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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-04-21 Leeward Exh D (Amend REZ 1020) LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I HEARING TRANSCRIPT APRIL 21, 2016 TANTE URBAN (Amend REZ 1020) A regularly advertised hearing on the application of was called to order at 12:41 p.m. in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Community Center, Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, with Chairman Keith Unger presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Keith Unger, Scott Church, Collin Kaholo, Barbara Nobriga and Sonny Shimaoka ABSENT AND EXCUSED: Brandi Beaudet ALSO PRESENT: Danny Patel (Counsel for the Commission), Duane Kanuha (Planning Director), Daryn Arai (Planning Program Manager), Jeff Darrow (Planner), Christian Kay (Planner) and Noriko Sauer (Commission Secretary) And approximately ten people from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: TANTE URBAN (Amend REZ 1020) Request for a 5-year time extension to Condition C (time to complete construction) of Change of Zone Ordinance No. 03-115, which rezoned 7,501 square feet of land from a Multiple-Family Residential-1,000 square feet (RM-1) to a Village Commercial–7,500 square feet (CV-7.5) zoning district. The subject property is located at 75-5733 Kalawa Street, approximately 150 feet south of its intersection with Kalani Street, Honuaula, North Kona, Hawai‘i , TMK: 7-5-022:040. UNGER: Continuing on to New Business. New Business continuing, New Business No. 5, Applicant Tante Urban, Amend REZ 1020. Staff, presentation? KAY: Thank you, Mr. Chair. As you stated, this is an amendment to a Change of Zone. The subject parcel is located in the North Kona District of Hawai‘i Island. Sorry, it’s a little difficult to see, but it’s right here outlined in red. It is located in the Kailua Village area. For reference we’ve got Kuakini Highway running generally north-south through the slide, and also we’ve got Kalani Street running generally east-west here. Zooming in a little bit closer, again, we see the subject parcel outlined here in red, again with Kuakini Highway running north-south, Kalani Street east-west. Access to the parcel is off of Kalawa Street, which again is running parallel to Kuakini Highway in the mauka area. The zoning of the subject parcel and the parcel adjacent to the north is Village Commercial-7,500 square feet. Surrounding zoning includes mostly Multi-Family Residential, which is indicated in the brown color. So much of the area is either in commercial use or multi-family residential use, apartment buildings. The two parcels to the south of the subject parcel are also owned by the same applicant, and he’s developed two multi-family apartment buildings. 1 EXHIBIT D The State Land Use Boundary designation for the area is Urban. The LUPAG designation for the area, the Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map designation of the area, is Medium Density Urban. And the Kona CDP has designated the subject parcel, again here in red, within the Kona Urban Area as indicated by the red line and also within the Kailua Village Redevelopment Transit Oriented Development Area as indicated by the pink circle. It’s also in the Kailua Village Special Design District. Here is an aerial photograph of the subject parcel. Again, for your reference Kuakini Highway running here generally north-south, Kalani Street generally east-west, and again Kalawa Street. We’ve got the McDonald’s here makai of the parcel. The subject parcel is currently vacant. And again, just to give you an idea, these are the two apartment buildings that are also owned by the applicant. The applicant is requesting an amendment to Condition C of Change of Zone Ordinance 03-115 in order to provide more time to complete construction of a proposed six-unit, multi-family apartment building with a commercial kitchen on the ground floor. Condition C required that construction be completed in 2008. As the original Change of Zone was granted in 2003, he had again until 2008 to meet the five-year condition. The applicant did not come in for an administrative time extension at that time, which is his right; had he done so, he would have had until 2013 to complete it. He came back in in the early 2016, asking for a time extension, administrative time extension, but because he had gone past the 2013 date, that’s why we had him come back to the Commission. The applicant is requesting a five-year time extension from the date of approval of this proposed amendment to complete construction of his proposed development. Here is the applicant’s site plan, again just for reference we’ve got Kalawa Street running generally north-south. This is the ground floor, it’s a three-story apartment building, so what you are seeing here again is the various parking, which is going to be underneath. We’ve got, this is the proposed commercial kitchen. At least the initial plan calls for some outdoor eating space, got stairways on either side of the building and an elevator, some laundry facilities and alike. The second and third floors, the mid-level here are four units and then the third floor is going to be considered two units to complete the six-unit apartment building. Here is a view of the property from Kalawa Street. Again, the parcel is vacant; however, the applicant has been allowing the West Hawai‘i Community Health Center to use this as overflow parking over the past several years. He did not obtain a Plan Approval in order to do that, so when we brought that to his attention, he said he would cease the use right away so that he could develop the land, should he be granted the time extension. Here are views from Kalawa Street looking south with the subject parcel on the left hand side, and Kalawa Street looking north with the subject parcel on the right hand side. Again, these are the existing apartment buildings, and you can kind of get an idea of what the proposed apartment building would look like. The Planning Director is recommending to forward a favorable recommendation to the County Council. With that, that was my presentation, I’d be happy to answer any questions that the Commission may have. UNGER: Thank you. Commissioners, any questions? I had a question. Can you clarify the widening of Kalawa Street? In a letter from the applicant to the Planning Department he stated he 2 EXHIBIT D owned several other properties on Kalawa Street; it was his understanding that there wasn’t a setback requirement for that, and now there is a setback requirement for his property he is applying for. And according to the Planning Department, there is a four-foot setback. KAY: That is correct. Okay, so, the initial ordinance back in 2003 a req-, because that was changing from Multi-Family Residential to Commercial zoning, and because of the designation of the street as a secondary arterial, I believe, the requirement was to widen the road. So they actually said widen the pavement, add curb, gutter, sidewalk, at that point. So that was the original requirement, condition under the original ordinance. When he came back in for the time extension, Public Works looked at that and said in order to kind of be consistent with the curb, gutter, sidewalk and the pavement width with the adjacent commercial parcel, instead of widening so you would have a jog in putting it in, they said go ahead and be consistent with the pavement width, curb, gutter, sidewalk, to your next door parcel, and then just set aside a five-foot road widening setback so that should in the future Public Works decide to widen the road, that they would be able to do so within the five-foot setback. Did that answer your question? UNGER: Yeah. KAY: Okay. UNGER: Also, just a parking question, and I think Mr. Fine is here to testify, but in regard to the letter he’s sent to the Planning Department, I mean, if we are all familiar with this area, parking is an issue. I did notice that there are two parking stalls per apartment; I didn’t see any parking for the commercial kitchen or the eating area. Is there additional parking required for that, or how is that being addressed? KAY: So based on these plans, given the square footage of the proposed development, it would meet the code requirement, the code requirement for parking stalls. These are just preliminary plans, so he’d still have to go through the Plan Approval process at which point, should he change his plans between now and then, we take a look at it and require the appropriate amount of parking for the code UNGER: Okay. Thank you. KAY: You’re welcome. UNGER: Any other questions? CHURCH: No. UNGER: Thank you. KAY: Thank you. UNGER: If the applicant can come forward at this time. Please raise your right hand. Do you swear and affirm to tell the truth before the Planning Commission? SUNDQUIST: Yes, I do. 3 EXHIBIT D UNGER: Thank you. Please state your name and where you reside. SUNDQUIST: Lance Sundquist. I’m in Kalaoa, Kailua-Kona. UNGER: Thank you. Proceed with your testimony. This is your opportunity to, have you — SUNDQUIST: Yeah, I — UNGER: Have you read the background report — SUNDQUIST: Yes. Yes, I have. UNGER: — and do you agree with the recommendations from the Planning Department? SUNDQUIST: Yes, I do. UNGER: Okay, thank you. At this time do you have anything to add to that? SUNDQUIST: No, just that this plan we are looking at here doesn’t have the five-foot widening strip on it, but the new plan does for the widening of the road, because he’s agreed with that, and put the sidewalk in. UNGER: Okay, thank you. SUNDQUIST: Thank you. UNGER: Commissioners, are there any questions? Thank you. You may be seated. Are there any members of the public here to — actually, we do. Is Thomas Fine here? KAY: He was here earlier. I think he may have left. UNGER: Okay. KAY: Just for your information he submitted the letter, so his concerns were identified in the letter, which is part of your packet as an exhibit. UNGER: Okay. KAY: Yeah. UNGER: Okay. I need a motion to close public hearing. SHIMAOKA: I make a motion we close. NOBRIGA: I second. UNGER: All in favor? 4 EXHIBIT D ALL COMMISSIONERS: Aye. UNGER: Oppose? \[None.\] Motion passes. Public hearing is closed. Commissioners, at this time we are entertaining motions in regards to this agenda item. SHIMAOKA: I move that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the County Council on the application to amend REZ 1020, based on the Planning Director’s recommendation, findings, and proposed conditions, which shall be adopted. NOBRIGA: I’ll second. UNGER: We have a second. We have a motion by Commissioner Shimaoka, second by Commissioner Nobriga. Any discussion? Roll call, please. KAY: Thank you, Mr. Chair. Commissioner Shimaoka? SHIMAOKA: Aye. KAY: Commissioner Nobriga? NOBRIGA: Aye. KAY: Commissioner Church? CHURCH: Aye. KAY: Commissioner Kaholo? KAHOLO: Aye. KAY: And Chair Unger? UNGER: Aye. KAY: Thank you. The motion carries, five-nothing. UNGER: Thank you. The discussion ended at 12:53 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary Leeward Planning Commission 5 EXHIBIT D