HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-02-28 PL-SMA-2023-000038 Jan and Richard Dodge Testimony From: Jan Dodge
To: Jackson, Maiia; Roy.Alex;LPCtestimonv; Kern.Zendo; Dacavanan. Melissa
Cc: Jana Cook
Subject: Fwd:Testimony Concerning Proposed Hotel by Kona Hawaii Development LLC
Date: Wednesday,February 28,2024 1:13:51 PM
Aloha Maija, and all,
This letter of testimony, below, is for the proposed Kona Hawaii Development
Application regarding tomorrow's hearing. It was received by Mr. Roy and Mr. Fuke in October, 2023,
however the original email was not included in the Background Report at that time. We ask that it be
included for tomorrow's hearing.
Also, note that we had sent a followup letter on January 3rd, 2024, which today has been reforwarded to
the Leeward Planning Commission by Jana Cook, and we are in receipt of a reply by yourself that the
January 3rd testimony will be submitted for the hearing tomorrow.
Mahalo,
Jan and Richard Dodge
My spouse, Richard, and I, Jan Dodge, have been owners at Hale Kona Kai Condominium,
75-5870 Kahakai Rd Unit 208 since 2017, and this letter outlines our concerns and questions
about the proposed Marriott Hotel construction for the property at the corner of Kahakai Rd
and Ali'i Drive.
The reason for our concerns are twofold: the proposed building drawings and description
presents erroneous information, and the proposal lacks details and plans necessary to fully
consider the project a viable one for the subject property.
Specifically, we request more information in the following scope:
1- Aerial views of the proposed hotel mistakenly show a landscaped area on the ground level
of the interior of the U-shaped hotel, where in actuality there is a commercial building owned
by C.J. Kimberly in that area which is not being removed for the project to proceed. The
proposed Kahakai Rd landscaping buffer misleads neighbors who assume that landscaping
will reduce the noise and sight from the three story hotel on Kahakai Rd, but that is not the
case with the C.J. Kimberly building essentially being in the parking lot on the 3-D model.
See attached photo of the C.J Kimberly building on Kahakai Rd.
2- The 2017 approved building for this property was for a 48 room hotel/condominium, but
this proposal has more than doubled to a 100+room hotel which changed from an Ali'i Drive
entrance, to an entrance on the south arm of Kahakai Rd, a road with no median lines that is
barely two lanes wide and is utilized by Royal Kona Hotel guests, Hale Kona Kai
guests/owners, and most of the other businesses along the 2 block stretch of Kahakai Rd,
primarily as pedestrian access for Honl's beach and other businesses without walking on busy
Ali'i Drive. Is there a plan to improve Kahakai Rd for public safety, increased traffic,
pedestrian walking, and secure access to Kahakai businesses? The hotel access for parking
lies opposite the entrance to the Kona Reef Condominium complex which makes it virtually
impossible for pedestrians to safely cross two lanes of vehicles to get from Kahakai to Ali'i
Drive in both east and west directions due to entering and leaving vehicles at this parking
entrance on Kahakai Rd and the Kona Reef entrance on the opposite side of Kahakai. We
propose that a main entrance to the hotel would be not only better suited on the busier road,
Ali'i Drive, for accessibility to parking but also for visibility of the hotel main facade, as is the
case with the Club Wyndham Hawaiian Resort, and many other condominium complexes a
short distance south of this proposed hotel.
3- Are there additional and improved parking spaces planned on Kahakai for the exponential
increase in vehicles due to this hotel? There are a total of 145 parking spaces shown in the
architectural plan of the 150 room hotel, which is not taking into account the other 5+ hotel
guest's, staff and employee vehicle parking. Where will the overflow hotel vehicles park?
Kahakai Rd will be additionally burdened by the inadequate parking, taking away spaces for
the other Kahakai businesses, condominium contractors, staff and guests where parking is
currently less than adequate.
4- Without the erroneous landscaping buffer on the west/Kahakai Rd side of the hotel, noise
from open lanai's and pool/recreation areas of the 110+room, 3 story hotel will bounce and
then travel out the U-configuration and directly to the front doors of the Hale Kona Kai
condominium units, impacting the quality of life of owners and guests and also the visibility of
the mountain. The hotel elevation drawings, especially of the south and west elevations, are
notably missing from the drawing set, so while the Ali'i Drive east perimeter height is said to
be under the limit of 45 feet, Kahakai Rd with it's east to western slope means that the hotel's
western first floor level, which begins on top of the basement parking area, most certainly will
be higher than 45 feet, looming over diminutive Hale Kona Kai and more importantly will rise
above the County legal building height limits. We request all elevation drawings be submitted
to all owners within 300 feet of the perimeter boundary of subject property.
5- We suspect that the sewer, water, and utility requirements and usage for what was the
approved 48 unit condotel has changed drastically for a densely populated, 100+room hotel
on what is essentially a minor residential street. We would anticipate many utility and
environmental problems unless the existing infrastructure of the property and adjacent streets
are expanded and improved.
We look forward to your response, corrections, and submittal of missing items at your earliest
convenience.
Respectfully,
Jan and Richard Dodge
6 .
• r. r
7777 •
ram.
s
r
{{
r.
r ' Y x.,
A
k
"
e
•