210             
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  URGING THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU TO BAN THE IMPROPER USE
    OF HISTORIC SITES AS WEDDING MILLS.
 


 1        WHEREAS, there is a need to ensure that the use of
 2   historic homes in local land use ordinances is in harmony with
 3   the surrounding neighborhood use, especially in residential,
 4   rural, and agricultural neighborhoods, in which commercial uses
 5   will have great adverse impacts; and
 6   
 7        WHEREAS, in some neighborhoods on O`ahu, historic homes
 8   are intentionally placed on the Hawaii register of historic
 9   places for their express use as wedding service businesses; and
10   
11        WHEREAS, since historic homes are generally found in
12   older, established neighborhoods, many of the surrounding
13   neighbors are elderly and spend much of their time at home, and
14   wedding service use in these neighborhoods adversely affects
15   real property taxes/values which affects their fixed retirement
16   income, and also creates adverse noise and traffic impacts to
17   the surrounding community; and
18   
19        WHEREAS, using historic homes in this manner unfairly
20   introduces commercial uses into residential, rural, and
21   agricultural communities that were not intended by the historic
22   preservation law, which was enacted to allow for nonconforming
23   use so additional income could be generated for higher
24   maintenance costs of historic homes; and
25   
26        WHEREAS, however, wedding service businesses can earn over
27   $75,000 per week, far in excess of maintenance costs for these
28   historic structures; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, the City and County of Honolulu's land use
31   ordinances can be used to prevent this improper use of historic
32   property; now, therefore,
33   
34        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
35   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
36   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature

 
Page 2                                   210               
                                  H.C.R. NO.            
                                                        
                                                        


 1   acknowledges that the City and County of Honolulu's land use
 2   ordinances have the ability to ban improper use of historic
 3   sites as wedding mills, and urges the City and County of
 4   Honolulu to use its authority to do so; and
 5   
 6        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
 7   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor and the
 8   Chairperson of the City Council for the City and County of
 9   Honolulu.
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13                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________