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AKINAKA & ASSOCIATES, LTD Page 1 of 3
Murashige, Laura
From: Jacqui Hoover [jacqui_hlpc@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 10:23 PM
To: HI County Council
Cc: Hoffmann, Pete
Subject: Testimony -Bill 156 - An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 11 of the Hawaii County Code to
Include Affordable Housing Requirements for Industrial Park Developments
Attachments: image002.png; header.htm
AKINAKA & ASSOCIATES, LTMTTED
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6ANK OF HAWAII
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CASTLE & COOKE WAIKOLOq LLC
CENTER DESTINATION PROPERTIES
CENTRAL PACIFIC BANK
CLARK REALTY CORRORATION
COOPER B COOPER, LLC
D.R. HORiOM. INC., SCHULER DIVISION
DE WZENTERPRI SES, INC.
FIRST HAWAIL4N BANK
FOREST SOLLr1TONS, INC.
GREENWELL FARMS, INC.
HAWAII LAND COMPANY
HA WAIL PLANING MILL, LIMITED
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HUALAIAI RESORT
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KEALRKEKUA RANCH. LIMITED L%r`
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KEAUHOU KONA OONSTRUCTION CORP. L.f'
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KITCHELL CONTRACTORS •y
KOBAVASHI GROUP, LLC
KOHALA RANCH DEVELOPMENTCORP,
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LANIHAU PROPERTIES, LLC
L'ORANGE &ASSOCIATES
LUNCH HAWAII DEVELOPMENT, LLC
M B E PACIFIC, INC
Mac FARMS OF HAWAII
MARVL G ROUP, INC,
MAUNA KEA PROPERTIES, INC,
MAUNA LANI SERVICE INC,
McCANDLESS LAND & CATTLE COMPANY
McCORRISTON MILLER MUKAI McKINNON
MENEHUNE DEVELOPMENTCOMPANV, INC.
MOOERS ENTERPRISES, LLC
THE NATURE OONSERVANCY OF HAWAII
NORTH KONA VILLAGE, LLC
OKAHARA BASSOCUATES, INC.
PA'AHANA ENTERPRISES. LLC
PACIFIC RESOURCE RARTNERSHIP
PARKER RANCH
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QUEEN EMMA LAND COMPANY R®f. TO:
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3/9/2007
AKINAKA & ASSOCIATES, LTD Page 2 of 3
In Consideration of
Bill No. 156
An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 11 of the County Code to
Include Affordable Housing Requirements for Industrial Park Developments
Friday, 9 March 2007 - 9:00 a.m.
The Honorable Pete Hoffmann, Chair
and Members of the Hawai i County Council
333 Kilauea Avenue (Ben Franklin Building)
Zed Floor, Council Room
Hilo, HI 96720
Aloha Chair Hoffmann and Members of the Hawai i County Council:
I am Jacqui Hoover, President of the Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference (HLPC) whose seventy-five
members are committed to sound planning, wise use of our resources, and effective government
process.
Hawai i County finds itself in a critical situation over affordable housing and the Hawaii Leeward Planning
Conference wishes to maintain its consistency in partnering with the Council and others to effectively
resolve the challenges that face our island community.
HLPC is concerned that efforts to mandate affordable housing exclusive of a comprehensive review of all
of the factors involved will not lead us to a sustainable affordable housing policy. Specifically, while
there is recognition and discussion of the clear link between employment and affordable "workforce"
housing, there is no discussion of the simultaneously critical link between income and affordability. In
order to address comprehensively the long-term issues and meet objectives for economic diversity and
sustainability; quantity and quality employment opportunities; and community building with all
components including and not limited to, affordablelinclusionary housing, we must:
1. recognize that there is a distinct link between income and affordability;
2. develop initiatives and options that will invite employers to bring higher income opportunity jobs
into the community; and
3. provide incentives to ensure that an adequate and sustainable housing inventory is established.
The Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference is committed to working with the Council and administration
to develop a "toolbox" of initiatives on a wider spectrum that considers all of the factors that are related
to our housing needs.
Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference
In Consideration of Bill No. 156
9 Mareh 2007
Page Two of Two
The intent of Bill 156 is to provide housing that is affordable to the workforce, however, an inadvertent
consequence may be the discouragement of investments in industrial and commercial developments of
which the end result would be no new job creation. The problem is not the new jobs being created but
3/9/2007
AKINAKA & ASSOCIATES, LTD Page 3 of 3
rather, the lack of housing that is affordable to the workforce.
Clearly we need new, diverse, and higher-wage employment opportunities as well as, affordable
workforce housing. However, placing such affordable housing requirements on the investors who
generate new employment opportunities is very much like killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
Instead, it may be wiser for us to recognize that prospective employers look at numerous factors
including and not limited to, an available and educated workforce. Currently, Hawai i County employers
are facing challenges finding and sustaining such a workforce, and often the lack of affordable housing is
cited as a primary reason for this shortfall. This leads us to the adage of "what comes first the chicken or
the egg" - or in this case, "workforce or workforce housing"? As such, perhaps a better strategy would
be for us to focus on identifying and implementing the means by which we can increase the inventory of
affordable workforce housing, which in turn, would attract a workforce, the availability of which would
encourage investment and thus, create more employment opportunities.
In the past, HLPC has worked with the County to identify and offer such tools through efforts including
and not limited to, formation of the West Hawaii Housing Foundation which successfully established (and
continues to operate) the Captain Cook Elderly Housing, and hosting an affordable housing workshop in
which County representatives participated and which produced a series of objectives and opportunities
including financing tools for consideration. The Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference humbly requests
that the Council revisit policy development on affordable housing and consider all of the contributing
elements to this issue to ensure a sustainable policy that will endure through both good and difficult
economic times. HLPC is committed to partnering with the County to review all contributing factors and
identify components that will help in developing such a sustainable policy.
In the interim, absent a comprehensive discussion as noted above, the Hawaii Leeward Planning
Conference is opposed to Bill No. 156.
Thank you for your leadership in finding and executing a responsible solution, and for this opportunity to
express our views on this matter.
Respectfully submitted,
Jacqui L. Hoover
President
Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference
3/9/2007