KILAUEA — Kaua‘i Pacific School in Kilauea shut down its doors about a year ago, and the building has remained empty since then. But soon the doors will open again, although education will not be on the menu of a
KILAUEA — Kaua‘i Pacific School in Kilauea shut down its doors about a year ago, and the building has remained empty since then. But soon the doors will open again, although education will not be on the menu of a restaurant and a healthy food store moving in there.
The Kaua‘i Planning Commission on June 26 unanimously approved permits that will allow property owner Michael Dyer to rent the main building to Healthy Hut natural food store, convert a former fruit stand on the property to a restaurant, designate office or retail use and add one mobile food vendor site.
Architect Ron Agor said he was surprised the commission did not get a letter from the Kilauea Neighborhood Association.
“We had a meeting with them, and they appeared favorable at that time,” said Agor, adding the meeting involved a presentation to KNA.
“This was about maybe a month and a half ago.”
Dyer said the main building got a new metal roof and the parking lot is being repaved, but those improvements did not require commission’s approval — he was there for different reasons.
“My new tenant and I agreed to put a loading deck on the side of the existing building; that required a permit and that’s one of the reasons we are here,” Dyer said. “The second (reason) was, my tenant is applying for a demolition permit and a commercial kitchen inside the building that they’re leasing; that does require a permit.”
A 46,800-square-foot shopping center, Kilauea Lighthouse Village, was approved on the same day for a site behind Healthy Hut’s current location, across the street from Kong Lung Center on Kilauea Road.
Commissioner Herman Texeira had some traffic concerns regarding two commercial developments potentially taking place simultaneously in Kilauea, and wanted to find out if there had been any communication between the developers.
Planning Director Michael Dahilig said the development would occur on an “entirely separate different location” from the Kilauea Lighthouse Village, and based on comments from the state Department of Transportation and the county Public Works Department, he didn’t think this was an issue of concern.
On Tuesday, Healthy Hut co-owner Scott Memeroff confirmed the popular natural food store is moving out of the historic stone building on Kilauea Road and into the larger space at the intesection of Ho‘okui and Kolo roads, on the other end of Kilauea Town. But the move won’t be final until sometime next fall, he said.
The new, improved Healthy Hut will offer a grab-and-go restaurant, with fruit juices, gourmet coffees, sandwiches and other ready-to-eat foods, Memeroff said.
