The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council Committee on Planning and the Economy on Nov. 21, 2024.
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Nov. 21, 2024, 9 a.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council, Committee on Planning and the Economy
Esther Kiaʻāina, Chair
Radiant Cordero, Vice-Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Researcher
RE: Bill 64 (2023) — RELATING TO USE REGULATIONS
Aloha Chair Kiaʻāina, Vice-Chair Cordero and members of the Committee,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii would like to comment on the proposed amendments to various uses in Bill 64 (2023), FD1.
>> Beekeeping
Committee Chair Kiaʻāina’s amendment would delete a requirement that beekeeping be considered a principal use in the zoning district to be allowed as a home occupation, essentially cleaning up an error from previous drafts of the bill.
>> Joint development
Regarding proposed changes to the county’s joint-development programs — where developers can build on two lots in the same zone as if they were the same lot — the current land-use ordinance allows two of them: one for adjacent lots and one for non-adjacent lots. Bill 64, however, proposes to delete both.
Instead, Grassroot supports the amendments being proposed by Councilmember Weyer and Committee Chair Kiaʻāina that would leave in the joint-development programs for adjacent lots, since it gives builders flexibility whenever they happen to own two adjacent lots in the same zoning district.
>> Home-based childcare
Grassroot urges the Committee to adopt either of the amendments offered by Councilmember Weyer or Committee Chair Kiaʻāina that would allow a second non-household employee to assist with childcare if the principal caregiver is unavailable because of a sickness or other emergency.
The current draft of the bill allows only one non-household member to work in the home in addition to the household childcare provider.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Researcher
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
