STAND. COM. REP. NO.  970

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2007

RE:   H.B. No. 1950

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs, to which was referred H.B. No. 1950 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to allow the county legislative bodies and the Land Use Commission (LUC) an opportunity to more thoroughly consider proposed plans for certain types of government housing development projects and boundary amendments, respectively, by:

(1)  Reinserting the provision allowing county legislative bodies to modify projects that was inadvertently omitted during the recodification of Chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

(2)  Increasing from 45 to 90 days the time the county legislative body and LUC have to approve or disapprove affordable housing projects and boundary amendments, respectively.

     The Maui County Council and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Department of Community Services of the City and County of Honolulu, and the Office of Housing and Community Development of the County of Hawaii opposed this measure.

     Your Committee finds that while more time is needed for the county legislative bodies and the LUC to meaningfully discuss proposed projects, lengthy delays in obtaining approvals may add costs for the developers.  Therefore, your Committee has amended this bill by changing the number of days the legislative body of the county or LUC is allowed to approve a proposed affordable housing project to an unspecified number of days, to encourage further discussion.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1950, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1950, H.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Ocean Resources & Hawaiian Affairs,

____________________________

KEN ITO, Chair