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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-09-04 Hearing Transcript-Paul Ogasawara REZ 14-176 WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 Paul Ogasawara (REZ 14-176) A regularly advertised hearing on the application of was called to order at 12:34 p.m. in the County of Hawai‘i Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i with Chairman Myles Miyasato presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Myles Miyasato, Charles Heaukulani, Gregory Henkel, and Raylene Moses. ABSENT AND EXCUSED: Stephen Ono. ALSO PRESENT: Duane Kanuha (Planning Director), Margaret Masunaga (Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Windward Planning Commission), William Brilhante (Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Planning Director) from 1:02 p.m., Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Jeff Darrow (Staff Planner), Maija Jackson (Staff Planner), to 6:30 p.m., Christian Kay (Staff Planner), Sarah Hata-Finley (Commission Secretary), Kim Tanaka (Secretary), to 4:30 p.m., and Melissa Dacayanan (Planning Commission Support Technician), to 4:30 p.m. And approximately 28 people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: PAUL OGASAWARA (REZ 14-176) Application for a Change of Zone from Single-Family Residential-15,000 square feet (RS-15) to Village Commercial-10,000 square feet (CV-10) for approximately 1 acre of land. The property is located on the northeast side of Pāhoa Village Road, approximately 410 feet northwest of its intersection with Post Office Road, Nānāwale Homesteads, Puna, Hawai‘i, TMK: 1-5-014:005. MIYASATO: First item on the agenda is Paul Ogasawara, change of zoning application. DARROW: Good morning, Members of the Planning Commission. MIYASATO: Good afternoon. DARROW: Oh, I’m sorry. So used to morning. Good afternoon. If I can direct your attention to our presentation, our first presentation this morning, the applicant is Paul Ogasawara. He is requesting a Change of Zone. The area of this subject application is within the Puna District of Hawai‘i, more specifically we’re looking in the Pāhoa area. You’ll notice the Pāhoa-Kea‘au Bypass Road running in a, kind of in a north-south direction to the middle of the map, and then you’ll notice the Pāhoa Village Road running parallel with the Bypass Road. This is generally Pāhoa Town area. 1 EXHIBIT A The colors represent the different zoning. The pink areas are the Commercial areas. The mustard color, as well as yellow, represent Single-Family Residential. The lighter green and darker green represents Agriculture. This is the State Land Use Boundary map of the area so you can see that the Urban Core is designated in this general area, right in the middle of Pāhoa Town, and on the outskirts, you’ll see Agriculture. I forgot to identify the subject property. It’s outlined in black and that is located on the Pāhoa Village Road, just northwest of the post office road. This is our General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map. This identifies our long-range plan for land use in this particular area. Just to identify again the subject property, you’ll notice that it’s within an area identified with the color orange, which is for Medium Density uses, or more Commercial or Multi-Family type uses. We have some Urban Expansion that runs more towards the mauka side, as well as some Low Density Urban, which is more for Single-Family Residential. But, again the subject property falls within the Medium Density Urban. This is a closer view. Again, we have the Pāhoa Village Road running through the middle of the map. Currently, the property is zoned Single-Family Residential - 15,000 square feet. As you’ll notice the different pink areas, there are some areas in the general area that are zoned Commercial. This is an aerial photo. Currently, there is a single-family dwelling on the property, and you’ll notice the different scattered dwellings in the area. The Applicant is requesting a Change of Zone from Single-Family Residential - 15,000 square feet to Village Commercial - 10,000 square feet. This is to be able to construct a commercial office and retail complex consisting of approximately 7,500 square feet. The plans call for the construction of three single-family story, story structures consisting of approximately 2,500 square feet each, and not exceeding twenty five feet in height. There would be twenty-six parking stalls, six of which would be for handicapped. This is the Applicant’s submitted plot plan. Again for reference, on the bottom of the map you have the access from Pāhoa Village Road, and you have the three identified single-story structures that would be used for commercial and office uses. This is an elevation identifying that they are going to be single-fam--single story. Here are some site photos. The area has been recently cleared, and it identifies the structure that is located on the property currently. And again we’re taking the picture from the Village Road. This again is the Single-Family storage, as well as the access. This is looking towards, towards, Pāhoa High School side or Nanawale side on Pāhoa Village Road. This is approximately forty foot wide as far as right-of-way width with a twenty foot two-lane roadway and about some grass and paved shoulders. This is looking in the opposite direction, towards Kea‘au. Again, no problem with site distance in this particular area. Again, I wanted to mention that this property also falls within the Pāhoa Regional Town Center that has been established through the Puna Community Development Plan. 2 EXHIBIT A The Planning Director is recommending that the Planning Commission send a favorable recommendation to the Hawai‘i County Council. That concludes our presentation. Are there any questions? Thank you. MIYASATO: Thank you. Would the Applicant or representative please come forward? FUKE: Morning, good afternoon. MIYASATO: Could you raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai‘i County Planning Commission? FUKE: Yes, I do. MIYASATO: Could you please state your name and residence. FUKE: Sure. Good afternoon, Commissioners. My name is Sidney Fuke, and I am here assisting the Applicant, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Ogasawara, who is here in the audience, by the way. My business address is 100 Pauahi Street, Suite 212. Essentially I’ve known Mr. Ogasawara since, I guess like, over thirty years right now, so he had asked me to assist him with this particular rezoning. One thing about Mr. Ogasawara, being a life-long resident of the Pāhoa area, you know when he saw the original plan that was prepared by one of his architects he decided to abandon that because what wasn’t shown in the plan was like, basically the original plan called for like a 13,000 square foot building, two structures, and he said that well, that really wasn’t in keeping with what he deemed to be like the “Pāhoa character.” So he said rather than that, he’d rather have three single-family looking-type of buildings, you know, constructed on the property. So he scaled it back by nearly forty percent and so what was presented by the Commission is what his ultimate goal is, is to construct three single-family looking building on the property and make it available for commercial retail or commercial office. He recognizes further that the area falls within the Pāhoa community, the design guidelines, and so he has already had a meeting with the committee and will continue to meet with the committee and as stipulated by the Planning Director’s Recommendation mandating compliance with the design guidelines. The other condition that the Planning Director’s recommending is that construction of a curb, gutter, sidewalk section, at the same time relinquishing at least a ten-foot wide section fronting the property to enable the construction of the curb, gutter, sidewalk section fronting his property and that he’s also willing. So having said that, the staff’s Background Report and the proposed Recommendation offered by the Director is acceptable to Mr. Ogasawara. MIYASATO: Commissioners, any questions? No questions. Thank you. FUKE: Thank you. 3 EXHIBIT A MIYASATO: Okay, we have one testifier on this matter. Jon Olson. OLSON: Good morning. MIYASATO: Good morning. Could you please raise your right hand? Do swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter now before the Hawai‘i County Planning Commission? OLSON: I do. MIYASATO: Thank you. Could you please state your name and residence? OLSON: Jon Olson and I reside at 13-631 Leilani Avenue in Pāhoa 96778. MIYASATO: Go ahead. You have three minutes. OLSON: Okay. I’m simply here to support Paul’s application. As was earlier stated, I am on the, I’m speaking for myself, but I am on the original town center planning steering committee, and he did come to us and we had the discussion of the design district, and he’s been very supportive of that. So I’m appreciative that he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is. And this is a good thing for Pāhoa. Thank you. MIYASATO: Thank you, Mr. Olson. Any questions Commissioners? If none, any discussion? HENKEL: Can I make a motion? MIYASATO: Make the motion. HENKEL: I move that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the County Council on the application for Change of Zone REZ 14-176 based on the Planning Director’s recommendations and proposed conditions. HEAUKULANI: I’ll second. MIYASATO: There’s a motion by Commissioner Henkel and seconded by Commissioner Heaukulani. DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The motion before us is to send a favorable recommendation to the Hawai‘i County Council. With that we’ll take the roll. Commissioner Henkel? HENKEL: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Heaukulani? HEAUKULANI: Aye. 4 EXHIBIT A DARROW: Commissioner Moses? MOSES: Aye. DARROW: And Mr. Chairman? MIYASATO: Aye. DARROW: The motion passes four to zero. MIYASATO: You’ll be notified in writing. The discussion ended at 12:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Y. Hata-Finley, Secretary Windward Planning Commission 5 EXHIBIT A