Minor Kilauea Lodge expansion approved

Popular Volcano bed-and-breakfast Kilauea Lodge is planning to make a minor expansion after a Hawaii County committee had no objection to a rezoning request for a neighboring property.

Kilauea Lodge general manager Janet Coney said the property immediately east of the lodge on Volcano Road — which is also owned by the lodge — will be developed to allow for additional employee parking and more efficient deliveries.

Currently, Coney said, deliveries to the lodge go through the same driveway as guests, which causes traffic congestion problems as delivery vehicles arrive and depart.

The planned new site will include 26 parking stalls for employees and related additions to improve access between lots, according to a bill presented to the County Council’s Planning Committee Tuesday.

Coney said the lodge’s owners hope to eventually build a small coffee shop and gift shop on the lot, as well — the bill presented to the committee specifically referenced a planned 1,920-square-foot building and three additional cottages. However, she said, such plans are “way down the road.”

The Planning Committee forwarded the bill, which requests the lot be rezoned from single-family residential to village commercial, to the full council with a favorable recommendation after little discussion.

One of the few elements of the project to generate comment was a requirement for the applicants to pay for a portion of any sidewalk improvements required by the Department of Public Works. A representative of the Planning Department said that requirement would likely be a nonissue, because there are no sidewalks in Volcano village, and adding any likely would be a detriment to the area.

Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.