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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-02-12 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION MINUTES MEETING DATE: February 12, 2008 TIME: 5:00 p.m. PLACE: The Mayor’s Office Conference Room, Suite 103 Hanama Place Office Building in Kailua Village ROLL CALL 1.Members Present: Fanny Collins Au Hoy, Paul Bleck, Cindy Coats, Fritz Harris-Glade, Stephen Herbert, Ann Kern, Sally Marone and David Ross, Jr. 2.Absent and Excused: Gregory Ogin 3.Applicants: Anthony Daub and Michael Kardas 4.Staff Present: Bennett Mark, Rosalind Newlon and Noriko Sauer 5.Department of Public Works: Jai Ho Cheng, Chris Domino and Dwayne Inouye 6.Public: Betty Meyerson and Lee Meyerson The Chair welcomed those in attendance, and the Commissioners introduced themselves. Mr. Mark welcomed the new Commissioners. Commissioner’s handbook binders and the meeting schedule for 2008, as well as copies of Resolution No. 429 07, were distributed to the new Commissioners. All Commissioners in attendance received the Ethics Guide for Hawaii County Officers and Employees dated June 2007. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. NEW BUSINESS 1.Design review of an additional vehicle showroom display area. Applicant: Wayne Deluz of Big Island Motors dba Kona Mazda Subaru. Landowner: Zoom Properties LLC. TMK: 7-5-009:048. Located at 75-5793 Kuakini Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Staff Presentation Ms. Newlon oriented the Commissioners and the public of the subject and surrounding properties on the location map, and stated that the applicant is proposing to enclose the existing lanai portion of a building and turn it into a vehicle showroom, and also make the ADA entrance and bathroom more ADA accessible. She said that the subject area will be enclosed with glass windows on two sides and a wall on one side, with the other end of the building remaining as a covered open area. She added that the proposed colors are the same as the colors used on the existing building, and that there will be no increase in the parking requirements triggered by the proposed project. 1 Applicant Presentation Anthony Daub introduced himself as the head of Sales for Kona operations. He stated that the existing footprint will remain the same, and that there is no change in the color scheme. He mentioned that there has been no change in their signage. Public Testimony There was no one from the public wishing to testify on this agenda item. Commission Discussion In response to Commissioner Bleck’s question, Ms. Newlon stated that no change in the landscaping is proposed as part of this application. Questions regarding the signage were brought up by the Commissioners. Ms. Newlon noted that the matter of signage is not before the Commission, and that the applicant will have to submit a sign review application separately. Mr. Daub stated that there is no immediate plan to change the existing signage, and confirmed that the banner shown on the circulated photo is a temporary sign. In response to the Commissioners’ inquiries, Mr. Daub stated that the exterior finish will be stucco, which is the same as the rest of the complex, and that they are in compliance with the ADA regulation; there will be an additional ADA parking stall and the showroom itself will be ADA accessible as well. He also stated that there will be no spot lights. In response to Commissioner Harris-Glade’s question, Ms. Newlon confirmed that they meet the setback requirements, and added a correction to her earlier statement that enclosing the lanai area would have required more parking stalls, however, they already have more stalls than required. Action It was moved by Commissioner Herbert and seconded by Commissioner Coats to recommend to the Planning Director the approval of the proposed additional vehicle showroom display area, as submitted. A roll call vote was taken and motion carried with seven ayes (Herbert, Coats, Au Hoy, Bleck, Harris-Glade, Kern and Ross). At this time it was agreed by all in attendance that the Commission take up the Administrative Matters ahead of Agenda Item No. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS 1.Minutes of the Meeting of January 22, 2008 – It was moved by Commissioner Ross and seconded by Commissioner Au Hoy that the minutes be approved as circulated. The motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. 2 NEW BUSINESS 2.Discussion of Sign Code Enforcement within the Kailua Village with Chris Domino and others from the Department of Public Works, Building Division. Commissioner Ross requested Mr. Domino to make suggestions to the Commissioners – besides the various aspects of the matter he was about to address – from the standpoint of the Commission’s goal that is to improve the overall appearance of the Kailua Village Special District. Chris Domino introduced himself and Dwayne Inouye. Mr. Domino stated that illegal signs are a big concern of the Department of Public Works’ and the Department is trying to handle the matter as best as it can. He mentioned that the current sign ordinance is being revisited, as there may be some contradicting issues within the ordinance. He presented to the Commission a brochure that the Department created in response to many calls from the public regarding the interpretation of the Sign Code (the Code), which is now available to the public at the front desk. He also stated that the economy has changed significantly since the Code was written and it’s about the time to revise it, just as the Building Code is revised approximately every three years. He noted that in most cases business owners are responsible, rather than their contractors, to meet the Code for their signs; but they are often unaware of the Code or if they are, they don’t follow it because they want better exposure than the Code allows. He mentioned that the Department currently has one violations inspector for the area between Kapaau and Ocean View, who is also responsible for Building Code enforcement; and as far as Sign Code enforcement is concerned, the inspector is presently enforcing signs that are in the public right-of-way and are impeding public safety. He noted that the Department needs to make the public more aware of the Code, and that the new brochure should help them to do so. He said that they would also like to talk to sign makers who throw the total responsibility on business owners, as well as property managers who throw the responsibility on tenants. He suggested that the Commission partake in outreaching to the community, not so much to enforce it, but to make them aware of the Code. He then handed to the Commission the complaint form that the public is asked to fill out; he explained that the form is used for all violations that are administered by the Department. There was a discussion regarding the new brochure. Mr. Domino mentioned that the brochure is the first publication and may be revised. The Commissioners made some suggestions, which include on-line publication, a hyper link to the Code, more detailed definitions and an explanation of the reference numbers used for each kind of signs; Mr. Domino explained that those numbers refer to the definitions in the Code. In response to the Commissioners’ inquiries, Mr. Domino said that the brochure is for a county-wide use, and that one must research into the Code to get specifics for a particular area such as the Kailua Village Special District. In response to Chair Marone’s comment about a case where the applicant didn’t follow his promise to the Commission that he will remove all illegal signs from the subject property, Mr. Domino stated that it can create a legal issue for applicants to remove something from a private property, and that in this particular case the Department confirmed with the applicant that he was not contracted by the owner for the removal of 3 illegal signs. He also stated that the Department began to confiscate illegal signs on public property, which seems more effective than fines because some businesses would rather pay fines than remove their signs. In response to the Commissioners’ inquiries, Mr. Domino said that the Code for the core area is different from the industrial areas; for example, signs that are suitable for the pedestrian-oriented core area are not appropriate for the industrial areas. In discussing the enforcement issue that recently came to the County Council’s attention, Mr. Domino mentioned that West Hawaii has more of an issue with illegal signs, but the Department cannot enforce it only in one geographical area; it has to be conducted island-wide. The Commissioners asked Mr. Domino to elaborate on his earlier statement that the Code is being revisited; Mr. Domino said that his understanding is that the County Council is looking into some sections of the Code, and the Department is asked for comments as to the nature of complaints the Department receives and what would be most effective. He mentioned that realtor signs, sandwich board signs and temporary banners are the main problems in the Kailua Village area; he noted that businesses tend to keep their temporary banners longer than permitted, partly because they can be larger than the maximum size allowed for regular signs. In response to Mr. Mark’s inquiry, Mr. Domino commented that the Commission’s recommendations are always appreciated, and that the Commission has a major role in keeping things somewhat in order in the Kailua Village community; he suggested that the Commission make recommendations that are legal for everybody to follow. Mr. Domino reiterated that the Council Resolution that was passed last December directs the Department to only enforce signs on public property, which impede public traffic. The Commissioners expressed their concerns about illegal signs on private property. Ideas were exchanged, including the following : 1) involve property managers in enforcing the Code, 2) ask the Chamber of Commerce for their cooperation in getting their members to comply with the Code, 3) recognize or reward businesses that are in compliance, possibly publicly; and for the opposite effect, publicize violators who are fined for illegal signs, 4) remind businesses how it would ultimately affect them to destroy the charm of the Kailua Village by allowing illegal signs, and 5) look into examples of other sign codes that are successful. ANNOUNCEMENT th Mr. Mark announced that the meeting scheduled for February 26 has been cancelled, since the Department received no review applications as of the due date. Mr. Mark also announced that Deputy Corporation Counsel, Amy Self, is available to present thth Sunshine Law training on either March 11 or March 25, since one of the new Commissioners th is not available on February 26. It was agreed by all Commissioners in attendance that the th training be scheduled for March 11, following the Commission’s regular meeting. 4 ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, at 6:17 p.m., it was moved by Commissioner Au Hoy and seconded by Commissioner Kern that the meeting be adjourned. Motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary A T T E S T: Sally Marone, Chair Kailua Village Design Commission 5