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Dr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Council Chair <br />and Members of the County Council <br />December 22, 2025 <br />Page 4 <br />Recent amendments to State law and the County Zoning Code have significantly <br />increased the potential number of homes that can be built on most urban -zoned lots. <br />Property owners are now allowed to construct one primary dwelling and up to three <br />Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on a single lot, for a total of four possible dwellings <br />per lot. This represents a potential 300% increase in residential density per lot. <br />With this new development capacity allowed by right, the Planning Director finds <br />it necessary to evaluate the possible impacts on regional infrastructure and public <br />services, including roads, wastewater systems, police and fire protection, and public <br />parks that serve new residents. <br />Historically, when parcels were "upzoned" to allow higher residential density, the <br />County typically included conditions prohibiting the construction of a second dwelling <br />(such as condition H). At the time, additional dwellings were permitted mainly through <br />`Ghana dwelling permits (a process that has since been replaced by ADU allowances). <br />These restrictions helped manage neighborhood density and minimize strain on <br />infrastructure. A Fair Share condition was also included in such rezonings, requiring <br />financial contributions to the County to offset the impacts of new development. These <br />payments were generally tied to the number of new lots created, since each lot was <br />limited to one dwelling unit. <br />Given today's zoning framework, the Planning Director does not consider it <br />appropriate to impose new conditions that would prohibit landowners from developing <br />ADUs now allowed under the Zoning Code. Doing so could conflict with property rights <br />established by current law. However, it is appropriate to update the Fair Share condition <br />in order to mitigate regional impacts on infrastructure caused by this new development <br />potential. <br />Accordingly, the Fair Share condition has been revised to require contributions <br />not only for new lots created (payable before final subdivision approval) but also for any <br />future ADUs constructed beyond the initial primary dwelling. For these additional units, <br />the Fair Share payment will be required before issuance of a building permit. <br />Regarding the County's General Plan, the proposed amendments are consistent <br />with the Low Density Urban (ldu) designation, which allows for residential, with <br />ancillary community and public uses, neighborhood and convenience -type commercial <br />uses with overall residential density up to six units per acre. <br />Additionally, the request is consistent with the following goals, policies, and <br />actions of the General Plan: <br />