The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Honolulu City Council on Dec. 11, 2024.
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Dec. 11, 2024, 10 a.m.
Honolulu Hale
To: Honolulu City Council
Tommy Waters, Chair
Esther Kiaʻāina, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: Bill 63 (2024) — RELATING TO ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS
Aloha Chair Waters, Vice-Chair Kiaʻāina and other members of the Council,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 63 (2024), which would extend until June 30, 2030, the waiver for wastewater system facility charges and building permit, plan review, grading, grubbing and stockpiling fees for accessory dwelling units.
In current law, these fee waivers are slated to expire on June 30, 2025.
High upfront costs can discourage homeowners from adding accessory dwellings to their backyards or converting their single-family homes into two units.
As Grassroot pointed out in its report, “How to facilitate more homebuilding in Hawaii,” Honolulu, Kauai and Maui all offer some type of financial incentive for ADU construction. This fee waiver makes sense for promoting more ADUs in alignment with Act 39 as well.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
