After months of cancellations, the Leeward Planning Commission is set to meet today to take up five applications for projects in Kona, South Kohala and North Kohala.
Waikoloa Village Center LLC is seeking a change of zone from open to industrial commercial mixed-20,000 square feet zoning district for a 26.052-acre portion of a larger 29.610-acre property. The subject property is located on the south side of Pua Melia Street, approximately 0.2 miles southeast of its intersection with Waikoloa Road.
Developers of the Waikoloa Village Center Light Industrial Center propose a self-storage facility, flexible use buildings for industrial-commercial business parking and loading spaces and an open greenway and emergency egress route between the self-storage facility and flexible use buildings. In addition, they propose drainage and flood control improvements, landscaping and a new roadway from Waikoloa Road to the Project site.
According to the project website, there is a need for a light industrial area in the village because the closest one is the Kaloko Light Industrial Park, 28 miles away, thus minimizing traffic to Kona.
As part of the Change of Zoning application the developer prepared a traffic impact assessment, and preliminary engineering report. A river focus analysis was prepared to analyze existing conditions and propose improvements to minimize future flooding from ‘Auwaiakekua Gulch and improve public safety. The biological and archaeological inventory surveys showed no impact and Ka Pa‘akai O Ka ‘Aina Assessment was prepared to ensure there are no impacts to cultural, historical, natural resources, and native Hawaiian rights.
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Lili‘uokalani Trust has submitted an application to amend certain requirements to build a commercial structure in the Kona Old Industrial Area. The .874 acre property is located along the makai side of Queen Ka‘ahumanu Highway between Eho Street and the Kona Coast Shopping Center. The trust is seeking to delete a condition relating to the time to submit and secure final plan approval, time to commence construction and Eho Street improvements. They also want to delete the condition of Eho Street/Queen Kaahumanu Highway intersection improvements, and an administrative time extension. If deletion of conditions relating to time constraints are not possible, the trust requests a 10-year time extension to secure final plan approval and to allow construction to commence within 2 years of receipt of the approval and be completed within 5 years.
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Phil Tinguely, managing member of Walua Partners, LLC and President of Tinguely Development is applying for a Special Management Area Use Permit to develop 18 multiple-family residential vacation units in two two-story townhouse buildings, and three one- story duplex buildings on Walua Road, approximately 600 feet southeast of its intersection with Alii Drive next to Kona Mansions. The complex would also include three private pools, an office building, and related development.
The three acre parcel is situated in the Special Management Area defined by the planning department as requiring “special controls on developments within an area along the shoreline are necessary to avoid permanent losses of valuable resources and the foreclosure of management options, and to ensure that adequate access, by dedication or other means, to public owned or used beaches, recreation areas, and natural reserves is provided.”
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Another application for a Special Management Area Use Permit is an attempt to jumpstart a project that has been through several owners, various designs and multiple extensions.
Kona Hawaii Development, LLC is applying for a SMA use permit to develop a 100-room hotel using a partially completed foundation structure on a 1.76- acre parcel situated in the Special Management Area. The parcel is on the makai side of Alii Drive north of the Kona Reef and south of the Royal Kona Resort. The property owner is listed as DPM Acquisitions, whose controlling company is Diamond Resorts International out of Las Vegas. Kona Hawaii Development, based out of Colorado registered to do business in Hawaii in May.
The county first issued a SMA permit for a 48 unit condo project at the site in 1998, but delays in development, numerous five year extensions and change of ownership stalled the project.
Work on a proposed condominium project began in 2007 by Pacific Monarch Resorts at the site that previously held a miniature golf course and drive-in restaurant.
However, construction stalled after the underground parking, foundation pad and water supply were installed by the developer and are still visible today. Pacific Monarch filed for bankruptcy and in 2013 Diamond Resorts acquired their assets, including the Alii Drive property. There have been multiple revisions and redesigns of the project including addition of a retail area, later taken out of the design.
In 2020 the Leeward Planning Commission approved a fourth-five year extension for the project. With a new developer on board and the change of plans from a 48 unit condo project to a 100 unit hotel, a new Special Management Area Use Permit must be obtained.
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Hawaii Island Community Development Corporation is seeking a 5-year time extension for final subdivision approval of approximately 18.38 acres of land from an agricultural 20-acre to a single family residential-15,000 square foot, single family residential-10,000 square foot, single family residential-7,500 square foot and open zoning districts. The property is situated along the makai side of Akoni Pule Highway approximately 600 feet west of the Kohala High and Elementary School complex.
The meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the West Hawaii Civic Center Council Chambers.
The public may provide written testimony via email at LPCtestimony@hawaiicounty.gov or submitted at the Hilo or Kona Planning Department.
The public may also provide verbal testimony at the meeting via Zoom or at the in-person location. To testify via Zoom, register online no later than noon on the day prior to the meeting.