HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-16 Leeward Exh B (Bill 256 re Parking Requirements for Short-Term Rental Units)
LEEWARD PLANNING COMMISSION
COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I
HEARING TRANSCRIPT
FEBRUARY 16, 2017
A regularly advertised hearing on the COUNTY COUNCIL INITIATED AMENDMENT TO
CHAPTER 25 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE, RELATING TO OFF-STREET
PARKING AND LOADING was called to order at 9:54 a.m. in the West Hawai‘i Civic Center,
Community Center, Building G, 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i, with
Chairman Keith F. Unger presiding.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Keith F. Unger, Nancy Carr Smith, Scott Church, Collin Kaholo,
Perry Kealoha, Barbara Nobriga and Sonny Shimaoka
ALSO PRESENT: Malia Ho (Counsel for the Commission), Michael Yee (Planning Director),
Jeff Darrow (Planning Program Manager), Maija Jackson (Planner), Christian Kay (Planner) and
Noriko Sauer (Commission Secretary)
And five people from the public in attendance.
APPLICANT: INITIATOR: COUNTY COUNCIL (BILL NO. 256)
An Ordinance amending Chapter 25, Article 4, Section 25-4-51 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983
(2016 Edition, as amended), relating to off-street parking and loading. The purpose of this
amendment is to establish the required number of parking spaces for dwellings or lodging units
that are occupied for a period of less than one hundred eighty (180) days. The County Council is
referring Bill 256 to the Planning Director and the Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions
for comment and recommendations.
UNGER: Next item on the agenda, Applicant County Council, Bill Number 256, an ordinance
amending Chapter 25, Article 4, Section 25-4-51 of the Hawai‘i County Code 1983, 2016 Edition,
as amended, relating to off-street parking and loading. The purpose of this amendment is to
establish the required number of parking spaces for dwellings or lodging units that are occupied
for a period of less than 180 days. The County Council is referring Bill 256 to the Planning
Director and the Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions for comment and
recommendations. Presentation, please.
JACKSON: Thank you, Chair Unger. This is a County Council initiated bill to amend the Zoning
Code related to the off-street parking requirements for, basically this is for short-term home rentals
like vacation rentals. And the County Council initiated Bill 256 with the language that’s shown up
on the screen. It says, “Dwellings, single-family and double-family or duplex that are occupied
for any period of less than one hundred eighty days: one parking stall for each guest bedroom in
addition to one for the dwelling unit.” So for a typical three-bedroom home, if a homeowner were
to rent that out all of the rooms, it would require four parking spaces on site, off street – one for
each of the rooms and then one for the dwelling unit.
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And so the Planning Director is suggesting that the Commission send a favorable recommendation
for Bill 256 with some suggested language that’s shown on the screen. And the reason for this
suggested language is that Bill 256 as written would be unfair or penalize those homeowners who
rent their entire house out to one family at a time, rather than individual rooms in the house to
individual guests. And so the Director is suggesting the language up on the screen. It’s essentially
the same in the first part, “Dwellings, single-family and double-family or duplex that are occupied
for any period less than one hundred eighty days: one parking space for each rented bedroom in
addition to one space for the dwelling unit if rooms in the dwelling unit are rented individually, or
two spaces if the dwelling unit is rented as a whole.” So what this does is it allows, it provides the
same amount of parking that Bill 256 is suggesting, if individual rooms in a home are rented, but it
does not require excessive parking, if an entire house is rented out to one family at a time; when a
house is rented to one family at a time, only two spaces would be required off site.
DARROW: On site.
JACKSON: I’m sorry, on site. And that concludes my presentation. Are there any questions?
Yes, Mr. Church.
CHURCH: The way it reads it does not supersede the code requirements for, like, let’s say,
V-1.25, which requires one and a quarter stalls per dwelling units, so it doesn’t apply to, like,
condominiums, rather it’s single-family, okay —
JACKSON: That’s correct. It would only apply —
CHURCH: — all right, it does —
JACKSON: — to single-family —
CHURCH: — so it doesn’t supersede the Zoning Code with it, okay, got it.
JACKSON: — no, not for multi-family.
CHURCH: Got it.
JACKSON: Are there any other questions?
CARR SMITH: I have a question. I’m a little confused because I’m not sure that zoning allows
for a single-family home to rent out each of their rooms in a residential neighborhood.
JACKSON: The Zoning Code does not regulate vacation rentals, what we call vacation rentals.
Basically, what they are, what the Zoning Code does allow, is for five unrelated people to be
living in a dwelling at once. So that’s, that’s how rooms can be rented to individuals as vacation
rentals. So we don’t currently regulate these as vacation rentals yet.
CARR SMITH: Okay, thank you.
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CHURCH: Just a comment. I think, personally, I think this is a great idea, and I think the
amendment language is a great idea, too. I’m so familiar with, like in Honolulu in subdivisions
and single-family homes that, and they just, they clog, and they clog the transportation arteries, the
streets, and make it both less safe and more congested. So I think this is a good move frankly.
UNGER: To clarify, if I am a vacation rental and I’m renting out rooms in my house or the house
to guests as they come and go, so one booking I may have a family, the next booking I may book
four different bedrooms. So I guess I’m assuming that the property owner would have to adhere
to the higher standard of parking.
JACKSON: Yes.
UNGER: Okay. Any other questions? Thank you. Are there any members of the public here to
testify on this item? Commissioners, I need a motion to close public hearing.
NOBRIGA: I so move.
KAHOLO: Second.
UNGER: We have a motion by Commissioner Nobriga, second by Kaholo. Public hearing is
closed. All those in favor?
COMMISSIONERS: Aye.
UNGER: Opposed? \[None.\] Public hearing is closed. Commissioners, I need a motion on the
agenda item.
SHIMAOKA: I’ll make a motion. I move that a favorable recommendation be forwarded to the
County Council of Bill Number 256, based on the Planning Director’s recommendation, findings,
and suggested revision, which shall be adopted.
NOBRIGA: Second.
UNGER: We have a motion by Commissioner Shimaoka, second by Commissioner Nobriga. The
floor is open for discussion. Seeing no discussion, roll call.
JACKSON: Okay. Commissioner Shimaoka?
SHIMAOKA: Aye.
JACKSON: Commissioner Nobriga?
NOBRIGA: Aye.
JACKSON: Commissioner Carr Smith?
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CARR SMITH: Aye.
JACKSON: Commissioner Church?
CHURCH: Aye.
JACKSON: Commissioner Kaholo?
KAHOLO: Aye.
JACKSON: Commissioner Kealoha?
KEALOHA: Aye.
JACKSON: And Chair Unger?
UNGER: Aye.
JACKSON: Okay, the motion carries, seven-zero.
UNGER: Thank you.
The discussion ended at 10:03 a.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Noriko Sauer, Secretary
Leeward Planning Commission
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