HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0989.014 2018-2020COUNTY CLERK
Testimony of
COUNTY -OF HAWAII
RECEIVED
Pacific Resource Partnership Time s:glam By 'd(e
County of Hawaii Date JUL 0 5 2020
Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit
Hawaii County Building
Councilmember Susan L.K. Lee Loy, Chair
Councilmember Matt Kaneali'i-Kleinfelder, Vice Chair
Bill 179—An Ordinance Establishing a County Construction Code Relating to Building Construction and
Related Systems Within a Building Under Construction by Amending the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016
Edition, as Amended)
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Aloha Chair Lee Loy, Vice Chair Kaneali'i-Kleinfelder and Members of the Committee:
Pacific Resource Partnership (PRP) strongly opposes "Appendix L Factory -Built Housing" (FBH) and all
references to FBH in the proposed Ordinance.
While PRP supports the enactment of a new comprehensive construction code designed to streamline
and expedite the permit application and plan review process by consolidating what are presently separate
permits from the existing chapters into a single permit, we are opposed to a special section providing
preferential treatment to FBH into the proposed Ordinance.
As a general concept, PRP supports the consolidation of separate permits from the existing chapters into
a single permit since this change will benefit all homebuilders, not just a few, and will help to expedite the
construction of much needed housing, including affordable housing, within the County.
However, as a matter of principle, it is inequitable for the County to maintain a special pathway for FBH
while locally -based construction contractors must comply with existing procedures governed by the
construction code. The proposed construction code must, first and foremost, protect public health and
safety, safeguard property, and promote the public welfare by establishing minimum standards applicable
to all homebuilders within the County, not provide special policies for companies seeking to gain an
advantage over their competitors. As such, PRP believes the inclusion of special policies within the
proposed construction code for FBH are inappropriate and prejudicial to the many traditional
construction companies operating in Hawaii County and employing a local workforce.
Additionally, PRP notes that the inclusion of special policies for FBH within the proposed construction
code will have a negative impact on the construction industry, which plays a vital role in stimulating the
local economy and improving the existing quality of life for the County's residents. Amongst those in the
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construction: industry are highly.skilled carpenters: 1) who have completed a State -approved
apprenticeship program.; 2) who have a wealth of knowledge and experience building in the local
construction1ndust'ry; and 3) who are paid good middle-class wages that are spent in the local economy.
These are some of the jobs that FBH will likely eliminate, since the manufacturing of FBH does not require
a highly skilled workforce. Instead, FBH is built within a factory using automated tools and a smaller labor
force versus on-site construction.
Hawaii County cannot afford to lose jobs that pay good middle-class wages, especially as we are in the
middle of health crisis with huge economic implications. In 2020, the Aloha United Way (AUW)
commissioned ALICE IN HAWAII: A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP STUDY. ALICE stands for "Asset Limited, Income
Constrained, Employed" and describes a community across Hawaii struggling to make ends meet. For
example, while ALICE households earn more than the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), they earn less than the
basic cost of living for the state and cannot afford basic necessities to remain stable and self-sufficient.
According to the latest ALICE data (2018), when combining households living beneath the FPL with ALICE
households, an astonishing 48% of Hawaii County's population struggles to afford basic household
essentials (housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology)—this was before
COVID-19. Given the economic uncertainty caused by COVID-19, Hawaii County needs to find ways to
preserve and protect jobs and middle-class wages to mitigate the impacts that this crisis is and will
continue to have on the County's residents and businesses.
Given the above, PRP respectfully request that this Committee remove Appendix L relating to FBH and all
references to FBH in the proposed Ordinance. Thank you for this opportunity to submit written
testimony.
PRO
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