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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-11-02 Hearing Transcript - Donald Randal & Alison Simpson SPP 13-155WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII HEARING TRANSCRIPT NOVEMBER 2, 2017 A regularly advertised hearing on the application of DONALD RANDAL & ALISON JOY SIMPSON (SPP 13-155) was called to order at 10:01 a.m. in the County of Hawaii Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawaii with Chairman Gregory Henkel presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Joe Clarkson, Donn Dela Cruz, Gregory Henkel, Donald Ikeda, and Myles Miyasato. ABSENT & EXCUSED: Thomas Raffipiy. ALSO PRESENT: Michael Yee (Planning Director), Malia Ho Hall (Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Windward Planning Commission), Jeff Darrow (Planning Program Manager), Maija Jackson (Planner), Christian Kay (Planner), Shancy Watanabe (Planner), and Sarah Hata-Finley (Commission Secretary). And 4 members from the public in attendance. APPLICANTS: DONALD RANDAL AND ALISON JOY SIMPSON (Amend SPP 13-000155) Request to amend Special Permit No. 13-155 to convert a 4 -bedroom bed and breakfast operation into an 8 -bedroom lodge consisting of a 5 -bedroom single-family dwelling with 3 detached bedrooms on an approximately 1.50 -acre portion of an 11.525 -acre property within the State Land Use Agricultural District. Special Permit No. 13-155 was originally approved to allow the establishment of a 4 -bedroom bed and breakfast operation on approximately 1 acre of land. The property is located at 29-3825 Pueo`ihi Road, Hakalau Homesteads, Hakalau, Hawaii, TMK: 2-9-002: Por. 032. HENKEL: Agenda Item No. 2 is SPP 13-155, Donald Randal and Alison Joy Simpson, and Shancy will be presenting. WATANABE: Thank you. Good morning, everyone. The Applicants are Randy and Alison Simpson, and this is for an amendment to a Special Permit. This is the location map. The subject property is highlighted in red and located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Pueo`ihi Road and Kulaiwi Road in the Hakalau Homesteads in the South Hilo District. This is the non -perennial stream that runs in the slight diagonal from the southwest to the northeast direction through the subject property and continues down towards the ocean. 10V1111.11 1.1 According to the Applicants, the Hakalau Iki Stream is located a considerable distance away from the proposed amended use. The Applicants are requesting an amendment to a Special Permit No. 13-155 to convert a four- bedroom bed and breakfast establishment into an eight -bedroom lodge on about a 1 -1/2 -portion of an 11.525 -acre parcel situated within the State Land Use Agricultural District. The lodge will consist of a five -bedroom single-family dwelling with three detached bedrooms to accommodate a maximum of 16 guests. To support the lodge use, the Applicants are requesting to hire two additional full-time employees bringing the lodge staff total to six. This is the Applicant's proposed site plan. The parking proposed is shown in purple. The existing use for the four-bedroom bed and breakfast is highlighted in yellow with the additional one bedroom requested in this lodge use, and the proposed detached bedrooms in green. Not shown on this site plan is the Hakalau Iki Stream, but it is located just about in this area here. This is the Applicant's proposed floor plan showing a fifth bedroom highlighted in yellow to be included in the lodge use. This is the Applicant's proposed detached bedroom floor plan consisting of an open -covered porch, a detached bedroom with a full bath, a bar sink area, and an open -covered lanai. There will be a total of three detached bedrooms. This is the zoning map. The current zoning is Agricultural District shown in the blue with other Agricultural shown in the green, and the Hakalau Iki Stream is here. This is the State Land Use Boundary Map. The subject property is located in the State Land Use Agricultural District. This is the General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map or LUPAG Map, and the property is designated as Important Agricultural Lands. This is an aerial photograph of the subject property. The proposed amended Special Permit area is shown in the orange, and the proposed use, the proposed amended use, is shown in the yellow. Very faintly, you can see the blue line indicating the Hakalau Iki Stream. Also, existing on the property are the farm dwelling and other agricultural sheds shown in this area here. CLARKSON: Excuse me, what was the blue? DELA CRUZ: The stream. HALL: The stream. EXHIBIT B 2 CLARKSON: No IKEDA: The stream. DELA CRUZ: It's the stream. CLARKSON: But, the blue block. WATANABE: Okay, so this— CLARKSON: That's the stream, but what are yeah, there. WATANABE: I labelled it Hakalau Iki Stream. Sorry. DELA CRUZ: The bridge, that's the bridge. WATANABE: So, this photograph was taken standing in the graveled driveway looking back towards the entrance of the property. For reference, the Mahana House Country Inn is situated towards the right and behind this area here, and, the proposed detached bedrooms would be in just this area here. This photo was taken standing across the driveway from the Mahana House Country Inn looking towards the north. This is the location for the proposed three detached bedrooms. This photo is courtesy of the Mahana House website. This would be the view, the makai or ocean view from the proposed three -detached bedrooms. The Planning Director recommends approval with conditions of this amendment to the Special Permit. This morning, you have received a copy of a correction to Condition No. 5. This amended Condition No. 5 stated that a kitchen shall not be permitted in any of the three detached bedrooms. However, to be more consistent with the definition of a lodge, in the Hawaii County Code, Chapter 25, Zoning, this condition will now be corrected to read, "A kitchen shall not be permitted in any of the bedrooms." This concludes my presentation. I'm happy to answer any questions that the Planning Commission may have. Thank you. HENKEL: Commission, any questions for staff? Thank you. Will the Applicants and/or their representative please come forward? Good morning. Please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth on this matter before the Planning Commission today? MIKKELSON/SIMPSON: Yes. HENKEL: Thank you. Just please state your name and continue. SIMPSON: I'm Randy Simpson, the owner. EXHIBIT B 3 MIKKELSON: I'm Lori Mikkelson. I've worked with Randy for years actually. HENKEL: Have you reviewed the Director's approval and the conditions that he put forth, and do you agree with them? MIKKELSON: Yes, we have, and we do. HENKEL: Do you have any further to add? MIKKELSON: Well, I do actually. HENKEL: Okay. MIKKELSON: And, Randy and Alison have been up therefor quite awhile. I have, continuously have clients that stay at their inn who are so happy to have had that opportunity. It's an opportunity to have a place to stay on the Hamakua Coast without having to drive to Hilo, and having that chance to be up where you can wake up in the morning and be in the Hamakua thing. And, so, I'm so happy that they came back having been so successful with the first part of their Special Permit to amend, to add more. They're full all the time, and it's, it's so nice for the community because people live up there who actually do farm and have agriculture, and it offers them an opportunity to have an overload for guests without staying at their farmhouses. So, thank you. HENKEL: Okay, thanks. Commission, any questions for the Applicant? Thanks, you may be seated. I'm sorry. CLARKSON: I apologize for being so tardy in asking my question. The, what concerns me about the application particularly is that you just completed, apparently completed a second farm dwelling on the property in which you promised that the use of the farm dwelling would be for agricultural workers to maintain the orchards and other agricultural activities on the property. And, now it looks to me like that dwelling is going to be used by you in your management capacity as a lodge owner and manager. Am I mistaken in that? SIMPSON: Yeah, we do live in that house. CLARKSON: Okay. MIKKELSON: May I add? When they got their additional farm dwelling approved, they were immediately actually planting orchards. The orchards are growing and maturing, and there is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done there. So, they manage their maintenance and what they've had for their bed and breakfast, but the bed and breakfast was, it was an initial plan. It has evolved. And, in the process of evolution, it's become obvious that they need more room and so that's why they asked for this. But, they do maintain that beautiful landscape. EXHIBIT B 4 SIMPSON: We originally, when we came from Canada, we came from a rural area, and it's been very important to me since we've been there to keep that land being productive. We have a 2 -1/2 -acre piece that has had ginger, sweet potatoes on it, and it's being planted right now with taro, in addition to the about 200 fruit trees we've had, we've planted another 30 this year. We're looking at planting more breadfruit, more bananas, just to, because it's agricultural land, it should be used as that, and we've been able to do that and still run the bed and breakfast business on a very small piece of the land. HENKEL: Any more questions? Thank you. You may be seated. I have no one signed up to testify. If there's anyone in attendance today that would like to testify, you can come forward now or submit written testimony, and if not, we would look for a motion to close the public testimony portion. MIYASATO: Chair, I make a motion to close public testimony. HENKEL: Is there a second? DELA CRUZ: Second. HENKEL: It's been moved and seconded by Commissioner Miyasato and Commissioner Dela Cruz to close public testimony. All in favor say, "aye?" COMMISSIONERS: Aye. HENKEL: Opposed? Public testimony is closed. Now is the portion where we can have discussion, and I'll look for a motion to action. MIYASATO: Chair, I'll make a motion. I move that the application to amend Special Permit No. 13-155 be approved based on the Planning Director's recommendations and proposed conditions including Condition No. 5 be amended to a kitchen shall not be permitted in any of the bedrooms which shall be adopted. IKEDA: I second. HENKEL: It's been moved by Commissioner Miyasato, seconded by Commissioner Ikeda. Could we have a vote? WATANABE: Yes. Commissioner Miyasato? MIYASATO: Aye. WATANABE: Commissioner Ikeda? IKEDA: Aye. WATANABE: Commissioner Clarkson? EXHIBIT B 5 CLARKSON: No. WATANABE: Commissioner Dela Cruz? DELA CRUZ: Aye. WATANABE: Chair Henkel? HENKEL: Aye. WATANABE: The motion carries four, one. HENKEL: Thanks. You will be notified in writing of the findings. The discussion ended at 10:14 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Y. Hata-Finley, Secretary Windward Planning Commission EXHIBIT B 6