Kokua Line June Watanabe

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Water limits do not
extend to car washes

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Question: Why was a service station in Kahala allowing groups to have benefit car washes last Sunday and Labor Day when there is a water restriction?

Answer: The Board of Water Supply, in the face of a water shortage, is asking individuals and businesses to voluntarily follow conservation measures.

Car washes are not restricted at this time, said BWS spokeswoman Wanda Yamane.

However, "We are urging groups to consider alternate ways of raising funds, because there are a variety of other ways in which they can earn money," she said.

Yamane noted that "despite their best efforts in washing cars efficiently and with minimal waste," organizers "run the chance of having their efforts viewed negatively by consumers" like you, who are trying to conserve water.

The board already has contacted the corporate office of Chevron U.S.A. "to solicit the cooperation of their service station owners in limiting benefit car-washing at this time," Yamane said. Station owners will be asked to hold off sponsoring car washes until October.

If groups cannot be dissuaded from holding car washes, Yamane said they should follow these tips:

-- No water-play or playing around with hoses and buckets.

-- Use buckets and sponges, or pressure nozzle heads, to wash vehicles.

-- Monitor water use.

Q: We live in Honolulu, where the zoning is R-3.5. A neighbor built a large house on their approximately 4,500-square-foot lot in 1998. The house has a family upstairs, a family downstairs and two rental units on the side. As a result, there is usually no street parking available nearby. Is this legal under city and county zoning? If not, do we have any remedies?

A: You didn't provide an address or neighborhood, but just from the zoning, what you describe is not allowed, said William Deering, chief of the city's Housing Code Section.

Under R-3.5 zoning, the minimum lot size is 4,500 square feet. That allows one single-family dwelling, with one kitchen. The current law also requires two parking spaces per dwelling. There is no restriction on the number of people in a family (related by blood, marriage or adoption) who can live together, providing there is enough space, while up to five unrelated people may live in a dwelling.

But this is all moot in the case you describe, Deering said, because there appears to be more than one dwelling with more than one kitchen. Deering said you can call his office at 527-6308, and an inspector will be sent out.

Mahalo

To the man who found my son's cell phone at Kaimuki Park on Thursday, Aug. 28. He called me to say he found it (he got my number by looking in the cell phone's directory and saw "Mom's Work"). He then went out of his way and dropped it off at my son's school so that my son could pick it up. I never got his name, but wanted to say "Thank you!" Just when I had lost all faith in humanity (my wallet had been stolen the week before), this man has restored it! There are wonderful, honest people in Hawaii. -- Grateful Mom

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Useful phone numbers

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See the Columnists section for some past articles.

Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
E-mail to kokualine@starbulletin.com