LIHU‘E — What would look more rural in Hanalei: A parking lot with a single-story building in the back or a two-story building fronting the highway with a parking lot behind it? An applicant for a commercial building in Hanalei
LIHU‘E — What would look more rural in Hanalei: A parking lot with a single-story building in the back or a two-story building fronting the highway with a parking lot behind it?
An applicant for a commercial building in Hanalei wants to go with the community’s wishes, but county officials recommended otherwise, all for the sake of keeping rural character.
The Kaua‘i Planning Commission will ultimately give the final answer, but the decision will have to wait at least another two weeks or more, as commissioners deferred with no set date a decision on a request for permits to allow an office building in one of Hanalei’s last commercial parcels.
The Hanalei to Ha‘ena Community Association and the county Planning Department both say they want to preserve the rural character of this picturesque North Shore town. But they differ on how to get there.
While the association would rather see the building as far as possible from Kuhio Highway, the department believes street-fronting parking lots do not preserve rural character.
“In fact, it certainly denigrates rural character, and is much more conducive to suburban sprawl,” county planner Ka‘aina Hull said.
The department recommended to the commission that the office should be built in the front of the property, Hull said.
The developers and the community association want the office in the back of the lot — for the same reasons that the department wants it in the front.
Keola Sheehan and architect Marc Ventura came before the commission Tuesday, trying to secure permits to develop a 2,500 square-foot office in an 11,000 square-foot parcel just west of Hanalei Dolphin restaurant.
HHCA President Joel Guy said the association has worked to protect Hanalei’s rural character and has a long history of fighting development.
“If you put a sign in Hanalei, we are going to measure it,” he said.
But Guy thanked Sheehan for being open to communication with the association from the start and accepting their recommendations.
Board member Beau Blair runs a business on the adjacent parcel. She said she supports Sheehan’s project and his willingness to come before the association.
The association supports Ventura’s plans for a grassy 13-stall parking lot facing Kuhio Highway, with a single story plantation-style building in the back. This design would preserve two mature trees near the highway, including an avocado tree.
Ventura’s alternate design, favored by the department, includes a parking lot in the back end of the lot, with a two-story building near the highway. By following this design, the trees would have to be cut down.
Both designs would include a cement walkway along the front of the property.
Sheehan said neither design will change the office’s square-footage. He would rather go with the association’s preference, but was willing to proceed otherwise in case this was the commission’s wish.
And as far as the parking lot, Sheehan said he would willingly let anyone park there, regardless of where they would go in Hanalei, as the town has limited parking spots due to the influx of locals and visitors.
Vice-Chair Jan Kimura wanted a guarantee that the office space would not become a retail store or a restaurant.
“I like the idea of a parking (lot) in front and the building in the back, because if it’s going to be a two-story (building) it does seem imposing,” Commissioner Cammie Matsumoto said.
Planning Director Michael Dahilig said both sides of the issue have valid concerns. A lot of development, he said, has been done to accommodate cars, which goes against a Complete Streets Policy adopted by the county.
This car-driven development has given rise to a “sea of parking,” as seen in big department stores on Kaua‘i, he said.
“Parking is a visual impact in the community as well,” said Dahilig, adding that whether it is in the front or in the back, it is a legitimate debate in this circumstance.
“The car culture that we are accustomed to, seems by the Complete Streets Policy to be something that the county wants to shy away from,” he said.
After the lengthy discussion, commissioners decided to defer decision to give the department some time to meet with developers and come up with a supplemental report.
The commission initially wanted to set Jan. 22 for the issue to come back on the agenda, but granted Dahilig’s request to leave the date open.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
