HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	215
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

urging the Honolulu city council to adopt an ordinance requiring the department of planning and permitting to ensure that the infrastructure necessary to support any new development is built.

     WHEREAS, in recent years, the explosion of homes and businesses, including state and municipal buildings, partly as a result of Kapolei's new designation as the "Second City of Oahu" has dramatically changed the face of Kapolei; and

     WHEREAS, while the resident population has taken an upward spike, the roads, water systems, schools, and other necessary infrastructure supporting the region have not kept up with the rapid pace of development and population growth; and

     WHEREAS, additional development that is planned in the near future, including over 4,000 new homes, the office buildings of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands that will house its 100 employees, the University of Hawaii's new West Oahu campus with its proposed 1,520 students, and other businesses, is expected to place an unbearable strain on the neighborhood; and

     WHEREAS, this type of sudden and overwhelming growth is likely to strain the infrastructure, for example, by:

     (1) Frustrating residents who must spend the bulk of their day waiting in traffic to use one road to get in and out of the neighborhood because of traffic congestion from the increase in commuters;

     (2) Causing damage to local roads that were not built to withstand the increased load of traffic; and

     (3) Endangering residents in need of emergency services because emergency vehicles are delayed by heavy traffic;

and

     WHEREAS, this growth is also likely to place pressure on water resources, by increasing the number of users without increasing the capacity of water supply; and

     WHEREAS, this growth is also likely to burden the local schools and its students who will receive less attention, by increasing the number of students without allocating more resources; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Honolulu City Council is urged to adopt a city ordinance requiring the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu to make a determination prior to issuing any occupancy permit for any residential units that:

(1)  All public services, including fire and police protection and solid waste disposal;

(2)  Infrastructure, including highway and street improvements, water supply, storage and distribution facilities, and sewage collection and treatment facilities; and

(3)  Educational facilities,

are being concurrently expanded to adequately service the new residential units; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the City Council and the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Urging moratorium on development in Kapolei