STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2766

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2696

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2696, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE KAKAAKO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish development restrictions for the Kakaako Community Development District in regards to proximity between buildings, height, and building orientation.

     The measure also:

     (1)  Requires a project eligibility review of infrastructure facilities within the District; and

     (2)  Prohibits the Hawaii Community Development Authority from granting any variance, exemption, or modification to any provision of any rule or development plan relating to maximum floor area ratio within the District.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from Kakaako United, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, and fourteen individuals.  Your Committee received written comments in opposition to this measure from The Howard Hughes Corporation and Alexander & Baldwin, Inc.  The Hawaii Community Development Authority, Kamehameha Schools, and The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii submitted written comments.

     Your Committee finds that the original vision of the Kakaako Community Development District was to establish a mixed-use district whereby commercial, residential, and public uses would coexist compatibly within the same area.  Your Committee believes that the development standards established by this measure will help ensure adequate infrastructure facilities and preserve scenic views within the Kakaako Community Development District.  Your Committee notes that this measure is not intended to apply to vested rights, entitlements, or plans that have already been approved.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2696, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2696, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair