Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0898.067 2020-2022 P/C;ouYlci COMM. 898 fVKona- KohaIa CHAMBER OF COMMERCE April 17, 2023 17) Heather Kimball, Chairn Holeka Inaba, Vice Chair -°o Hawai'i County Council West Hawaii Civic Center v „.,. . 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, BuildingA � M. ,... Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Dear Chair Kimball, Vice Chair Inaba, and members of the Hawai'i County Council, co With over 450 members, the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce brings the business community together to address key issues in our community, on our island, and in our state. Established in 1968, we work to enhance the quality of life for our community through a strong, sustainable economy on Hawaii Island. We that mission in mind, we oppose Bill 194 which amends Chapter 25 of the Hawai'i County Code related to zone change conditions. We strongly support Mayor Roth's veto. Housing is a top priority for the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and we support housing projects at all inventory levels in West Hawaii. This includes the development of infrastructure to support more housing along with an emphasis on improvements in Hawai'i County's permitting, planning, and regulatory processes. Current Hawaii County statute already allows the County Council to include conditions on zone change amendment ordinances as it deems prudent, including future time extensions made at the discretion of the Planning Department. Bill 194, requiring all future time extensions to go back before the Council under equivocal language indicating that the Council "may” or may not grant extensions, adds uncertainties to matters the Council has already legislated. Additionally, it effectively gives a future Council a "second bite at the apple" at a time when the membership and the sense of the Council may have changed. Bill 194 creates uncertainty and makes housing development a moving target. In 2022, the University of Hawai'i Economic Research Organization (UHERO) published a report titled, "Measuring the Burden of Housing Regulation in Hawai'i." In that report, Hawaii County was awarded the dubious distinction of having the most barriers to housing development compared to the nation's 30 most expensive counties. The UHERO authors note, "One of the many factors that may explain the incredibly high home prices in Hawaii is that government regulation has severely limited the ability of the housing market to create the units necessary to meet demand." Bill 194 increases the burden of government regulation and adds another disincentive for Hawaii County's housing developers. Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce •(o1 75-5737 Kuakini Highway, Suite 208 I Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 Comm. No. www.kona-kohala.com 1808-329-1758 I info@kona-kohala.com Ref.To: Ref. Date ` • fVKona- KohaIa ,. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE The authors of the UHERO report additionally note a sub-index they call "Local Political Pressure" as a statistically significant predictor of regulatory restrictiveness. They state, "Because developments often require county council approval and may involve pressure from various stakeholders, projects can be rejected because of a perceived lack of community support, even if the project could hold significant benefits for future residents of the community or for the larger housing market." They point out, "Local political pressure in Hawaii is particularly high, ranking in the top 5% of the sample." The sample referred to here is the national Wharton School survey on which UHERO bases its report. Bill 194 escalates local political pressure and will not help to increase the stock of housing so desperately needed in our community. We live in a county where some residents are forced to sleep in their vehicles, where others are forced to live in crowded multi-generational households, where the adult children of longtime residents are fleeing the island, and where it has become difficult to recruit the professionals necessary for our health and welfare- all of this related to the lack of accessible housing. We believe Bill 194 is unnecessary and will worsen the quality of life for our community on Hawaii Island. The Kona Kohala Chamber of Commerce urges the Council to uphold the veto on Bill 194. We ask that you please vote NO on Bill 194. Sincerely, 'Derma-4/ Boyd/ Chair, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Chair, Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce Permitting and Housing Task Force Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce 75-5737 Kuakini Highway, Suite 208 I Kailua-Kona, HI 96740 www.kona-kohala.com 1808-329-1758 I info@kona-kohala.com