SCR174.DOC

WHEREAS, the State needs strategic community-oriented rules and regulations to protect our unspoiled landscapes and farming lands, preserve the beauty of the islands, and secure its unique agricultural business; and

WHEREAS, existing land use practices create urban sprawl, threatening our agricultural and conservation lands; and

WHEREAS, agriculture has a special place in Hawaii's history and continues to be an important industry generating $1,900,000,000 and 42,000 jobs; and

WHEREAS, with the decline of the sugar industry, agricultural lands are being used increasingly by small farms growing diversified agricultural products which have gained recognition in foreign and domestic markets; and

WHEREAS, millions of visitors from around the globe travel to our State with the great expectation of viewing spectacular landscapes of green vegetation; and

WHEREAS, trends in the travel industry also show an increasing interest in eco-tourism, farm tours, and cultural experiences; and

WHEREAS, substantial numbers continue to be added to the Hawaii resident population each decade, averaging at least 100,000 for each decade from 1960 to 2000; and

WHEREAS, for each decade between 2000 and 2030, the population is expected to increase by 140,000, with approximately 59,000 of that growth being in the neighbor island counties; and

WHEREAS, much of the island of Oahu's future population growth is slated for the Ewa plains and southern slopes of the island's central valley, between Waipahu and Wahiawa near the island's center; and

WHEREAS, it is important to encourage redevelopment and reinvestment in the historic nature of towns and communities to preserve Hawaii's heritage for future generations; and

WHEREAS, existing land use practices that increase urban sprawl have discouraged economic activity in main street settings by decreasing the number of visitors to main street shops and vendors because development is concentrated away from rather than in and around main street settings; and

WHEREAS, the counties' focus should be to create communities in which future generations can grow up in safety and good health by reducing traffic congestion, greenhouse gases, and use of fossil fuels; and

WHEREAS, the counties need to look at tools such as transferring density rights, incentives for redevelopment, revenue generating public-private partnerships, and economic development strategies; and

WHEREAS, current land codes do not encourage consistency in maintaining building facades of historical buildings in the area or community; and

WHEREAS, encouraging the development of infrastructure that allows for a preferred choice of walking, biking, or the use of public transportation will help accommodate the State's growing population; and

WHEREAS, the counties' current practices relating to land use such as county ordinances, zoning, permitting, and development processes need to be amended to ensure proper development in appropriate areas; and

WHEREAS, the increasing population puts pressure on the counties to implement land use practices that carefully regulate a balance of development while sustaining the beauty and natural resources of the islands; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that the counties are urged to revise laws to reflect strategic land use practices for main street redevelopment in existing towns that support public transportation to accommodate the growing population of the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the mayors of the counties of Hawaii, Honolulu, Kauai, and Maui.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Land Use; Counties; Agricultural and Conservation Lands

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	174
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII