STAND. COM. REP. NO. 611-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 2007

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Housing and Water & Land, to which was referred H.B. No. 2007, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to allow religious institutions, educational institutions, and medical institutions to build dwelling units on lands they own that are within the state urban land use district, under certain conditions.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Hawai‘i YIMBY; Mission Management Company; Grassroot Institute of Hawaii; Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice; and six individuals. Your Committees received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu.

Your Committees find that creative solutions are needed so that the State can streamline building permit approvals for new housing. Your Committees further find there are certain institutions that are willing to convert a portion of their land to provide housing as a means to increase the housing supply in the State. This measure represents a creative solution to address the housing shortage by allowing certain institutions to develop housing units on their lands.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Specifying that the institution must have owned the parcel of land before January 1, 2024;

(2) Deleting language that would have prohibited a county from requiring a special use permit, conditional use permit, or other non-ministerial review for the development of dwelling units;

(3) Exempting industrial areas, hazardous areas, county powers within special management areas, and areas zoned for one primary dwelling unit or less per acre from this measure;

(4) Requiring dwelling units developed pursuant to this measure to be used for long-term rentals or homeless services;

(5) Amending the definition of "medical institution" to clarify that it applies to those organizations that have a certificate of need;

(6) Inserting a sunset date of January 1, 2034; and

(7) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Housing and Water & Land that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2007, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2007, H.D. 2, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Housing and Water & Land,

____________________________ LINDA ICHIYAMA, Chair

____________________________ LUKE A. EVSLIN, Chair