The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Senate Committees on Water and Land and Government Operations on March 20, 2023.
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March 20, 2023
1 p.m.
Conference Room 229
Via Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Water and Land
Senator Lorraine R. Inouye, Chair
Senator Brandon J.C. Elefante, Vice Chair
Senate Committee on Government Operations
Senator Angus L.K. McKelvey, Chair
Senator Mike Gabbard, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
HB676 HD1 — RELATING TO DISTRICT BOUNDARY AMENDMENTS
Comments Only
Dear Chair and Committee Members:
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to offer its comments on HB676 HD1, which would authorize Hawaii’s counties to determine district boundary amendments for certain county-owned land areas greater than 15 acres, provided the counties enact ordinances that meet criteria specified by the bill.
Those criteria include that all the housing constructed on the lands be used for affordable housing as defined by county ordinance; that the counties retain ownership of the lands for at least 99 years; that the district boundary amendments be consistent with the county or community plans, if such plans exist; that the counties mitigate the impact that the housing development might have on roads and schools; and that the ordinance incorporates due process into the procedure for determining DBAs pursuant to state law and the public trust doctrine.
This measure correctly diagnoses one of the causes of Hawaii’s housing crisis: excessive red tape. The state Land Use Commission’s authority over district boundary amendments greater than 15 acres often puts a roadblock in the way of new housing projects.
A 2020 Grassroot Institute of Hawaii report, “Reform the Hawaii LUC to encourage more housing,” discussed how state policymakers could encourage the growth of housing by reexamining the role and purpose of the LUC. Expanding the counties’ powers to reclassify land through the district boundary amendment process was just one of the report’s suggestions.[1]
That means for us at the Grassroot Institute, HB676 is a welcome proposal, but too narrow in its focus. County-owned housing projects might benefit from this measure, but should it become law, housing developments on private lands would still be stuck in the same arduous DBA process.
This measure’s potential could be better realized if it were amended to extend to privately held lands as well, not just those owned by the counties.
In addition, HB676 is ambiguous about the point that the counties own and retain ownership of the lands for 99 years. This raises questions about whether the houses could be sold fee simple or through some other mechanism, such as a leasehold.
Moreover, the length of that term suggests that this situation— leasehold or fee simple — is intended to end at some point, creating further difficulties for the counties and uncertainty around the home developments in particular.
Ultimately, the ambiguity of the 99-year ownership provision, combined with the budgetary and administrative implications involved, would create an unnecessary limit on the power of the counties to use their lands to increase the supply of housing.
The fundamental requirement that the counties own the lands makes sense in the context of this bill, but we suggest that the 99-year ownership and maintenance requirements be removed, thereby allowing the counties to develop housing according to local needs.
The measure’s limitation to affordable housing projects might also raise project costs for the counties. Known as “inclusionary zoning,” this type of requirement for homebuilding can make private projects financially unfeasible, leading to fewer housing units being constructed.
For example, a 2020 survey of 1,030 municipalities across the U.S. showed that only three had inclusionary zoning requirements higher than 75%: Aquinnah, Massachusetts and Santa Paula and Oxnard, California.[2] All three required 100% affordable housing, and all three saw construction of new homes decline by more than 60% during the decade after the policies were adopted.
Change in units built after 100% affordable housing requirement
Source: “Selected Housing Characteristics,” U.S. Census Bureau, Table DP04, 2019. “Inclusionary Housing Database,” Grounded Solutions Network, 2020.
We suggest amending this measure to eliminate or reduce the inclusionary zoning mandate. This would help prevent the counties from being bogged down in expensive projects that might ultimately discourage the construction of new units.
Thank you for the opportunity to submit our comments.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Jackson Makanikeoe Grubbe, “Reform the Hawaii LUC to encourage more housing,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, September 2020.
[2] “Inclusionary Housing Database,” Grounded Solutions Network, 2020.
