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Commission decision: to protect ‘ambience’
BY Nathan Eagle- THE GARDEN ISLAND
KOLOA — The county halted a proposed 72-lot residential subdivision after deciding revised designs for the development still fail to fit in with the historic character of the Koloa community.
After hearing comments from Koloa Creekside Estates and concerned citizens, the Planning Commission denied permits for the condominium property regime project during its meeting Tuesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building.
A sticking factor was an uncompromising point on building heights.
The developers wanted a two- and three-story mix of multi-family units.
This, their attorney Jonathan Chun said, was already a compromise from the four-story height the county’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance allows. The Koloa-Kalaheo-Po‘ipu Development Plan, he added, has no height restrictions.
The community said two stories should be the max for the project to fit in with a century old tradition in the town’s makeup. The development would have been immediately west of the intersection of Waikomo and Weliweli Roads.
But beyond aesthetics, some who commented opposed the project for its potential to disrupt the lives of area residents.
In a tear-choked plea, Adelia Fuller asked the commission to spare Koloa community members the pain some Po‘ipu residents have suffered from rampant South Shore development.
Whether it is noise or dust, she said, “I don’t want Koloa people to have to go through ... what we went through to get relief.”
Fuller presented the commission a plastic baggie filled with dirt she said she swept up in a 3-square-foot area inside her home at “ground zero” of the multiple construction zones in Po‘ipu.
“I dust my bed at night so I can sleep,” she said, adding that it took a year for the developers to provide an air conditioning unit for her family so they could keep the windows closed.
Commissioner Camilla Matsumoto pointed out that should dust become an issue during construction, it would blow toward residents in Koloa town because of the wind direction.
Chun said Koloa Creekside Estates was willing to work to form a hui with the developers of three other Koloa projects to handle citizen complaints.
He also noted the difference between the 2,000 to 4,000 units being built simultaneously in Po‘ipu compared to a “couple hundred at most” in Koloa on 20 to 30 acres.
Koloa Creekside Estates developer Chris Jones assured the commissioners that he was not here “to build one thing” and leave the island.
The project’s manager, Rusty Hutchinson, sat attentively during the morning meeting as it stretched into the afternoon.
Koloa Community Association Vice Chair Linda Estes and other area residents took turns telling the commissioners that the proposed three-story building plans were unacceptable to the community in preserving its “unique identity.”
“The line needs to be drawn here,” she said.
When asked if the developers could drop every building to two stories, Chun said, “We can’t do that.”
Other community concerns for the project included its planned hours of operation — six days a week.
This was another point, Chun said, that could not be compromised.
Commissioner Steven Weinstein made the motion to deny the permits required for the project to move forward.
“I didn’t appreciate the design of the project from the start,” he said, adding his distaste for its location and surface area.
Commission Chair Ted Daligdig III voted against Weinstein’s motion, indicating he felt comfortable with the ability of the community and developers to compromise.
Commissioner Sandi Kato-Klutke said her decision to deny the development was to protect the community and its “overall ambience.”
•Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
After hearing comments from Koloa Creekside Estates and concerned citizens, the Planning Commission denied permits for the condominium property regime project during its meeting Tuesday at the Mo‘ikeha Building.
A sticking factor was an uncompromising point on building heights.
The developers wanted a two- and three-story mix of multi-family units.
This, their attorney Jonathan Chun said, was already a compromise from the four-story height the county’s Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance allows. The Koloa-Kalaheo-Po‘ipu Development Plan, he added, has no height restrictions.
The community said two stories should be the max for the project to fit in with a century old tradition in the town’s makeup. The development would have been immediately west of the intersection of Waikomo and Weliweli Roads.
But beyond aesthetics, some who commented opposed the project for its potential to disrupt the lives of area residents.
In a tear-choked plea, Adelia Fuller asked the commission to spare Koloa community members the pain some Po‘ipu residents have suffered from rampant South Shore development.
Whether it is noise or dust, she said, “I don’t want Koloa people to have to go through ... what we went through to get relief.”
Fuller presented the commission a plastic baggie filled with dirt she said she swept up in a 3-square-foot area inside her home at “ground zero” of the multiple construction zones in Po‘ipu.
“I dust my bed at night so I can sleep,” she said, adding that it took a year for the developers to provide an air conditioning unit for her family so they could keep the windows closed.
Commissioner Camilla Matsumoto pointed out that should dust become an issue during construction, it would blow toward residents in Koloa town because of the wind direction.
Chun said Koloa Creekside Estates was willing to work to form a hui with the developers of three other Koloa projects to handle citizen complaints.
He also noted the difference between the 2,000 to 4,000 units being built simultaneously in Po‘ipu compared to a “couple hundred at most” in Koloa on 20 to 30 acres.
Koloa Creekside Estates developer Chris Jones assured the commissioners that he was not here “to build one thing” and leave the island.
The project’s manager, Rusty Hutchinson, sat attentively during the morning meeting as it stretched into the afternoon.
Koloa Community Association Vice Chair Linda Estes and other area residents took turns telling the commissioners that the proposed three-story building plans were unacceptable to the community in preserving its “unique identity.”
“The line needs to be drawn here,” she said.
When asked if the developers could drop every building to two stories, Chun said, “We can’t do that.”
Other community concerns for the project included its planned hours of operation — six days a week.
This was another point, Chun said, that could not be compromised.
Commissioner Steven Weinstein made the motion to deny the permits required for the project to move forward.
“I didn’t appreciate the design of the project from the start,” he said, adding his distaste for its location and surface area.
Commission Chair Ted Daligdig III voted against Weinstein’s motion, indicating he felt comfortable with the ability of the community and developers to compromise.
Commissioner Sandi Kato-Klutke said her decision to deny the development was to protect the community and its “overall ambience.”
•Nathan Eagle, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or neagle@kauaipubco.com.
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puput wrote on Apr 3, 2009 10:19 AM: