindful of being in the interior business and wanted the sign to clearly identify their location but be tasteful and not overdo it. Upon inquiry by Chairman Roth, Mr. Ringrose clarified that the blue-colored area of the wall on the elevation drawing was a bulkhead facia that projects forward as better shown on the actual photograph of the building. When further asked by Chairman Roth if the blue-colored area was a part of the LED illumination, Mr. Ringrose clarified that the only the raised white letters and logo would be illuminated, and that the blue area was just painted. There being no further questions of the applicant from the Commissioners, Chairman Roth opened the floor for comments. Commissioner Ikeuchi commented that she appreciated the thoughtfulness that was put into the design that was consistent with the sign variance they already had, and that the scale and design looked tasteful and appropriate for the building. She also said that the illumination from the sign of that size would not be so glaringly blinding for motorists, which would be the only concern she might have. Chairman Roth said that since the building faces the highway, the sign would need to be of a certain size to be visible, and for that reason, the scale as proposed seemed appropriate to him also. It was moved by Commissioner Ikeuchi and seconded by Commissioner Werchick that the Commission approve the application as submitted. There being no discussion on the motion, a 5 Kailua Village Design Commission August 23,2022,Meeting Minutes roll call vote was taken, and the motion carried with five ayes (Ikeuchi, Werchick, Greenwell, Kilkuskie, and Roth), no noes, and two absent and excused (Crusat and Kern). ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS None. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for September 13, 2022. At 6:04 p.m. Ms. Newlon said that the tentatively scheduled September 13, 2022, meeting would likely be cancelled, as no complete applications had come in by the due date. Chairman Roth confirmed with Ms. Newlon that the following meeting date was September 27, 2022. At the request of Chairman Roth, Ms. Bugado said that the electronic version of reference materials, which had been provided to the two new members, would be sent to the other Commissioners. She mentioned that the handy package would include useful reference materials, such as the Master Plan, the Kailua Village Special District map, sections of relevant County Code. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman Roth adjourned the meeting at 6:06 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary ATTEST: Shaun Roth, Chairman Kailua Village Design Commission 6 Kailua Village Design Commission August 23,2022,Meeting Minutes