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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-10-25 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I MINUTES Meeting Date: October 25, 2011 Time: 5:15 p.m. Place: West Hawai‘i Civic Center nd Planning Department Conference Room – Building E, 2 Floor 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, 96740 CALL TO ORDER Members Present: Nancy Burns, Fanny Au Hoy, Terry Dunlap, Stephen Herbert, John Hetherington and Sammie Stanbro Absent and Excused: Shane Kitchens, Eugene Power and Riley Saito Applicants/Representatives: Joe Belisario Planning Department: Bennett Mark, Keola Childs, Noriko Sauer and Rosalind Newlon (until 6:25 p.m.) Public: None A quorum was present. Vice Chair Burns called the meeting to order. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS None. NEW BUSINESS 1. Design Review of proposed Friday-Saturday weekly open air/farmers market in Kopiko Plaza parking lot with outdoor video/movie theater. Applicant: Hawaii Design Group, LLC. Land Owners: Lawrence Lit Wai Chan Trust and Linda Yee Wah Trust. Property Tax Map Key No.: 7-5-004:011. Location: 75-5660 Kopiko Street, adjoining Lanihau Shopping Center and Long’s Drug Store. Mr. Childs oriented the Commissioners regarding the subject and surrounding properties on the location map, and described the proposed project. He said that although the applicant had proposed no additional parking based on an offsetting proportion of the Kopiko Plaza complex being closed for business during the proposed market hours from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays, this proposition would be evaluated through the Plan Approval process by the Planning Department. He noted that the proposed earth-tone canopy color was in keeping with the character of the Kailua Village, and that the placement of commercial activity closer to public streets was consistent with a pedestrian-oriented redevelopment plan for the Kailua Village called for in the Kona Community Development Plan. However, he said that the night-time public display of large video images was not consistent with the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona, and that there were currently no guidelines in the Master Plan for public display using modern electronic technologies. He added that such a display might be characterized as a large sign, and cited for the Commission’s information the definition of “sign” in the Sign Code. 1 Commissioner Au Hoy asked whether the driveway to the Kopiko Plaza would be widened to accommodate more traffic, which seemed to her to be too narrow and offering poor visibility to motorists. Mr. Mark responded that it should not pose a danger, as there were three lanes, one for ingress and two for egress, and it had been built to the Department of Public Works standards. Commissioner Au Hoy then expressed her concern about parking based on her experience with the Kōkua Kailua stroll events, saying that there was not enough public parking in the Kailua Village to begin with. Commissioner Dunlap also commented that considering the fact that not only customers but also vendors would have to park their own vehicles somewhere, the proposed activities might have impacts on the community, unless there were a better plan for parking. Commissioner Dunlap also wanted to make sure that public safety was addressed, and asked how the tents would be anchored to withstand high wind and whether there would be a temporary barricade or something similar to control vehicular traffic on site. Commissioner Hetherington commented that what would be on the screen would determine whether or not it might be considered a sign, and that in his opinion any advertisement before or after the featured movie would constitute a sign. Mr. Childs suggested that the Commission might consider whether new display technologies for whatever the purpose should be allowed in the Kailua Village Special District and/or reviewed by the Commission in the future. Commissioner Hetherington asked whether Lanihau Shopping Center had come before the Commission before they started showing movies in their parking lot years ago. Mr. Mark responded in the negative, saying that the reason this application was before the Commission was because of the farmer’s market component, which required the Planning Director’s decision. Joe Belisario, representing the applicant and the landowner, presented further information, and noted that the subject property was a perfect setting for an outdoor theater in that the elevation was lower than the public street, and the parking area was surrounded by the commercial complex, resembling an amphitheater as is. In response to the Commissioners’ questions and suggestions, Mr. Belisario represented the following:  Included in the guidelines for the vendors is that each tent leg has to be weighted down with 50 pounds or more. One of the best ways will be to use five-gallon water bottles and then distribute the water to the planters when taken down.  They are licensed by Criterion for movies, and advertisement for the movies are not allowed by the licensing agreement, except through sub-media such as Facebook on the Internet.  No signage for the proposed activities is planned. The only advertisement will be on the st radio, which will start on November 1.  There will be two special-duty police officers during the event and one officer overnight to ensure the safety and security. Also, the applicant will consider some type of barricade to block vehicular traffic to better address the pedestrian safety.  According to their parking calculation done at the time of application, 53 booths were originally planned; however, the applicant has since concluded that they may be able to accommodate more. 2  The applicant believes that they meet the code requirements for parking for the proposed activities as is, although there is possibility of overflow, if the venture is successful.  Due to an interest expressed by Lanihau Shopping Center, there is a possibility of this venture becoming a joint project, in which case some kind of parking coordination may occur.  The center section of the parking lot will be blocked off at 4:00 p.m., and some warning signs about the parking restrictions will be posted strategically. If any vehicles are still there at 4:25 p.m., an employee of the market management company will make a round and inquire of each Kopiko Plaza tenant. There will be a tow truck standing by to move any vehicles still remaining.  Vendors will not be allowed to park at Kopiko Plaza or Lanihau Shopping Center, and will have to find parking off-property, such as a public parking lot in the neighborhood. No other specifics are thought out yet.  The applicant will review the situation, including parking, after three months, and make any necessary adjustments.  The movies will be family oriented. There will be no commercials for the sponsors or for the event.  The only additional lighting will be string lighting with either LED or incandescent small bulbs made for this purpose, which will be hung inside the canopies. They will comply with applicable code requirements.  The screen is inflatable. The high definition image on the screen will still be clear among the parking and canopy lighting.  The screen will be deflated and easily stored together with other audio visual equipment pieces after each use. All tents belong to vendors, which will be brought in and taken away each time, so no storage is required.  The simulated photo in the application is not representative of what will actually look like; since the vendors will bring their own tents, they will likely be in different colors from one another. But since the applicant is not interested in bright colors, they can specify a color scheme such as shades of green or white.  All vendors are being interviewed. The applicant is only interested in local products, and will avoid direct competition with the Kopiko Plaza tenants or among the vendors. Food vendors will also be advised to transition to biodegradable plates, cups, utensils, etc. The market’s mission is to support local farmers and provide family-oriented activities to the community.  The booth fee is currently $55 per day and $110 a weekend. About one-third has been sold to date.  To amplify the sound, only small speakers will be used. And according to the sound study performed, the applicant is confident that they will meet the Department of Health regulations and will not cause an increase in ambient noise levels. 3 Commissioner Au Hoy, based on her Kōkua Kailua event experience, suggested that the vendors set up their booths no later than 5:00 p.m. and their vehicles be not allowed on site after 5:00 p.m. She mentioned that Kōkua Kailua vendors were provided with parking accommodation and ID cards for their vehicles. Mr. Belisario said that they would try to come up with better parking arrangements for the vendors before the opening. With respect to the possibility of setting a precedent, Commissioners Dunlap and Hetherington asked if the Commission was allowed to be selective based on variable factors, such as the site features, neighborhood, etc., in case similar applications came in in the future. Mr. Mark responded that the Commission could look at the uniqueness of each application and make recommendations to the Planning Director. He cited Section 25-5-112 of the Zoning Code, saying that for example in this case even though a farmers market was a permitted use in the General Commercial Districts, the Planning Director could place certain restrictions to ensure its compatibility with the surrounding area. The Commission was unanimously in favor of the concept of vending local products only. Commissioner Hetherington, expressing his support for the proposed project, suggested that the canopy colors be limited to two or three shades. Commissioner Dunlap said that he would also support the proposed activities on this particular site for the reasons that the movie screen would be far enough from the public right-of-way, and that the property was self-contained in an amphitheater- like manner so that it would be visible to a specific audience rather than the entire community, both of which he said could be criteria for approval. Commissioner Burns also spoke in favor of the site, saying that the site elevation was lower than the street, which she said could also be a criterion just as the Sign Code had height limits. It was moved by Commissioner Hetherington, and seconded by Commissioner Herbert, to recommend to the Planning Director approval of the proposed project, with recommendations that the colors of the tents be limited to two colors meeting the Kailua Village guidelines, preferably white and green, and that after three months the applicant evaluate and address potential adverse impacts on the community in the areas of, including but not limited to, safety, lighting, parking and noise, and report to the Planning Director within 30 days of evaluation. A roll call vote was taken and the motion carried with five ayes (Hetherington, Herbert, Au Hoy, Dunlap and Stanbro), and three absent and excused (Kitchens, Saito and Power). ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS 1. Approval of Minutes of the Meeting of September 27, 2011. It was moved by Commissioner Dunlap and seconded by Commissioner Au Hoy that the minutes be approved as submitted. The motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. ANNOUNCEMENTS Mr. Childs reported that Noelani Whittington of the Department of Public Works (DPW) had informed him that the DPW would be on the County Council’s Public Works and Parks and Recreation Committee agenda on November 1, 2011, not to submit their proposal but to update the Committee on the status of their review of the Sign Code. He made mention of Ms. Whittington’s comment that there was a lot of input from the consulted community groups about lack of 4 enforcement, which he said was in line with the Commission’s concern. He also informed that Neil Erickson of the DPW Building Division in Kona had been assigned to take a lead role in this project. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, at 6:50 p.m., it was moved by Commissioner Hetherington and seconded by Commissioner Stanbro that the meeting be adjourned. The motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary A T T E S T: Nancy Burns, Vice Chair Kailua Village Design Commission 5