Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs, to which was referred S.B. No. 2759 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to give affordable housing projects priority in the land use approval and permitting process.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the City and County of Honolulu's Department of Planning and Permitting and the Chair of the Maui County Council. Comments were submitted by the Land Use Research Foundation of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that affordable housing is a major problem facing this State, and it appears that one aspect of the problem is the extended length of time it takes to process permits for affordable housing development projects. Thus, this measure requires all state and county agencies to give priority to affordable housing projects in the land use, zoning, and permit review and issuing process.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water, Land, and Agriculture and Intergovernmental Affairs that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2759, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2759, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing.