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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApplicant Response to PD RecommendationDaryn Arai Land Use Planning Consultant P.O. BOX 4501, HILO HAWAII 96720 PHONE: (808) 895-3218 EMAIL: DARYN ARAI@OUTLOOK.COM December 2, 2025 Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 3 Hilo, HI 96720 Dear Chair Danielle: Subject: Change of Zone Application PL-REZ-2025-000091 Applicant’s Response to Planning Director’s Recommendation regarding Improvement to Hinano Street Applicant: CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union Tax Map Key: (3) 2-2-034:045, Waiākea, South Hilo, Hawaiʻi This letter will respond to the Planning Director’s recommendation regarding the above- described rezoning action affecting that property located on Hinano Street, adjacent to the south of the existing CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union complex in Hilo. The Applicant, CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union, is very appreciative of Planning Director Jeffrey Darrow’s favorable recommendation regarding the requested rezoning action that will allow for the improvement of this and an adjoining property to the west as a new member-facing credit union branch facility to better serve its members as it has always strived for over the last 45 years. The Applicant would like the Windward Planning Commission to delete the Planning Director’s recommended Condition G, as recited below: G.A five-foot wide future road widening strip along Hīnano Street shall be delineated on the plans submitted for Plan Approval review. The five-foot wide future road widening section with roadway improvements consisting of, but not limited to, pavement widening with concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk, drainage improvements, and any required utility relocation, meeting the requirements of the Department of Public Work, shall be subdivided and dedicated to the County prior to the establishment of any commerical (sic) uses on the property. And to replace it with the same condition as recommended for the Applicant’s Manono Street property as presented on the following page. Item #3 CU Hawaii Federal Credit Union PL-REZ-2025-000091 Applicant Response to PD Recommendations Given at WPC 12-4-25 Hearing Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission Page 2 of 6 December 2, 2025 G. A five (5) foot wide future road widening strip along the property’s Hinano Street frontage shall be subdivided and dedicated, at no cost to the County, when required by the Department of Public Works (DPW). The Applicant shall provide their pro-rata share for the construction of full improvements to the entire property frontage along Hinano Street consisting of, but not limited to, pavement widening with concrete curb, gutter and sidewalk, drainage improvements and any required utility relocation meeting with the approval of the DPW. This pro-rata share for roadway improvements specified in this condition shall be determined by the DPW and shall become due and payable to the County of Hawaiʻi within six (6) months from the date that formal notice is served upon the Applicant by the DPW regarding a program for the installation of curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements along Hinano Street. The purpose for the requested revision to Condition G is to defer the construction of curb, gutter and sidewalk (CGS) improvements along the Hinano Street property frontage until such time a County-led program to widen and improve Hinano Street is undertaken by the County, upon which the Applicant will provide a 5-foot road widening strip at no cost to the County and pay its pro-rata share to the County for the improvements to Hinano Street. Within his Recommendation Report, the Planning Director noted the Department’s support of the Department of Public Works (DPW) recommendation to deny the Applicant’s request to defer these CGS improvements since similar improvements have historically been required by the County Council when approving a change of zone to commercial zoning in the Waiākea House Lots area. The Report noted that nearby properties along Hīnano Street (such as Don’s Grill and CU Hawaiʻi) that have been zoned commercial since the 1960’s (original zoning) do not have curb, gutter and sidewalk (CGS) improvements; however, the County Council has consistently required these roadway improvements on any new change of zone along Hīnano Street (such as Big Island Candies). Thus, the Planning Director believes it would be “unfair” to provide relief to the applicant when prior applicants have installed these improvements. The Applicant respectfully questions the perception of its request as being “unfair” as it has committed to providing a road widening strip at no cost to the County and paying its “pro- rata share” of CGS improvements to Hinano Street. The Applicant’s request is not about “fairness”, it’s about “timing”. While Big Island Candies did improve its entire frontages along both Hinano and Kekuanaoa Streets, the overall scale and scope between the Big Island Candies and the proposed CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union projects are vastly different. The Big Island Candies properties are zoned for General Commercial (CG-20) uses that will allow for the highest level of commercial uses such as a central shopping or principal downtown area for a city or a region and is applied to lands that host the County and State buildings and Courthouse, the Prince Kuhio Plaza and Walmart. Big Island Candies is located near the corner of a very busy intersection where it attracts large tour buses and has a significant amount of employee and customer traffic navigating its Hinano Street driveways. Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission Page 3 of 6 December 2, 2025 In comparison, the Applicant is requesting a Neighborhood Commercial (CN-10) zoning district that will accommodate a much lower level of commercial typical of a compact shopping center that supplies goods and services to a residential or working population on a frequent need or convenience basis, such as the nearby Manono Street MarketPlace (Hawaiian Style Café/Miyo’s/Tetsumen). The proposed CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union complex will actually reduce traffic along Hinano Street by relocating its member-facing services to its Manono Street property. From a design and functional standpoint, it would be prudent for these road shoulder improvements to be constructed as a single comprehensive and cohesive project, rather than in bits and pieces. A little more than a decade ago, the County initiated a roadway enhancement program to rehabilitate a section of Manono Street that saw a coordinated effort where portions of properties were acquired, utilities relocated as necessary, and construction of new CGS improvements undertaken along both sides of Manono Street. If this same coordinated roadway enhancement is applied to Hinano Street, the Applicant will pay its pro-rata share for these County-coordinated, designed and constructed CGS improvements to avoid any design and construction issues related to segmented installation, such has having to remove a newly constructed CGS improvements because of alignment issues when the County undertakes its broader rehabilitation project. Below is a section of Manono Street that was improved with CGS by the County about a decade ago, with the sidewalks fully functional along the entire length of this block section between Kekuanaoa Street and Lanikaula Street. Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission Page 4 of 6 December 2, 2025 As a striking counterpoint to the County rehabilitation of Mohouli Street, the image below is a section of Lanihuli Street in Hilo where road-widening and CGS improvements were installed along a select parcel where it has stood alone for more than 15 years. This has created a situation where this sidewalk is a potential trip or fall hazard for someone not paying attention to the fact that the sidewalk does not extend beyond the boundaries of this one property. To prevent an accidental fall, metal barricades have been installed at both ends of the sidewalk. We also question if any pedestrian walking along the grass shoulder will walk diagonally onto the sidewalk then back onto the grass shoulder once the sidewalk ends. While the Applicant is aware that the Hinano Street frontage of the project site may not encounter the same topographical constraints as the Lanihuli Street example shown above, it does depend on the final building site elevations and it does share some of the same potential obstacles, such as the location of existing utility poles. The diagram on the following page reflects our best guess as to the location of any required sidewalk improvements based on the conceptual driveway locations onto Hinano Street. The existing utility poles are also shown on this diagram and the Applicant is concerned that constructing such short segments of sidewalks will require the relocation of these two utility poles at great cost with little benefit since these improvements are limited to just this single property with a width of only 100 feet. Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission Page 5 of 6 December 2, 2025 Louis Daniele III, Chairperson and Members of the County of Hawaiʻi Windward Planning Commission Page 6 of 6 December 2, 2025 In summary, the Applicant is not requesting relief from its obligation to widen and improve Hinano Street to typical commercial standards. It is simply expressing its desire to participate in a program to improve Hinano Street in a comprehensive and cohesive manner so as to not have the County encounter any significant design and construction issues in the future, such as existing and proposed sidewalks not matching final elevations or horizontal alignment that would require any prior improvements to be removed and reconstructed. The County has begun to realize the value of deferring individual CGS improvements to a broader County capital improvement program by supporting recent commercial rezonings (ORD 16-45 & ORD 17-8) along Kilauea Avenue near KTA Super Store at Puainako, which experiences much greater traffic flow than Hinano Street. We hope that we have adequately conveyed the Applicant’s position regarding this specific road improvement Condition G as recommended by the Planning Director. Please feel free to contact me should there be any questions or need for additional information. Sincerely, DARYN ARAI Land Use Planning Consultant cc via email: Planning Director Jeffrey Darrow CU Hawaiʻi Federal Credit Union