STAND. COM. REP. NO. 255

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1251

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Water and Land and Transportation, to which was referred S.B. No. 1251 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO TRANSIT ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

     (1)  Establish a Transit Oriented Development Coordinator position within the Office of Planning; and

     (2)  Make an appropriation to establish the Transit Oriented Development Coordinator position.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Office of Planning and one individual.

     Your Committees find that the State owns a number of parcels of land along the Oahu rail route and would greatly benefit from having a specialized planner to work with various state agencies who manage lands to coordinate with the Office of Planning.  Your Committees further find that the Office of Planning is the appropriate agency to house a planner with specialized expertise in transit oriented development projects to coordinate and develop the State's transit oriented development strategy.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Water and Land and Transportation that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1251 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Water and Land and Transportation,

____________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair

____________________________ LAURA H. THIELEN, Chair