HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0281.056 2020-2022 wi° fz" }t # i 16-105'0 ukaha'iaSt.
.. ., NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE O1: Pu A Kea'au, HI 96749
To Nuture,Strengthen,and Celebrate Ohana , 3
illiPilig AUG', x' t., ( ph:(808)965-5550
.-�'` _ ^ f www.neighborhoodplace.org fx:(808)965-5109
8/3/2021
Aloha,
I'm writing to ask that the County Council support building codes that allow for expediting factory built homes in
Hawaii understanding that:
A) Factory homes are perfectly safe and commonly used in other neighborhoods as a affordable housing solution
B) Factory homes are NOT competing with carpenters unions profits when average home prices are 2-3x higher than
what a typical working class family in Hawaii can afford.The market our builders sell to(wealthier families and
non-local families) are not those that are directly experiencing the housing crisis.Taking away opportunities to easily
build affordable homes does not take awayfromexisting their eit ex sting higher-end market.
C) Hawai'i County needs 13,303 new homes built by 2025,a majority of which need to be affordable to our
community. Our local carpenters are either unable or unwilling to build this many homes in the next four years at a
price point relevant to our local AMI rates. Currently Hawaii builds a fraction of this number. It's relevant to imagine
the number of 13,303 houses needed as being over 13-thousand households who will be housing insecure in our
community without drastic and deliberate progressive action.
D)Our local representatives represent the many, not the few.The housing crisis during Covid-19 is dire, homelessness
is expected to increase and we know that home ownership is one of the best ways to get families out of poverty and
into a place economically where they can save for the future.This will never be a reality for average income families in
Hawaii without government intervention in the interest of the many. Prioritizing a single sector which has earnings at
2-3x the rate of our average community members,selling products 2-3x outside of a price range average residents can
afford is not representing our community.We need affordable housing now and it is our government's responsibility
to represent the average community member-a large portion of whom are housing insecure-not niche sectors that
have pitted their interests against the greater good.
Factory built homes are safe, affordable, and an important solution to supporting an end to housing insecurity in our
community. Please do not let the profit of the few interrupt the stability of the many.
Mahalo,
Kaikea K. Blakemore
Community Development Specialist, Neighborhood Place of Puna
Awareness Chair, Community Alliance Partners
Co-Chair,Vibrant Hawaii Housing Coalition
Comm. No. M.°
Ref. To:
Ref. Date AUG - 4 2.021
.c7", :, . `^ NEIGHBORHOOD PLACE OF PUHA 1610Kea'aukHI96749
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jj66"�� • j To Nuture,Strengthen,and Celebrate Ohana ph:(808)965-5550
....),L,-.Y•r.-i' www.neighborhoodplace.org fx:(808)965-5109
From the Community Alliance Partners network:
Why support Bill 44 as drafted:
The passage of Bill 44 will allow for the County of Hawaii to implement the most current state building codes that
have also been amended to fit our local jurisdiction and is aligned with the framework that was established with Bill
179 last fall. The passage will provide for a measure of stability with codes that will be in place for a minimum of the
next two years as we await the next state code adoption. This stability will allow for much needed housing
construction to continue and hopefully minimal disruption. This disruption avoidance is critical when you consider
that the roll out of the County's digital permit process is likely to have inherent challenges and growing pains and any
additional process delays will impact home builders both in time and money.
It is also important to understand that the passage of Bill 44 does not set the code"in stone"and more amendment
is possible if modifications are needed however cannot be less restrictive than the state model code.
Why oppose proposed amendments (Corn 281.19&281.20):
As proposed,these amendments impose significant restrictions to factory built housing by requiring inspections in
both the factory and after installation and therefore would not allow for a turnkey housing solution. As noted in the
white paper,there is no evidence to support the assertions that transporting a finished home presents structural
compromise and issues of safety. Direct contact was made with numerous resources on this topic all of which are
either industry technical resources,state government regulatory offices, or code development authorities and no such
incidents or hazardous conditions have occurred or exist. Transporting structures has been ongoing for decades and
there is no evidence to support those assertions. In addition,the designs and assembly methods of factory built
housing incorporate additional hardening that make them inherently stronger than traditional site built homes.
Requiring redundant inspections in the factory followed by the field or installation site prior to closing interior walls or
the completion of the factory structure would be unnecessary and result in additional costs and delays that would be
passed on to the consumer with no demonstrated need or purpose.
Mahalo for putting our community first and supporting Bill 44 without prohibitive amendments that harm our
community.