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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20070529 KVDC Minutes MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION MEETING DATE: May 29, 2007 TIME: 5:00 p.m. PLACE: The Mayor’s Office Conference Room, Suite 103, Hanama Place Office Building in Kailua Village ROLL CALL 1. Members Present: Theresa Andreae, Fanny Collins Au Hoy, Stephen Herbert, Cynthia Hope, Sally Marone and David Ross 2. Property Owners: Gary Williams and Aaron Eberhardt 3. Applicants’ Representatives: Beth Richardson, Isabel Short, Wendell Brooks, III, Nancy Burns, Owen Chrisman, Russell Gushi, Warren Miura and Clifford Mukai 4. Public: None 5. Staff Present: Bennett Mark, Deanne Bugado and Noriko Sauer The Chair welcomed the attendees and the Commissioners introduced themselves. It was agreed by all in attendance that the Commission take up the New Business agenda item first. NEW BUSINESS 1. Design review for a marquee sign, ground sign and wall sign for Williams Property. Applicant: Casey Knowles, Windermere Island Properties, LLC. Land Owner: Williams Properties, LLC. TMK: 7-5-018:091. Located at 75-5919 Walua Road, Kailua-Kona, HI. Staff Presentation Mr. Mark oriented the Commissioners of the subject and surrounding properties on a location map, and described the three proposed signs. He cited the signage criteria of the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona, and said that variances are needed for the large letter size and for the third sign. Applicant Presentation Gary Williams, the property owner, Beth Richardson, the broker of Windermere Real Estate, introduced themselves and were available for questions from the Commissioners. Later, Isabel Short, also representing the applicant, came forward and was also available for questions. Public Testimony There was no testimony from the general public. Commission Discussion In response to the Commissioners’ query about the scale of the diagram, Mr. Williams said that the diagram is not quite in scale, but the reason for the larger lettering is for 1 visibility from Kuakini Highway. He added that they have a readability issue on the Walua Road side as well, because the building will be nearly 20 feet above the road and there will be an 8-foot high rock wall. He also mentioned that the building was originally designed for 4 suites for which 4 separate signs could have been permitted, if Windermere hadn’t chosen to lease the entire premises. In answer to the Commissioners’ question as to why the ground sign is necessary since the Code limits the number of signs to two, Mr. Williams said that they need a location for their street address. The Commissioners expressed their ongoing concern about having too many signs in the Kailua Village Special District, and suggested the ground sign be eliminated and the street address be placed elsewhere. There was a discussion regarding visibility and aesthetic aspect of alternative locations for the street address , and Mr. Williams and the Commission agreed that mounting it onto the rock wall is the best solution. Commissioner Ross stated that due to the fact he is the civil engineer for this project, he will excuse himself from the discussion and abstain from voting. Action It was moved by Commissioner Andreae and seconded by Commissioner Herbert to recommend to the Public Works Director the approval of the proposed marquee sign and wall sign, with the following condition: The proposed ground sign shall be eliminated, and the street address shall be placed on the proposed rock wall. A roll call vote was taken and motion carried with four ayes. Commissioner Ross abstained. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 1. Design review of Lanihau Marketplace Phase II. Applicant: Colleen Miyasato of Maryl Group. Land owner: Aaron Eberhardt, member of PR II Westwood Lanihau Expansion LLC. TMK: 7-5-004:007, portion of 010, 029 and 052. Located at 75-5592 Palani Road (Existing Lanihau Marketplace Center), Kailua-Kona, HI, off of Henry Street. Staff Presentation Mr. Mark went over the items that the Commission had asked the applicant about at the last meeting, and presented the Planning Department’s analysis of what the applicant has done to address those points. Applicant Presentation Warren Miura, the applicant’s representative with Maryl Group, introduced himself and other representatives to the Commissioners. Mr. Owen Chrisman indicated on the site plan two alternative locations for a gathering space, since the 2 to 1 slope of the “Sloping Open Space Area” behind Long’s Drugstore 2 makes that area unsuitable for that purpose. One is located in front of the restaurant complex D on the lower level and the other is located between the back of the Office Building B and the pedestrian bridge on the upper level. He also addressed the medallion design matter, for which they have selected a paddle canoe man, and said they are trying to confirm legal aspects of utilizing it since it is a replication of an actual petroglyph. He also presented additional elevation sheets, and showed the slope roof they modified to improve the continuity of roofline. Ms. Nancy Burns addressed the subject of driveway circulation pattern in the Palani Road entry area of the existing Lanihau Phase I. She described two possibilities they considered: 1) Make the Post Office/First Hawaiian Bank entry road meet with the Bank of Hawaii entry road, and 2) Move the Bank of Hawaii entry road toward Long’s Drugstore. She said the applicant’s suggestion is to have their merchants’ association, which is in process of being formed, work out this matter, since reconfiguration of driveways will affect their parking situation, as well as the issue concerning who will bear the cost, which they estimate at $250,000. She also stated that another reason for their recommendation to defer this matter is based on the fact there is a lot of road construction in progress in the vicinity, including their two proposed entryways with traffic signal lights on Henry Street, which might change the current traffic circulation pattern. She added that another suggestion they have is to wait until their resurfacing project, at which time reconfiguration of the driveways could be done more easily without a lot of the expense. Mr. Russell Gushi talked about what they have incorporated into their landscape plan to address the requests and suggestions the Commissioners had made at the last meeting. With regard to utilizing more canopy trees and shrubs with colors and fragrance, he said that the two gathering spaces, one more formal than the other, and pedestrian walkways are the places for those plants, as they will be most appreciated where people are nearby. To soften the visual appearance of palm tree trunks, he said that they will apply combinations of trees, shrubs and groundcovers depending on the planting space each area offers. Indigenous/drought tolerant plants will be used throughout the project and especially in the step retaining wall area (the service area). He also said that Hong Kong Orchid will be used in the upper office level as the theme tree of the section, and that Shower Trees along Henry Street and Plumeria trees by Lanihau Phase I will create continuity to the existing landscaping. Public Testimony There was no testimony from the general public. Commission Discussion The Commissioners expressed their concerns about security and safety of the sloped open space behind Long’s Drugstore, and Mr. Chrisman suggested lighting as a safety measure. He added that once the area is developed and there is more activity, the situation should become better. In response to the Commissioners’ question, Mr. Chrisman clarified that there will be two entrances to restaurants: One can access the dining area on the second floor from the 3 upper office level via the pedestrian bridge, or one can take an elevator or an escalator from the main entrance on the ground level. The Commissioners pointed out that the back of the restaurants/retail buildings will be the view from the upper level. Mr. Chrisman responded to the concern, stating that because of the elevation drop, the area won’t be so visible, and that the building design features, such as slope roof and recessed receiving areas, should soften the look. He added that there will also be some landscaping, although they are trying to cut back the expense for this area since it is designated as a service area. The Commissioners pointed out that there doesn’t seem to be enough turning room for trailer trucks in the service area. Mr. Chrisman agreed that their engineer will modify the parking stall arrangement to provide adequate turning room, if necessary. With respect to the studies they have done in an effort to improve the traffic circulation pattern near the Palani Road entrance, the Commissioners recommended that the applicant make them available to the merchants’ association for their consideration. Ms. Burns concurred. In response to the Commissioners’ queries, Mr. Gushi said that their current plan is to plant Monkeypod trees along Queen Kaahumanu Highway, however, because of the shallow soil in the area, they may have to start with 25-gallon trees, which is the minimum size accepted by the County. He also clarified that the proposed Pink Tecoma trees along walkways will be planted in ground, and not in pots. The Commissioners asked for clarification about synchronizing all the traffic signal lights along Henry Street, which had been mentioned at the last meeting by Mr. Niiya. Ms. Burns confirmed that they have been working with Ron Thiel at the Public Works Traffic Division and that the synchronizing will be done by the County. In response to the Commissioners’ question about their signage plan, Mr. Chrisman stated that although the application submittal will probably be done separately by each tenant with their own specifics, there will be a program by which the whole center is tied together. Action It was moved by Commissioner Au Hoy and seconded by Commissioner Ross to recommend to the Planning Director the approval of the proposed project, with the following recommendation: The applicant shall consider the lighting of the triangular shaped “Sloping Open Space Area” below Long’s Drugstore, for security purposes. A roll call vote was taken and motion carried with five ayes. 4 ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS 1. Minutes of the Meeting of May 15, 2007 It was moved by Commissioner Au Hoy and seconded by Commissioner Andreae that the minutes be approved as distributed. The motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. 2. Correspondence & Reports None. ANNOUNCEMENT th Mr. Mark announced that the meeting scheduled for June 12 has been cancelled since no applications were submitted as of the due date. The Chair brought to the Commissioners’ attention that the Kailua Village Business Improvement District will hold an informational workshop at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May th 30, at the King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, at 6:55 p.m., it was moved by Commissioner Herbert and seconded by Commissioner Au Hoy that the meeting be adjourned. Motion was unanimously carried by a voice vote of all Commissioners in attendance. Respectfully submitted, ____________________________________________ SALLY MARONE, CHAIRPERSON 5