Despite some misgivings, a Hawaii County Council committee has approved a plan to redevelop a derelict Hilo residential lot.
A parcel at the corner of Manono and Lanikaula streets has been home to two dilapidated single-family homes and an abandoned engine repair shop for years, but the property’s owner wants to change that.
Kurtistown resident Robert Hamilton, who has owned the parcel for 21 years, applied to rezone the land from residential to industrial-commercial mixed-use so that the crumbling buildings can be removed and a retail building put in their place.
While some neighbors were concerned about the project, the Windward Planning Commission earlier this year issued a positive recommendation for the rezoning. The council’s Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Committee took up the matter Tuesday, and likewise voted to recommend it for approval, although some members raised their own concerns.
Hilo Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada in particular questioned the value of the project, raising the county’s ongoing dearth of affordable housing.
“There’s nothing in the works to house more people in that neighborhood, and we’re talking about taking away a residential lot and making it industrial,” Kagiwada said.
Planning Director Zendo Kern acknowledged the area does not have any new housing projects coming down the pike, but added the Planning Department strives for a certain level of balance in such matters. He said the project is not contributing to a glut of mixed-use industrial parcels encroaching upon residential neighborhoods.
Kagiwada also was lightly critical of Hamilton’s management of the property so far, noting that while he described the houses as dilapidated, he has owned them for more than two decades, and improving them should have been his own responsibility.
That said, other council members were positive toward the development. Hilo Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy praised a collection of “good neighbor” policies included among the Planning Department’s recommendations following concerns by neighbors.
Those policies included a requirement for the owners to remediate underground gas tanks that might exist on the property, a requirement limiting the hours of commercial operation on the parcel to between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., and a requirement that the owner notify neighbors at least one week in advance before carrying out any work on the parcel — at least one elderly neighbor had expressed fears that she wouldn’t have enough time to prepare for an influx of dust that could exacerbate her lung condition.
Meanwhile, Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz said a certain level of commercial development by local property owners is still welcomed.
“This isn’t a mainland developer,” Kierkiewicz said. “This is a member of our community who wants to improve his property and create much-needed commercial space.”
The committee voted unanimously to forward the matter to the full council with a favorable recommendation.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.