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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-19 Kailua Village Design Commission Minutes KAILUA VILLAGE DESIGN COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I MINUTES Meeting Date: September 19, 2017 Time: 5:15 p.m. Place: West Hawai‘i Civic Center nd Planning Department Conference Room – Building E, 2 Floor 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, 96740 CALL TO ORDER Commissioners Present: Peter Dahlberg, Bryant Ching, Michaela Ikeuchi, Ann Kern, Shaun Roth, Zon Sullenberger and Mark Van Pernis Absent and Excused: Alvin Akina, Jr. Planning Department: Bennett Mark (Planning Program Manager), Deanne Bugado (Planner), Terry Dunlap (Planner) and Noriko Sauer (Commission Secretary) Applicants/Representatives: Fritz Harris-Glade and Shane Kitchens Public: Max Newberg and Cameron Mičulká A quorum was present. Chairman Dahlberg called the meeting to order and the Commissioners introduced themselves. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Minutes of the Meetings of August 15, 2017, and September 5, 2017 Chairman Dahlberg asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the meeting of August 15, 2017. No corrections were offered, and the minutes were approved as circulated. The Commission postponed the September 5, 2017, meeting minutes until the next meeting at the request of the secretary. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS Commissioner Van Pernis stated that a member of the Kona Community Development Plan Action Committee had asked him to present their statement that they prefer the existence and enforcement of the sign ordinance. There were no other statements from the public. OLD BUSINESS 1. Proposal: The applicant is submitting a revised design, addressing previous concerns of the Kailua Village Design Commission, for a four story hotel, off Henry Street, with a total of 140 rentable units. 1 Applicant: Fritz Harris-Glade, AIA, LEED AP Landowner: Circadia Management LLC c/o Mr. Han Kim TMK: (3) 7-5-004: 006 Location: No street address has been assigned. The Commission took up this item at 5:18 p.m. Chairman Dahlberg noted that the applicant had further modified the revised design that had been distributed to the Commissioners earlier, and that a copy of the final proposal was available to the public. Mr. Dunlap displayed some site photographs, and gave a PowerPoint presentation of the applicant’s submittal. He highlighted changes that had been made since the Commission’s review of his original submittal at the August 15, 2017, meeting, which included the placement of the hotel wings at an angle so as to mitigate adverse impact on the view from Henry Street, as well as a ten-foot height difference from one wing to another. The applicant, Fritz Harris-Glade, provided additional information, and stated that not only would the new orientation of the building protect the makai view but also give more privacy to the neighbors along the southern border. He displayed a three-dimensional model of the site and building to show the topography and architectural features. He also presented a copy of an approved burial plan, which had been requested by the Commission at the previous meeting. Mr. Harris-Glade clarified the proposed colors depicted on Sheet A-5.1, as the photocopy did not show the true intended colors. He also displayed a sample of four different green colors for the roof, and said that the lighter green was shown on the drawings. Commissioner Van Pernis suggested that cream or almond be considered for the trim, doors and windows, rather than white. Mr. Harris-Glade responded that he was open to suggestions from the Commissioners. Commissioner Roth expressed his approval for the roof color change from brown to light green because there was a lot of brown on the walls. Commissioner Ikeuchi asked if the view of the Moku‘aikaua Church spire would be maintained. Mr. Harris-Glade responded that that would be dependent upon the location of the viewer. In response to Commissioners Ikeuchi and Roth’s questions, Mr. Harris-Glade stated that a traffic impact study had already been done at the time of the zoning change, and that as a result a traffic lights had been installed, which would be activated at the project completion. Commissioner Ikeuchi commented that aside from addition of palm trees, she still found the Kailua Village feel lacking from the proposed design. Mr. Harris-Glade responded that it was difficult to make such a large hotel project into a small village style while having to maintain the more contemporary corporate brand image. Commissioner Roth said that he was pleased with the revised design, notably the much improved roofline and a lot of articulation on the walls that would create desired shadows, as well as the building being positioned such a way that it would not look so massive. Further, he thanked the applicant for addressing the Commission’s concerns that had been raised at the previous meeting, and commented that the three-dimensional model with the architectural details was helpful. Commissioner Sullenberger agreed that the revised design presented much improvement, in particular, the zigzag design of the building that eliminated the in-your-face effect of the previous straight wall. He added that he was ready to support the application. Commissioner Van Pernis also said that he was ready to make a motion 2 for approval, with a condition that the proposed white color for the trim, doors and windows be changed to almond. In response to Commissioner Ikeuchi’s question as to how the development would positively impact the community, Mr. Harris-Glade stated that the revised design, together with landscaping along the boundary, would provide more privacy to the residents on the south side, and that construction and hotel operations would create job opportunities. Commissioner Roth commented that having a hotel in town was a positive thing for the reason that the hotel guests could walk to town activities, that it would increase the accommodation capacity within the area for large events, such as the Ironman Triathlon, and that it would offer a shorter commute to some working people. Commissioner Ikeuchi expressed her concern about the burial site, which she emphasized was different than any other archeological sites. She said that the hotel guests might inadvertently or carelessly walk over the burial. Mr. Harris-Glade responded that the landowner had a burial plan approved by the Burial Council, and that if there were any suggested revisions to the plan, the Commission might need to work with the Burial Council. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Kern, Mr. Harris-Glade stated that although he was not sure of the owner’s exact plan at the moment, they were trying to treat the burial site with respect, as requested by former Commissioner Au Hoy at the previous meeting, without calling too much attention to the burial site. He further stated that the site would be almost hidden behind areca palms and rock wall, and that at the same time they also had to figure out how to provide access for the lineal descendants. He added that Mr. Curtis Tyler whom the owner worked with on their Holiday Inn Express project in downtown, could lead them to the right direction. Commissioner Ikeuchi opined that there should be a small sign so that people would know what it is. It was moved by Commissioner Van Pernis and seconded by Commissioner Ching that the Commission forward to the Planning Director a recommendation for approval of the proposed project based on the most recent submittal, with the following conditions: a. Change the color for the trim, doors and windows, as referred to as Numbers 5, 6 and 7 on Sheet A-5.1, from white to almond; and, b. Change the color for the stucco, as referred to as Number 3 on Sheet A-5.1, from driftwood to cotton. The Commissioners also affirmed their earlier discussion that the lighter green as shown on the drawings was preferable. There being no further discussion on the motion, a roll call vote was taken and the motion carried with five ayes (Van Pernis, Ching, Kern, Roth and Sullenberger), one no (Ikeuchi) and one absent and excused (Akina). Mr. Harris-Glade thanked the Commissioners for the opportunity to improve the project, and extended his availability to Commissioner Ikeuchi for further dialogue in order to ease her concerns. Chairman Dahlberg noted for Commissioner Ikeuchi’s benefit that the project would still have to go through a number of steps and be scrutinized before the commencement of construction. NEW BUSINESS 1. Proposal: The applicant is proposing tenant improvements to convert the former Wendy’s restaurant, located in Kona Coast Shopping Center, to a KFC Restaurant. 3 Applicant: Kazi Food Corp. of HI / dba: KFC-HAWAII Landowner: Lili‘uokalani Trust TMK: (3) 7-4-015: 001 Location: 74-5588 Palani Road, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 The Commission took up this item out of order at 6:05 p.m. Mr. Dunlap displayed some site photographs, and gave a PowerPoint presentation of the applicant’s submittal. He noted that the application did not include signage, which would be submitted separately at a later date. He pointed to the applicant’s color samples, and noted that the proposed red color was not a bright red but more of a rust color. The applicant’s representative and the architect for the project, Shane Kitchens, presented additional information. He said that he had been a member and chairperson of this Commission, and that based on his experience in reviewing applications that were merely satisfying corporate demand, he tried to mingle the bright red-and-white mainland franchise identity with the design guidelines of the Master Plan for Kailua-Kona. He expounded that more natural materials were incorporated, and that the colors, including the red, were toned down in accordance with the recommended color palette. He noted that the color of the roof would match that of the wainscot basalt tiles. In response to Commissioner Van Pernis’ question about landscaping plan, in particular, existing palm trees that were not shown on the drawings, Mr. Kitchens stated that although the palm trees and other trees were omitted from the drawings in order to show the architectural design of the building, all existing trees, including the palm trees and a large canopy tree, would remain in place, along with grass. He displayed a stalk of actual red croton plant as a sample, and said that existing mock orange shrubs were in bad health and would be replaced with colorful red crotons, which would complement the rust accent color on the building. He used Mr. Dunlap’s site photographs to clarify the applicant’s landscaping plan. Upon inquiry by Commissioner Van Pernis, Mr. Kitchens stated that the white light bar below the eaves would have low illumination and be turned off in accordance with the shopping center operations, which he estimated to be around ten o’clock. In response to Commissioner Kern’s question about the functionality of the light bar, Mr. Kitchens stated that it was more of a design element than a lighting fixture. Commissioner Van Pernis commented that it was architecturally nice to have the band, but expressed his concern about the light being potentially too bright. Commissioner Sullenberger shared the same concern, and said that while he also liked the band, he did not favor intense white. Mr. Kitchens responded that since the light band was custom made, the width could be reduced, as well as the illumination intensity by possibly using a denser material. He was agreeable to Commissioner Van Pernis’ suggestion to reduce the bar width and illumination by one-third. Commissioner Kern commented that the band was nicely breaking up the walls, and that she would not want to see it entirely removed. Commissioner Roth also commented that the light band would fit the activity of the area, as the property was within the intense commercial section of Kailua Village. Commissioner Ikeuchi expressed her support of the proposal, and commended the applicant for revamping the existing building in such a way that historical elements were incorporated. 4 Commissioner Roth agreed and said that in contrast to other corporate projects, which were usually not commendable, this KFC restaurant would befit Kona. It was moved by Commissioner Roth that the Commission forward to the Planning Director a recommendation for approval of the proposed project as submitted. At the suggestion of Commissioner Van Pernis, Commissioner Roth included the following provisions in his motion: a. Reduce the width of the light bar by one-third, or from 12 inches to 8 inches; and, b. Apply a corresponding reduction to the illumination of the light bar. Commissioner Kern seconded the motion. There being no further discussion on the motion, a roll call vote was taken and the motion carried with six ayes (Roth, Kern, Ching, Ikeuchi, Sullenberger and Van Pernis), no noes, and one absent and excused (Akina). Commissioner Roth made a suggestions to Mr. Kitchens that the same stone tiles as the wainscot be used for the base of sign. OLD BUSINESS 2. Commission is continuing the discussion of possible creation of Investigatory Committee to address Sign Issues in Kailua Village Special District. Discussion is to identify reasons for committee, scope and assignment of members. The Commission took up this item at 6:50 p.m. Commissioner Van Pernis suggested that this matter be postponed until the appointment of new Director of the Department of Public Works. Upon inquiry by Chairman Dahlberg, the secretary said that she had contacted former Commissioner Theresa Andreae whose response was that she was interested in serving on such a committee but would not be available until next year. Mr. Dunlap also responded that he had contacted Ms. Debbie Baker of the Board of Kailua Village Business Improvement District, and that she would be interested in attending a meeting. He further said that he had also contacted Mr. Gregory Ogin earlier, and as a result Mr. Ogin had provided a statement regarding Sign Code enforcement at the Commission’s previous meeting. Commissioner Van Pernis commented that while the Commission was to represent the whole community, Mr. Ogin was representing businesses. At the suggestion of Chairman Dahlberg and with a unanimous voice vote, the Commission postponed this matter until the next meeting. ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS The Commission took up this item at 6:55 p.m. Mr. Dunlap stated that two nominees to the Commission would soon be considered by the County Council with full support of Council’s committee. ANNOUNCEMENTS Next meeting tentatively scheduled for October 3, 2017. 5 Mr. Dunlap stated that the next meeting was scheduled for October 3, 2017, with tentatively two applications for external renovations on the agenda. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman Dahlberg adjourned the meeting at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Noriko Sauer, Secretary A T T E S T: Peter Dahlberg, Chairman Kailua Village Design Commission 6