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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-07-18 tkeaau PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII HEARING TRANSCRIPT JULY 18, 2003 A regularly advertised hearing on the application of KEAAU SERVICE STATION, INC. (SLU 03-005/REZ 03-011) was called to order at 10:15 a.m. in the County Building, Councilroom - Room 201, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawaii with First Vice-Chairperson Earl Fujikawa presiding. PRESENT:Earl FujikawaABSENT & EXCUSED:Fred Galdones William GrahamBill Thibadeau Florence Kubota Jeffrey McCall Aurelio Mina, Jr. Francis Smith Hannah Springer Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel Chris Yuen, Planning Director Norman Hayashi, Staff Planner Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner And approximately 13 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: KEAAU SERVICE STATION, INC. (SLU 03-005/REZ 03-011) Applications for a State Land Use boundary amendment from Agricultural to Urban and a Change of Zone from Agricultural 5-acre (A-5a) to a Village Commercial Î 20,000 square feet (CV-20) zoned district for 2.814 acres of land. The property is located along the south side of State Highway 11, adjacent to the existing Keaau Service Station, Olaa Homesteads Reservation Lots, Olaa, Puna, Hawaii, TMK: 1-7-01: por. 11.7. FUJIKAWA:Okay, on Item, Application No. 4, Keaau Service Station Inc. (SLU 03-005/REZ 03-011). Applications for a State Land Use boundary amendment from Agricultural to Urban and a Change of Zone from Agricultural 5-acre (A-5a) to a Village Commercial. Staff? HAYASHI:Thank you, Mr. Chair. If I may direct your attention to the presentation map on the board. The subject property is located in red. It is situated makai of Volcano Highway or also referred to State Highway 11. This would be towards the Keaau direction and Mt. View. Huina Road is located across of the subject property. The existing Keaau Service Station is located right above the subject property; and IÓll refer to that on the site map. Also, 1 Sako Store would be located in the general area. Sako Store is now referred to as J. Hara Store. Going to the site map, again, the subject property is located in this configuration. The existing Keaau Service Station is located here. This particular property is owned by the State and leased by the Alonzo family or Keaau Service Station until the year 2022. J. Hara Store is located here. And, again, this would be State Highway 11 with Huina Road going in this direction. The current driveway access to the property is at this corner. The existing service station access is located here, as well as this location. And, eventually, the plan is to move the intersection further south, approximately 150 feet from the existing service station driveway to make it directly across Huina Street. The applicant intends to use this particular portion for a boundary amendment and for a commercial zoning for his towing business and, also, for employee parking for the service station. The estimated cost for the development of this property would be $200,000; and that cost would also include the cost for a, or the pro rata cost for the intersection, excuse me, a traffic signalization at this intersection should the State Department of Transportation allow the applicant to utilize this access to go onto Highway 11. The State Department of Transportation will be doing the highway improvement to the Huina Road-Highway 11 intersection some time this year, the latter part of this year. Although we havenÓt received any official comments from the State Department of Transportation, this is a verbal conversation with the representative from the State Department of Transportation who indicated that this project would possibly start in late August of this year. That intersection improvement, however, would not include the traffic signalization that is discussed in the applicantÓs background information, as well as the proposed conditions that we have included as part of our recommendation for approval. Are there any questions regarding this petition? FUJIKAWA:Questions, from the Commission? None? If none, do we have the applicant or the representative? Please come forward. sworn in and you may proceed. FUKE:Thank you. The staffÓs background report is accurate. I donÓt know if I heard correctly but if I didnÓt -. The lease that the applicant has on the State land extends through the year 2022. So I donÓt know if thatÓs what, I thought I heard 2004 or something. But, anyway, the applicant has had a chance to review the staffÓs report and the background recommendation, found all of the conditions to be acceptable. Just one note about the traffic lights, your staffÓs understanding with the State or discussion with the State and then the subsequent understanding somewhat confirms like what my understanding is, based on my discussion with Mr. Robert Taira of State Department of Transportation, that the State is planning to make the improvements, construction plans have already been completed and theyÓre going to start construction some time this year. They estimate the improvements to be completed within a 12- to a maximum 18-month period. The donÓt have enough funding for the traffic light. So, as a result, the applicant has agreed, and which is reflected in your staffÓs proposed condition, to pay up to 50 percent of the traffic light, the thought, of course, is to have any subsequent developer or developers that would utilize on the mau 2 Road be responsible for the paying of the balance. In the event that this program does not work out for one reason or another, then the applicantÓs only alternative would be to utilize the existing access that he has which is on the Volcano end of the property and making whatever improvements are necessary as called for by the State DOT. If this request is subsequently approved ultimately by the County Council, then the applicant would still have to work with DLNR to allow for that easement to go through the service station lot. FUJIKAWA:Sure. Okay, any questions from the Commissioners? None. Okay, is there anyone from the public who wishes to testify on this application? You may come up. You have been sworn in, and just give your name again. CRITTENDEN:Charles Crittenden, sir. FUJIKAWA:You may proceed. CRITTENDEN:I have the adjacent property, IÓm right next to J. Hara Store. And, you know, they had said that they were putting in a traffic light before and that didnÓt materialized -. And theyÓre going to be developing the highway there and making it wider, you know, theyÓre saying that by the end of August theyÓre going to start doing that. And, you know, my concern is we have like at least one accident a week at this particular intersection right coming out of J. Hara Store and coming out of this parking lot, cause thereÓs no lights there and thereÓs nothing there. People just pull out. People are coming down the highway 60-70 miles an hour and they just slam right into them. That happens on a weekly basis. I just wanted to see if thereÓs any, you know, if this is approved, you know, that thereÓll be anything in writing showing that this traffic light or whatever will materialize, or if itÓs just going to be the same as it has been the last three years that they talk about it but they never really do it. FUJIKAWA:You have heard the applicantÓs statement -. CRITTENDEN:Yes, sir. FUJIKAWA:And the Planning Director, do you have anything to say on this particular application, any comments on this testifier? YUEN:We are putting conditions in this and the next application to try to get these two private parties to share in the cost of making a signal that the State does not have money for at this time. So this is, I think, the FUJIKAWA:You can contact your Senator. CRITTENDEN:Okay. And, you know, IÓm for approval of both of the projects. IÓm just concerned about, you know, the safety of the people coming in that area and coming out of property because they, you know, definitely need that signal there. It has been needed for a long time now. So thatÓs my only question. 3 FUJIKAWA:So you understand where we stand with the application, and the applicant where he stands? CRITTENDEN:Absolutely, yes, sir FUJIKAWA:Okay, great. Are there any other testifiers from the audience? Any questions from the Commissioners? If not, do I hear a motion? ThatÓll be on the State Land Use Boundary Amendment application. KUBOTA:Mr. Chairman? FUJIKAWA:Go ahead, Commissioner Kubota. KUBOTA:I move that this Commission send a favorable recommendation for the State Land Use Boundary Amendment (SLU 03 County Council, along with the findings and recommendations and conditions provided to us by the Planning Department. MINA:Second. FUJIKAWA:It has been moved by Commissioner Kubota and seconded by Commissioner Mina that the State Land Use Boundary Amendment application be approved. Any questions? If not, staff. HAYASHI:Commissioner Kubota? KUBOTA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Mina? MINA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Smith? SMITH:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Springer? SPRINGER:Yes. HAYASHI:Commissioner Graham? GRAHAM:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner McCall? 4 MCCALL:Aye. HAYASHI:And Chair Fujikawa? FUJIKAWA:Aye. HAYASHI:Mr. Chair, motion carries. FUJIKAWA:Okay, do I hear a motion on the Change of Zone application (REZ 03-011)? KUBOTA:Mr. Chair, I move that this Commission send a favorable recommendation on the Change of Zone application (REZ 03-011) to the County Council, along with the findings and recommendations and conditions of approval. FUJIKAWA:It has been moved by Commissioner Kubota, seconded by Commissioner Mina, that Change of Zone application (REZ 03-011) be approved. Any questions? If not, staff. HAYASHI:Commissioner Kubota? KUBOTA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Mina? MINA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Smith? SMITH:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Springer? SPRINGER:Yes. HAYASHI:Commissioner Graham? GRAHAM:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner McCall? MCCALL:Aye. HAYASHI:And Chair Fujikawa? 5 FUJIKAWA:Aye. FUKE:Thank you very much. FUJIKAWA:Okay, Sidney, youÓll be informed of the CommissionersÓ decision in writing. The discussion ended at 11:02 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M. Nomura, Secretary 6