Question: There is an extremely large house being built at the entrance to Lanikai. It certainly looks to be way out of scale to other houses in the neighborhood. My understanding is that the house footprint is not supposed to exceed 50 percent of the size of the lot. What are the building code regulations regarding this?
Answer: Honolulu’s Land Use Ordinance says that dwellings and/or structures on residentially zoned land cannot exceed 50 percent coverage of the lot size, confirmed Art Challacombe, deputy director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting.
The ordinance, commonly referred to as the city’s zoning code, comprises Chapter 21 of the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, if you are interested in reading up. You can view it and other frequently cited chapters at bit.ly/1irGSrw.
The construction project you noticed at 805 Mokulua Drive in Kailua has been issued notices of violation for other infractions, including exceeding the allowable height, but it does not exceed the footprint rule, according to the DPP.
The DPP received three complaints in early October that a dwelling being constructed at this address may have violated setback requirements and possibly height limitations, Challacombe said.
A DPP inspection Oct. 7 determined that the building setbacks were according to plan. However, the inspector determined that the crawl space for the new two-story dwelling was built 3 feet high, while the approved plans showed only 2 feet. As a result, the dwelling exceeds the allowable 25-foot height limit.
On Oct. 13 the DPP issued a notice of violation to the property owner, Nicholas Bredimus. The notice ordered him to correct the height violation by Nov. 13, or civil fines could be imposed. The violation could be corrected by reducing the height of the dwelling or obtaining a variance, Challacombe said.
The DPP issued two other notices of violation to this property owner last summer. On June 22 a notice was issued for stockpiling approximately 196 cubic yards of dirt on the property without a permit. On July 31 a notice was issued for starting construction on the dwelling without a building permit. Both violations were corrected and no fines were assessed, Challacombe said.
While researching this question, Kokua Line learned that Bredimus is a convicted sex offender, sentenced in Texas in 2002 to 5-1/2 years in prison for traveling overseas to engage in illegal sexual activity with a minor.
Bredimus’ case made headlines locally at the time because he was a successful businessman with homes in Hawaii and Texas. He had been arrested in Hawaii for a case that proceeded in Texas and involved criminal activity in Thailand.
The Kailua address Bredimus lists on Hawaii’s sex offender registry matches the one listed as his address on the building-code notice of violation issued in June. However, the notices of violation issued in July and October list a different Kailua address. (Neither is the Mokulua Drive address.)
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center is looking into the discrepancy. Registered sex offenders are supposed to alert the attorney general’s office within three days if they move or if other information required by the registry changes. Kokua Line’s attempts to reach Bredimus by phone were unsuccessful.
Mahalo
Mahalo to a manager at a Palolo fast-food restaurant who went out of her way to help a little boy whose mother was busy filling their drinks at the soda station. The little boy yearned for a toy from an out-of-reach display. The manager approached the youngster, asked which toy he wanted, walked behind the cashier’s stand to retrieve it, removed the plastic wrap and handed the toy to the boy. He was delighted! … I stepped out of line to shake that manager’s hand and thank her for her gift of kindness toward that little boy. — Impressed customer
Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
