An Alii Drive landowner is proposing to construct a five-story condominium on a vacant lot about a quarter-mile north of the thoroughfare’s intersection with Royal Poinciana Drive in Kailua-Kona.
The project, which would stand about 45 feet and include four two-bedroom/three-bathroom units and two three-bedroom/five-bathroom units, as well as a pool area, would be built on less than a quarter acre on the makai side of Alii Drive, adjacent to the Ala Ka La Condominium. Parking would be located under the building with additional off-street parking planned.
Though the 9,934-square-foot lot has no ocean frontage, the property is located within 200 feet of the shoreline, requiring landowner Jekaterina Mysin to seek a Special Management Area Major Use Permit for the project. Surrounding properties include the two-story Ala Ka La Condominium, single-family homes and the Alii Pointe subdivision.
“This project represents an opportunity to renew stewardship of an unused and long-neglected property in a location well suited and currently zoned for multi-family residential use,” the application’s background report reads. The development is expected to take about 12 months to construct and cost about $1 million.
The Hawaii County Leeward Planning Commission is set to take up the request during its meeting currently slated for May 20 at the West Hawaii Civic Center in Kailua-Kona. The meeting is closed to the public, however, it can be viewed via live stream on the Planning Department’s YouTube page.
The commission will also here a request for standing in a contested case hearing made by the George Smith, president of the association of apartment owners at Ala Ka La Condominium.
Smith stated standing should be granted because the complex is contiguous to the proposed project. In the request, he noted that the project’s driveway will remove five on-street parking spots used by the community to reach the public access route to the shoreline and that there are concerns over the boundary line, with surveyors providing different readings.
“Our property was surveyed by Wes Thomas in 2018. The project survey, recently done by unknown surveyor, does not agree, placing some of our property, including our power/comm. pole within applicant’s declared property. Thomas states their survey is correct,” Smith’s request reads. “Until that dispute is resolved, we assert that the applicant is planning to build partially on our property.”
Planning Director Zendo Kern recommended the request for the special management area permit be approved for the project, noting the proposed development will not have any significant adverse impacts, noting that any increase in traffic to the development would most likely be minimal.
Also during the May 20 meeting, Leeward Planning Commission members will take up:
• An application from Arnold Rabin for a special permit to allow the use of part of an existing farm dwelling as a real estate office on an acre in South Kona. Kern recommended the use be allowed.
• An application from Timothy and Kay Ward for a state land use boundary amendment from agricultural to urban for nearly 4 acres off Mamalahoa Highway, about 300 feet south of its intersection with Kaiminani Drive. The Wards are also applying for a change of zoning from agricultural to single-family residential for the same parcel in North Kona. Kern gave each application a favorable recommendation.
• An ordinance initiated by Kern amending the county’s subdivision code relating to general provisions, final plat map and construction and the county’s zoning code relating to general administration and time extension and planned unit developments. The amendments are needed in preparation for the Energov launch, which will change the process for submitting applications to the department. The ordinance was also given a favorable recommendation.