STAND. COM. REP. NO. 399

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 740

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 740 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING DENSITY,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to require each county to adopt ordinances establishing a minimum housing density of two hundred fifty units per acre on state lands that are within the urban district and zoned for development or redevelopment.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the O‘ahu County Committee on Legislative Priorities of the Democratic Party of Hawai‘i. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the City and County of Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Building Industry Association of Hawaii.

Your Committees find that not only is there is a lack of available, affordable housing in Hawaii, but there is also a limited amount of space that housing can be developed on the islands. Your Committees further find that setting minimum housing density requirements on parcels in the urban district that are zoned for development or redevelopment is in the best interests of the State.

Your Committees additionally find that a minimum standard of two hundred fifty units per acre can help increase the amount of available, and potentially affordable, housing; provided that some exceptions should be allowed in cases where the developer cannot build that density due to the location or size of certain parcels, or if development at that density is cost-prohibitive.

Your Committees have amended this measure by exempting developers who cannot meet the minimum density requirement of two hundred fifty units per acre due to the location or size of the parcel, or if it is uneconomical to meet this minimum requirement.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 740, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 740, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Public Safety, Intergovernmental, and Military Affairs and Housing,

________________________________ STANLEY CHANG, Chair

________________________________ CLARENCE K. NISHIHARA, Chair