Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-12-06 Hearing Transcript - Nelson & Susan Fukuhara REZ 843WINDWARD PLANNING COMMISSION COUNTY OF HAWAII HEARING TRANSCRIPT DECEMBER 6, 2018 A regularly advertised hearing on the application of NELSON AND SUSAN FUKUHARA (AMEND REZ 843) was called to order at 9:17 a.m. in the County of Hawaii Aupuni Center Conference Room, 101 Pauahi Street, Hilo, Hawaii with Chairman Joseph Clarkson presiding. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Gilbert Aguinaldo, Joseph Clarkson, Donald Ikeda, Thomas Raffipiy, John Replogle. ABSENT & EXCUSED: Donn Dela Cruz. ALSO PRESENT: Michael Yee (Planning Director), Malia Hall (Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Windward Planning Commission), Jeff Darrow (Planning Program Manager), Christian Kay (Planner), Melissa Dacayanan (Planning Commission Support Technician), and Sarah Hata-Finley (Commission Secretary). And 4 members from the public in attendance. APPLICANT: NELSON AND SUSAN FUKUHARA (AMEND REZ 843) Application for a 5 -year time extension to comply with Condition No. 2 (Complete Construction) of Ordinance No. 97 13, which changed the zoning of 21,164 square feet of land from the Single -Family Residential -10,000 square foot (RS -10) zoning district to the General Commercial -20,000 square foot (CG -20) zoning district in 1997. The subject property is located on the southeast side of the Kino`ole Street-Kamana Street intersection, Waiakea, South Hilo, Hawaii, TMK: (3) 2-2-023:012. CLARKSON: The next item on the agenda is an application from Nelson and Susan Fukuhara, another rezone application, and Jeff, would you please proceed? DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Planning Commission. If I can direct your attention to our next presentation. Our Applicants are Nelson and Susan Fukuhara. They are requesting amendments to conditions of Change of Zone Ordinance No. 97 13. The Applicants are requesting a five-year time extension to comply with Condition C which is your standard condition to complete construction within a period of time, and this is for Change of Zone Ordinance No. 97 13. Additionally, they are requesting a change in language to Condition B which is our standard time to be able to secure water commitments for the proposed project. And, lastly, they are asking that the administrative time extension condition, that's the current Condition H, be retained as part of this amendment request. EXHIBIT C 1 The reasons for the request is that the Applicants have been unable to proceed with construction of the project due to various unforeseen circumstances including financial difficulties based on the global economic recession. They are committed to completing the construction of a retail office building which will help accommodate with the relocation of their current office from Waianuenue Avenue to the new proposed office site. This is our County zoning and location map. This is difficult to see, but the actual proposed subject property is in this area here. It is identified with a black outline, but because the color is so dark, it's hard to see. This is on the corner of Kamana Street and Kino`ole Street. We'll zoom in on it. This is the State Land Use designation map. This identifies the zoning as State Land Use Urban. Again, this is General Commercial zoning for the State Land Use. It's located within the High Density General Plan Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide Map area. Here is a submitted site plan. This was actually submitted back originally when the Applicant submitted. So, this shows Kamana Street moving, running on the lower portion of the map, and Kino`ole on the right side of the map. Entrance would be off Kamana Street with the proposed office retail building on the right side of the property with sufficient parking on-site. These are proposed elevations, and here is an aerial photo. Again, for reference, we have Kamana Street, and we also have Kino`ole Street. This is right at the intersection there. Currently, there is no structures or uses on the property other than some parking that's been, being utilized on a portion of the property. Here are some site photos. This is on Kamana Street looking towards Kino`ole Street with the subject property on the left side of the map right over in this area. This is looking back on Kamana Street from the intersection of Kino`ole and Kamana with the subject property across Kamana Street. And, this is at the intersection of Kino`ole and Kamana with the subject property on the left side of the map. You'll notice that there is improvements in this particular area with these rails that are in place. The Planning Director is recommending that the Planning Commission send a favorable recommendation to the Hawaii County Council for the proposed amended conditions that they are requesting. With that, I'll answer any questions you may have. CLARKSON: Any questions for Mr. Darrow from staff? If not, would the Applicant or their representative please come forward? Would you please raise your right hand? Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth on this matter before the Windward Planning Commission today? FUKE: Yes, I do. CLARKSON: Please introduce yourself and then proceed. FUKE: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and Members of the Commission. My name is Sidney Fuke. I'm a planning consultant. My business office is right across the street. First of EXHIBIT C 2 all, I'd like to initially acknowledge the absence of the Applicant. He couldn't make it to today's meeting. He's a friend of mine. I've reviewed the staff's proposed recommendation and the conditions, and he has, you know, concurred with them. I think the staff's report is comprehensive as usual so if there are any questions that the Commissioners may have, I'd be more than happy to respond to them. CLARKSON: Any questions about this application? RAFFIPIY: I'm just trying to read the, the Fire Department exhibit and see if there's anything on—maybe it's not really Fire, but it's more of Traffic. There is, that's an intersection, it's a lighted, it's signalized in the intersection right there, and so if you turn in right there, it's going to be right on the right side would be the driveway into the business, right? FUKE: Yeah, the proposed RAFFIPY: So, how is the traffic addressed on this one? FUKE: Yeah, so the proposed access would come off of, you know, the side street. I think it's Lanihuli Street RAFFIPIY: Kamana FUKE: —Yeah, Kamana, Kamana, and then not on Kino`ole. Kino`ole is the heavily traffic, north -south traffic. So, the access would be situated furthest away from that particular intersection. All intersections would have to be approved by Department of Public Works relative to, you know, its location, and they have certain standards as far as like proximity from the traffic situation. So, in this situation, you know, it's going to have to be as far away from that traffic light to minimize conflict. RAFFIPIY: Right, yeah, I understand. The entry is going to be on Kamana, but I was more worried about traffic coming on Kino`ole, turn, either turn left onto Kamana or turn right onto Kamana and right there the intersectionI mean, not intersection, but the driveway. So, there's that slow down, so I just wanted to bring it up that, you know, there may be some kind of constriction in the intersection right there when, you know, when people try to turn in or yeah turn into that facility, the new proposed facility. FUKE: Yeah, fortunately, like Kamana Street, it's not like a heavily trafficked—you know, it's just basically going into the elderly facilities like that. And, on Kino`ole Street, as you know, if you're heading Hamakua direction to the north, there is a dedicated left -turn lane, so obviously, if you're going mauka on Kamana, you know, it won't have any traffic impediment. If you're making a right turn into the project site, you know, on Kamana, then it will be all right -turn movements so hopefully, it won't be like a Starbucks situation right down the street over here. RAFFIPIY: Thank you. EXHIBIT C 3 FUKE: The other factor is that it's going to be like an office use so it's not like a drive-in, you know, where you have a steady stream of, you know, traffic coming in. DARROW: I can speak to that question as well. In our Exhibit No. 3, we included not only the current memorandum from Department of Public Works, but we also included the original memorandum, and item no. 6 addressed the issue of access, and at the end of the paragraph, it states that the proposed development driveway shall be located away from the intersection. So, as Mr. Fuke had stated, is that they have a certain requirement, a distance that has to be away from the intersection for them to get approved for their driveway access for this project, and it appears on the map that with the radius, they have it almost as far as it can go and meet the requirements for the access on Kamana Street. But, again, they're gonna push it as far away from the intersection as they can. RAFFIPIY: Thank you. CLARKSON: Are there any further questions for the Applicant's representative from the Commission? If not, thank you. There being no persons from the public wishing to testify on this application, the Chair will ask for a motion to close public testimony. REPLOGLE: I move that we close public testimony. IKEDA: Second. CLARKSON: It's been moved and seconded that public testimony be closed. Allthose in favor? COMMISSIONERS: Aye. CLARKSON: Opposed? Ayes have it. Public testimony is closed. At this time, the Chair will ask for a motion for action on this matter. REPLOGLE: I move that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the County Council on the request to amend zone, Change of Zone Ordinance No. 97-13 based on the Planning Director's recommendation and proposed amended [sic] conditions which shall be adopted. IKEDA: Second. CLARKSON: It's been moved and seconded that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the Council. If there is no further discussion on this matter, then I'll ask Mr. Darrow to poll the Commission. DARROW: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. With that, we'll take the roll call. Commissioner Replogle? REPLOGLE: Aye. EXHIBIT C 4 DARROW: Commissioner Ikeda? IKEDA: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Aguinaldo? AGUINALDO: Aye. DARROW: Commissioner Raffipiy? RAFFIPIY: Aye. DARROW: And Chair Clarkson. CLARKSON: Aye. DARROW: The motion passes five to zero. Thank you. CLARKSON: You will be notified in writing very soon. The discussion ended at 9:29 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Sarah Y. Hata-Finley, Secretary Windward Planning Commission EXHIBIT C 5