HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	49
THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

Urging the City and County of Honolulu and developers to coordinate their infrastructure plans and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure adequate infrastructure be in place prior to building new housing developments.

WHEREAS, Hawaii’s state infrastructure received an overall D+ rating, according to a report from the American Society of Civil Engineers; and

WHEREAS, for decades, the needs of Hawaii infrastructure have been overlooked, used beyond their structural life span, and struggle from a lack of systemic financing; and

WHEREAS, the State was fortunate to receive a $6.6 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, however, this hardly covers the estimated $1.1 billion in unfunded infrastructure needs; and

WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu has had a poor track record with prematurely awarding development contracts; and

WHEREAS, developers continue to race to build new homes without the proper infrastructure in place or the foresight for the communities' needs following new housing developments; and

WHEREAS, West Oahu has been experiencing an influx of development without the proper upgrades to infrastructure; and

WHEREAS, the issues of inadequate infrastructure have led to the delays of countless housing options to address the State's fifty-thousand-unit housing shortage; and

WHEREAS, the 2024 annual report of the Hawaii Interagency Council for Transit-Oriented Development found key recommendations such as coordinating State and county infrastructure plans and revising county policies to enhance existing tools and improve market conditions; and

WHEREAS, this body finds that the State cannot adequately address the housing demands that residents have until overcoming infrastructural needs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the City and County of Honolulu and developers are urged to coordinate their infrastructure plans and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure adequate infrastructure be in place prior to building new housing developments; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, City Councilmember representing District 1, Director of the Department of Planning and Permitting of Honolulu, President of D.R. Horton, and President of Gentry Homes.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Infrastructure; Development; Housing