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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-09-02 TFIRE PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI€I HEARING TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 2, 2005 A regularly advertised hearing on the application of COUNTY OF HAWAI€I FIRE DEPARTMENT (SPP 05-014) was called to order at 9:30 a.m. in the County Building, Councilroom „ Room 201, 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawai€i, with Chairman Fred Galdones presiding: PRESENT:Fred GaldonesABSENT & EXCUSED: William Graham C. Kimo AlamedaJeffrey McCall Andrew Iwashita RodneyWatanabe AllenSalavea Rene Siracusa Hannah Springer Ivan Torigoe, Deputy Corporation Counsel Christopher Yuen, Planning Director Norman Hayashi, Planning Program Manager Phyllis Fujimoto, Staff Planner Jeff Darrow, Staff Planner And two people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: COUNTY OF HAWAII FIRE DEPARTMENT (SPP 05-014) Application for a Special Permit to allow the establishment of a fire station and related uses on approximately 8.189 acres of a 19.464-acre parcel situated within the State Land Use Agricultural District. The property is located along the northeast side of the Keaau-Pahoa Road (Highway 130), approximately 1,400 feet north of the Highway 130 - Pahoa Village Road junction, Puna, Hawai€i, TMK: 1-5-7: 17. GALDONES:Commissioners, we are on Agenda Item No. 2, New Business. Applicant is the County of Hawai€i Fire Department (SPP 05-014). This is an application for a Special Permit to allow the establishment of a fire station and related uses on approximately 8.189 acres of a 19.464-acre parcel situated within the State Land Use Agricultural District. Norman. HAYASHI:Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members of the Commission, good morning. Going to the overall site map, the subject property is indicated by this red dot. It is situated along the makai side of the Keaau-Pahoa Road. This would be in the Pahoa direction; and this would be in the Keaau direction. The Pahoa Marketplace, the new commercial complex, is situated here. It is approximately 1,000 feet from the subject property. This is the Bypass Road that goes, bypasses Pahoa Village, the current Pahoa Village; and this would be the Old Pahoa Village Road. 1EXHIBIT B The applicant intends to establish a fire station complex on an 8-acre property. This particular property is a portion of a 19-acre site. However, we are just reviewing, for this particular purpose, the special permit for the 8-acre area. Proposed on the property would be a fire station that would hold three bays for the vehicles, up to six vehicles. There would be some exercise rooms, storage area, and areas for the fire fighters to utilize. Also proposed would be a pump house and storage shed which would be on the north side of the property. There would be a helipad which would eventually, would be the future; and, also a recreational area for the fire fighters. Access would be from the Keaau-Pahoa Road at the northern side of the property, at this particular location. Just for your information, this particular area, the remaining 11 acres would eventually be utilized for a park site, as well as for a police station. However, as I indicated earlier, thats not part of the requested area. Since the improvements will be utilizing County funds, the applicant had complied with Chapter 343, the environmental law; and they have filed a finding of no significant impact to the OfficeofEnvironmentalQualityControl. ThePlanningDirectorisrecommendingapprovalofthisparticularrequest,withconditions.Are there any questions? GALDONES:Commissioners, any questions of Norman? SPRINGER:Mr. Chair? GALDONES:Commissioner Springer. SPRINGER:Norman, that future park site, would that be like a ballfield, recreational park? HAYASHI:Thats correct. Thats my understanding. SPRINGER:Thank you. GALDONES:Seeing no questions, will the applicant or its representative please come forward. Mr. Nishimura, Mr. Ah Yo, good morning. Could you please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai€i County Planning Commission? Mr. Nishimura? NISHIMURA:I do. GALDONES:Mr. Ah Yo? AH YO:I do. GALDONES:Could you please state your name, gentlemen, and your residence address. 2EXHIBIT B NISHIMURA:Brian Nishimura, 1174 Awiki Place, Hilo, Hawai€i. AH YO:Nicholas Ah Yo, 191-B Kupono Street, Hilo, Hawai€i. GALDONES:Thank you. Mr. Nishimura, have you folks received a copy of the background report and the recommendation? And are there any questions or any statement to that effect? NISHIMURA:Yes. We have received a copy of the background and recommendation and the proposed conditions; and the applicant is able to comply with the conditions as proposed. I would like to mention that Mr. Ah Yo is the CIP Manager for the Fire Department; and hes here representing the Department. GALDONES:Thankyou.Commissioners,arethereanyquestionsofMr.Nishimuraor Mr. Ah Yo? Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA:Yes. I noticed on the map and also in the text of our materials that the ingress and egress will be along Keaau-Pahoa Road. And yet the surveyor, the survey division th report dated August 25 , the last sentence says, ‚Vehicle access shall not be permitted into and from Keaau-Pahoa Road.ƒ Would you clarify that, please, for us, if you can. NISHIMURA:Im not familiar with the reference that youre -. SIRACUSA:May I show this to Mr. Nishimura? GALDONES:Please. SIRACUSA:This was attached to your paperwork. I just want to make sure that we dont have, you know, paper trail with contradictions, mutually contradictory statements on it, anywhere. GALDONES:Commissioner Siracusa, that document that Mr. Nishimura is reviewing is part of our packet? SIRACUSA:Yes. It was part of my packet so I assume it was part of your packet. Its just before the letter or the response from the Hawai€i Historic Preservation Division. Its the two pages immediately preceding that in our packet. It has ‚PUBLIC SAFETY -.ƒ YUEN:The way I read that it prohibits access except along two 40-foot stretches of the Keaau-Pahoa Road. NISHIMURA:I was going to mention that if you look at the following page, theres a map of the property; and the map indicates the two permitted access points. 3EXHIBIT B YUEN:I can answer that. The surveys, youre correct that it says ‚Vehicle access shall not be permitted into and from Keaau-Pahoa Road, F. A. S. P. Nos.ƒ blah, blah, blah, blah, ‚over and across Courses 4, 5, 7, 9 and 10 of the above„described parcel of land.ƒ And if you look at the previous page, youll see that Courses 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are the description of the boundary with the road, and that theres Course No. 6 and Course No. 8 that are both 40-foot along the side of theroad. And so what this is doing is prohibiting access from everything except Course 6 and Course 8. So access is permitted on those two 40-foot stretches of the road. And then that is shown in a map that Mr. Nishimura referred to thats on the next page. SIRACUSA:Okay. Thank you for clarifying that. GALDONES:Commissioners, any further questions? Commissioner Springer. SPRINGER:Just a comment. My husband is a Hawai€i County Fireman and I dont knowiftheresanyproblemwiththat,mybeinginvolvedindecisionmakingonit.Hesan employee of Hawai€i County Fire Department who are the applicants. He is not stationed in East Hawai€i, but I look to the Chair or Corporation Counsel for guidance. GALDONES:Mr. Torigoe. TORIGOE:Well, it sounds like your husband has no direct financial interests with respect to this project, is that correct? SPRINGER:Thats correct. TORIGOE:And it really doesnt sound like it affects, well, where is he station? SPRINGER:Hes stationed at South Kohala fire station. TORIGOE:So it sounds like this project really doesnt have any affect on his job or his working conditions. Yeah, I would say if you could just put on record the fact that your husband is a fire fighter and see if anyone has any objection to that. I dont see any reason why you shouldnt participate if you feel that you can be objective. SPRINGER:Yes. Thank you. GALDONES:Seeing no objections, then Commissioner Springer will be seated and allowed to vote on this matter. If there is no further questions, Commissioners -. YUEN:This does -. GALDONES:Mr. Director. YUEN:You know, this does bring up a question though. The last question, I noticed that it seems like the proposed access on the site plan is not the same as one of the permitted accesses in the survey that you have given. 4EXHIBIT B NISHIMURA:Thats correct. And it may be necessary for us to request an amendment to that to relocate the access point. SIRACUSA:Could, Fred? GALDONES:Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA:May I ask the reason behind the change? NISHIMURA:In looking at the use of the entire property, the portion of the property that was assigned to the Fire Department was more on the western side of that property. And if you look at the access points, its not, in terms of the existing access points, its not really readily appropriate for the site that they have to work with. SIRACUSA:So this change had nothing to do with line of sight distances along the highwaythen? NISHIMURA:No. SIRACUSA:Thankyou. YUEN:Could I also ask a -? GALDONES:Mr. Yuen. YUEN:You know, I dont have a problem with the access for the Fire Department because the fire facility is not used by the general public. I mean people dont come in, pick up licenses by and large. You know, its largely fire fighters and then emergency exit. But when I see the plan for a possible park site and police station, when we had had discussions in-house about this site, I thought that there was an access possible along the back side when we were talking particularly about a park site there. If we were having the general public come in regularly I would be very cautious about having a direct access to these other kinds of uses from the Keaau-Pahoa Road. NISHIMURA:Thats correct. When we went through the environmental assessment process, although the entire parcel was covered, we excluded the use that was being contemplated by the Department of Parks and Recreation. And the reason why that was done was because they were going to address a number of issues that they would need to address in the site planning for their particular activity. One of the primary issues related to traffic; and they would need to do a traffic impact analysis, as well as looking at alternative access points to deal with those issues. And they acknowledged that, and they are planning to include that in their planning effort for the development of that site. So Parks and Recreation is aware that, you know, this is a major issue that they need to address and are planning to do that at that time. 5EXHIBIT B YUEN:Theres, how far is it from this, there is a street coming in on, Idont know what street it is, on the left of the map there, thatd be off the map. SIRACUSA:Its the one that accesses the Ag Lots. YUEN:Thats correct. NISHIMURA:Its, the closest street that I think youre referring to the property is this one right here, coming directly across of the entrance into Pahoa town; and it services the State agricultural subdivision. And there are, I believe, 5-acre parcels that are sharing the boundary with the property in question. So in order for that type of access from the rear to be possible, some kind of easement or, you know, acquisition would be required to go through the 5-acre agricultural parcels. YUEN:FromStateleases. NISHIMURA:Thatscorrect. YUEN:Okay,thankyou. GALDONES:Mr.Nishimura,areyoupreparedtopresenttheamendmentorthe conditions as is would suffice? NISHIMURA:The conditions as is would suffice. We will deal with the amendment to the permitted access with the Planning Department and with Department of Land and Natural Resources. GALDONES:And the conditions written right now will not hamper you from doing that? NISHIMURA:No. GALDONES:Okay. Commissioners, any further questions of the applicant? If none, we have Mr. Safarik who signed up to testify. So, Councilman Safarik, please, could you please raise your right hand. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai€i County Planning Commission? SAFARIK:I do. GALDONES:Please state your name and residence address. SAFARIK:My name is Gary Safarik and I serve on the Hawai€i County Council representing District 5. I reside in the Ainaloa Subdivision and my mailing address is PO Box 4368, Hilo 96720. GALDONES:Councilman Safarik, you may begin your testimony. 6EXHIBIT B SAFARIK:Thank you very much and good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Planning Commission. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to voice my support for docket SPP 05-014 regarding the asset that the County of Hawai€i has. And what I would like to do is just basically identify for this body a little bit of background; and I wont bore you with a lot of the details. But some of the funding for this project, the reason why its moving ahead as rapidly as it is, we just were awarded the property last year through executive order, I believe, from the Governor, is that we had some monies that were available through a bond issuance for us to buy some property in the Pahoa region, namely the Akebono 4-acre parcel, and that parcel became unavailable to us because we had placed a cap on the purchase price; and, therefore, the 1.25 million that we had appropriated to purchase that property fell through; and we had this funding available. So that funding was shifted after several in-house meetings with the Mayor, his staff and my staff to proceed with this fire station. And primarily your support today will solidify the Countys commitment to upgrade and provide new facilities for our public safety officialsinthePunaregion,aswellastheCountyscontinuedcommitmenttoimproveuponthe recreational facilities that are needed in the Puna region and, primarily, the linkage between this particular project and a project that were working with, to also develop the Countys assets to the highest and best use in the urban core of Pahoa, of which we have 56 acres that we acquired from the Catholic Diocese. Also the swimming pool facility, and the neighborhood facility, plus this old fire station and the property thats under it accounts for about 76 acres in the urban core of Pahoa. Once this fire station is built, hopefully that you will approve this special permit, once this particular fire station is built, the old fire station property could be utilized. And weve been in discussions with several nonprofits here on the Big Island, one of them being the Boys and Girls Club of America and the other being the YMCA. Theres continued interest in utilizing this County facility for a youth program which would be a partnering with these, with, it could be with some other agency, it doesnt have to be the Boys and Girls Club or the YMCA. But, nevertheless, I wanted to identify for this body the potential that we would have to utilize this facility once the new fire station is built. And then in the long view, this 19.464 acres is a perfect location for what we had planned in the future as a recreational park facility. But I think in the longer view what were hoping to do is site a County gymnasium on that particular site. And that would be probably when Im in the Life Care Center but, nevertheless, its our long view of the project. So with that Mr. Chairman and ladies and gentlemen of the Commission, I appreciate this opportunity, and hopefully you will grant a favorable recommendation. GALDONES:Thank you, Councilman Safarik. Any questions, Commissioners? Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA:Yes. When I first moved to Pahoa in 75, I could walk from one end of town to the other in the middle of the day down the middle of the street and not see a single car in either direction. Now you have to wait quite a while sometimes just to cross the street; and thats in a crosswalk. So I would like you to comment on the ease with which the fire engines 7EXHIBIT B and the ambulance can get in and out of town the way things are now as compared to what the new situation would be. SAFARIK:Well, I think that you used the word ‚easeƒ rather loosely because I think that what were doing is putting our citizens at risk by having our present fire station and the response needed from the middle of town. But I dont think anybody ever believed that Pahoa would grow to the extent it has grown. And with the shifting of the industrial or the new part of Pahoa town being more towards the western end of that urban core as evidenced by the Malama Market, which is located right here, a lot of the new businesses are siting themselves in that area. However, as you know, it has always been our hope and our vision that the old part of Pahoa possibly would be utilized as a promenade, the roadway that goes between the old fire station, or hopefully to be the old fire station, and a restaurant known as ‚God Mothersƒ or, its a different name now. So our vision would be to eliminate having access through the middle of town in the future. So this locating of the fire and public safety facilities on the bypass road makes a lot of senseandfallsinlinewithourfutureplansforthatparticulararea. SIRACUSA:Thankyou.Commissioners,anyfurtherquestions?Ifnot,Commissioner Springer. SPRINGER:With regard to the location of the, or relocating the access point, what condition would that fall under? GALDONES:Commissioner Springer, before you proceed -. SPRINGER:Im sorry. GALDONES:Do you have any questions of Councilman Safarik? SPRINGER:Sorry, no, I dont. GALDONES:Otherwise Id like to have him excused from the podium. SPRINGER:Sorry. GALDONES:If not, thank you very much, Councilman. SAFARIK:Thank you. GALDONES:Mr. Yuen, in reference, in response to Commissioner Springers question? YUEN:I dont think its covered by any of our conditions. They would have to secure approval from the DOT. The way weve written the special permit does not tie them into that access point. So, but their current deed does, the executive order does tie, does only permit those, that one access point on this part of the property. So they would have to, and the DOT controls that, so they would have to get a new access point, negotiate with the DOT. But nothing in our conditions ties them into one or the other. 8EXHIBIT B SPRINGER:Thank you. GALDONES:Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA:In Condition No. 4 it says that ‚The applicant shall install two signs with a flashing light,ƒ blah, blah. And I wonder what are these signs going to say. AH YO:The sign itself doesnt say, it has no wording on it. It is a pictorial sign that uses the international recognition for a fire station, which would be a fire truck. It would be a huge triangular shaped sign that has the fire truck and below that sign would have the flashing yellow light. The light would be used only during periods of response to an emergency alarm when the vehicles would be actually accessing the highway. SIRACUSA:Sotherewouldbethennoneed,itwouldbeunderstandabletheredbeno need to say traffic shall yield to emergency vehicles or something like that? AH YO:It would not say anything like that. SIRACUSA:Thank you. GALDONES:In follow up to that question, Mr. Ah Yo, is that the standard thats used through nationwide? AH YO:For the sign, yes. GALDONES:Okay, thanks. Any further questions of the applicants? Otherwise, Mr. Nishimura, any closing statements? NISHMURA:No, we have none. I guess we should just indicate that we will work with the appropriate bodies to relocate the access to, you know, whats indicated on the site plan. GALDONES:Thank you. I guess, Commissioners, if there are no further questions, the application comes with a recommendation from the Department that it be approved by the Planning Commission. Motion is in order. Commissioner Siracusa. SIRACUSA:Im prepared to make a motion. GALDONES:Proceed. SIRACUSA:I move that the application for Special Permit No. SPP 05-014 be approved based on the Planning Directors recommendation and proposed conditions, with the understanding that the applicant will be working with the Planning Department on revising the access, ingress and access points. SPRINGER:Second. 9EXHIBIT B GALDONES:It has been moved by Commissioner Siracusa, seconded by Commissioner Springer, that the County of Hawai€i Fire Department Special Permit Application (SP 05-014) be approved by the Planning Commission, along with the background report and recommendation and the amendment as stated by Commissioner Siracusa. Further discussion on the motion? Hearing none, Norman. HAYASHI:Commissioner Siracusa? SIRACUSA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Springer? SPRINGER:Yes. HAYASHI:Commissioner Alameda? ALAMEDA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Iwashita? IWASHITA:Aye. HAYASHI:Commissioner Salavea? SALAVEA:Aye. HAYASHI:Chair Galdones? GALDONES:Aye. HAYASHI:Motion carries. GALDONES:Thank you, Norman. Mr. Nishimura, you will be informed in writing of todays action. NISHIMURA:Thank you. GALDONES:Youre welcome. The discussion ended at 10:01 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon M.Nomura, East Hawai€i Secretary 10EXHIBIT B