The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii on April 1, 2025, for consideration by the Senate Committees on Government Operations and Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs.
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April 1, 2025, 3:01 p.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 016 and Videoconference
To: Senate Committee on Government Operations
Sen. Angus McKelvey, Chair
Sen. Mike Gabbard, Vice Chair
Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs
Sen. Glenn Wakai, Chair
Sen. Stanley Chang, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: SR132/SCR163 REQUESTING THE COUNTIES TO ADOPT FLEXIBLE SETBACK REQUIREMENTS FOR STATE BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES TO ENHANCE LAND USE EFFICIENCY AND PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY.
Aloha chairs, vice chairs and other members of the committees,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports SR132/SCR163, which would request the counties to adopt flexible zoning setback standards for state buildings to maximize efficiency and improve public service delivery.
This is a commonsense resolution. Land costs in Hawaii can easily top $2 million for relatively small commercial or industrial lots.[1] Because of this, it should be a priority for the state to get the most value out of taxpayer dollars when building or renovating its buildings.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Hawaii Information Service database, accessed March 26, 2025. Parcels included in this search were government owned properties between 10,000 and 15,000 square feet in lot area in the commercial and industrial property tax classes on Oahu. A subscription is needed to access the data.
