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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0281.086 2020-2022 ill a4 BUILD LIVE August 13, 2021 Hawaii County Council Hawai'i County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, H1 96720 RE: Testimony in support of Bill 44 without amendments to Factory-built housing Dear Chair David, Vice Chair Chung and members of the Council, I would like to submit this letter and written testimony in support of Bill 44 Relating to the County Construction Cade. Bill 44 as drafted, and in conjunction with the existing County Code framework will provide for the proper regulation, oversight, and processes to support the construction of safe code-compliant housing. Further, the adoption of the 2018 State Building Code will provide stability with regard to those some processes and standards used by our design community and the construction industry to facilitate effective home construction for the next few years and through the migration to a future, yet to be adopted code. As it pertains to Appendix U on Factory-built housing (FBH), I would like to encourage the Council to defer any possible consideration of amending this appendix. FBH has existed in the United States for over 50 years and since the establishment of the International Building Code (IBC) in 1997, FBH homes under the IBC are built using materials and construction techniques approved by the code, and hence are no different than site-built homes that are built in accordance with the IBC. Any amendment that would add restrictions to Appendix U would essentially kill the feasibility of factory- built as an option for our community. Hawaii is following the national trend where the supply of entry-level housing (smaller than 1,400 sgft) is near a five-decade low. Over the last 50 years, the number of entry-level units built has dropped 84%. The bottom line is our community needs as many safe, code-compliant building options as possible to address the huge shortage of small, starter homes. We also need a stable foundation of building code and options to encourage more players to participate and increase Hawaii Island's capacity to provide more attainable housing. As noted in multiple reports, Hawaii Island will need an additional 13,300 plus housing units by 2025. Statements made criticizing factory-built modules as unstable or will become "structurally unsafe during road transport", are not based on facts. Modular projects on Oahu received wide support— modules that were manufactured by Horizon North out of Canada and traversed thousands of miles over land as well as water without safety concerns raised. Evidence collected through the research of various safety data and direct contact with the International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association, and various state agencies show that the transporting of FBH has not presented with any elevated or increased risk. The data and analysis also show that FBH has demonstrated to be stronger and more resilient than site-built structures due the inherent nature of its designs and methods of assembly. r f HPM BUILDING SUPPLY PHONE 808.966.5466•FAX 808.966.7564 16-166 MELEKAHIWA STREET•KEA'AU,HI 96749 1 HPt�+.HAtN�.II.Ct>h�". Comm. No. Ref. T : _ _ Ref. Date AUQ � I 1 BUILD LIVE i Thank you for the opportunity to provide testimony in support of Bill 44, as well as seriously considering the various testimony provided by members of our very own Hawaii Island community. I j strongly encourage the passage of this measure and the deferral of any amendments to Factory Built Housing. Sincerely, Jason Fujimoto, President& CEO HPM BUILDING SUPPLY PHONE 808.966.5466•FAX 808.966.7564 16-166 MELEKAHIWA STREET•KEA'AU,HI 96749 HPMHAWAII.CCDM 2