Owners of a historic building in Hanalei still want county permits to allow them to continue to operate a bed-and-breakfast out of the building. “We want to make it legal,” said Kelly Sato of the request for the permits. Kelly
Owners of a historic building in Hanalei still want county permits to allow them to continue to operate a bed-and-breakfast out of the building.
“We want to make it legal,” said Kelly Sato of the request for the permits.
Kelly and Yuichi Sato have operated the bed and breakfast along Kuhio Highway for over 12 years, like many other entrepreneurs on the island without the formality of county permits to do so.
At the Satos’ request, members of the County of Kaua‘i Planning Commission yesterday deferred action on the couple’s proposal until its next meeting scheduled at the Lihu‘e Civic Center on Tuesday, May 11.
She said county planners needed more time to go over the project before rendering a report for review by commission members.
In an interview with The Garden Island, Kelly Sato said she and her husband have no plans to sell the historic Japanese Buddhist mission building in Hanalei town that they want to continue using as a bed-and-breakfast operation.
The couple’s Web site had listed the property for sale, when they thought they could not continue to operate it and still have a family, as they are planning, she said.
Sato said she informed planning commissioners about this matter.
“I didn’t want to be running the B&B (bed-and-breakfast) as a new mom,” said Kelly Sato.
They had a change of heart, and took the property off the market late last year, she said. They now wish to continue living in the home and operating the bed and breakfast, she continued.
The building was constructed in 1901, and is reputed to be the oldest Buddhist mission church building on Kaua‘i.
The building was part of the Lihue Hongwanji Mission in Kapaia before being relocated to Hanalei in the past two decades.
The historic building was up for sale up until December, and has been taken off the market since then, according to Kelly Sato.
Sato offered that information after the Kaua‘i County Planning Commission met Tuesday to consider issuing “after-the-fact permits” to the Satos so they can continue to legally run the bed-and-breakfast operation.
County officials have been frustrated because many property owners have operated bed-and-breakfasts for years without required permits.
The request for permits by the Satos marks the first time over the last five or six years that anyone has sought county approval to run a bed-and-breakfast operation.
Other operators have continued running their businesses without the permits, as applications for the permits involve public scrutiny including public hearings.
The Satos have operated their business without county permits for around 12 years, according to a Web site.
Members of the Kaua‘i Planning Commission reviewed Web-site information related to the couple’s proposal that said the house was up for sale.
The Satos are seeking a use permit and a Class IV Zoning permit.
The Web-site information reviewed by commissioners noted the Satos were asking $920,000 for the four-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house. The 1,860-square-foot structure sits on a 6,118-square-foot lot. The Web site noted the building is being sold as a residence and not as a business.
The Satos said they wanted to sell the building “turnkey,” and that anyone wanting to continue operating the building as a bed-and breakfast operation could do so.
Earlier county documents noted the Satos had hoped to accommodate six guests, two in each of the three bedrooms. The Satos had planned to live in the fourth room, and Kelly Sato said yesterday that she and her husband still plan to do so.
Kelly Sato said the Web-site information about the home being for sale came as a surprise to her. “We have updated the Web site, and there is nothing in it at all about it being for sale,” she said.
The Buddhist temple was placed on the National Historic Register in 1978, said former Planning Commissioner Barbara Robeson, who wondered whether the building has retained the status.
“The structure has apparently not been reevaluated since it was relocated to Hanalei, and it is, therefore, unclear whether or not it would still meet the criteria of inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places,” Robeson wrote in a correspondence to members of the Planning Commission.
The structure was slated to be demolished in Lihu‘e, then relocated to Hanalei town, and has been used as a home.
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net.
