HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0281.035 2020-2022 6iC� U�
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July 20, 2021
Maile Medeiros David, Chair
Aaron Chung,Vice Chair
Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
RE:Support for Bill 44—Hawaii County Building Code
Dear Chair David,Vice Chair Chung and Members of the Hawaii County Council,
Thank you and the Department of Public Works for your efforts to update the Hawaii County Building Code.As
members of the Vibrant Hawaii Housing Coalition,the Kohala Coast Resort Association (KCRA)supports Bill 44.
We would also like to respectfully request that the Hawaii County Council postpone any amendments to Appendix U,
regarding factory-built housing, until the State Building Code Council (SBCC) Investigative Committee concludes its
review of this concept.We appreciate the County of Hawaii exploring all options for affordable housing on our island,
and believe this request will allow the Council to move forward without inadvertently adopting amendments that
may be in conflict with the SBCC's recommendations.The Council will then have the opportunity to capitalize on the
findings of the SBCC,to create any amendments to address local challenges.
Affordable housing is one of our island's critical needs, and we appreciate your thorough consideration of all viable
options to meet the growing demand.
The Kohala Coast Resort Association is a collection of master-planned resorts,situated north of the Ellison Onizuka
Kona International Airport at Keahole,which represents approximately 3,500 hotel and timeshare accommodations,
an equal number of resort residential units,as well as shopping, entertainment,golf,spa and restaurants. KCRA
members employ more than 5,000 Hawaii Island residents, supporting 20,000 community members. Each year, KCRA
members pay more than$25 million in GET and$25 million in TAT to the State of Hawaii. KCRA members,and the
businesses and residents within the resorts, pay$73 million in property taxes to Hawaii County, nearly a quarter of all
property taxes collected. In addition, between 2018 and 2020, KCRA members invested more than$400,000,000 in
upgrades to their resorts,which supports Hawaii Island's construction industry.
Mahalo for the opportunity to show our support for Bill 44.
Sincerely,
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Stephanie Donoho
Administrative Director
Kohala Coast Resort Association
PO Box 6991, Kamuela, HI 96743 (506)747-5762 kohalacoastresortassn@qmaii.com www.kohalacoastresorts.com
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