Report Title:

Planning

Description:

Establishes a smart growth advisory council within the Office of Planning to study and recommended legislation to address the overcrowding of our educational facilities as a result of new housing developments.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

1507

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to planning.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that state governments across the nation are implementing new conventional growth and development practices to reduce the public costs of growth and preserve the character and economic productivity of established communities and rural areas. Known as "smart growth" strategies, these strategies work to preserve productive farmlands, open space, and important natural areas, and yield better solutions for roadways and housing.

The legislature further finds that when new housing is developed close to existing educational facilities that are already filled to capacity, these developments bring in more students, which strain the limited resources of these schools. The legislature believes that better planning is necessary to preserve our communities and educational facilities.

The purpose of this Act is to establish a temporary smart growth advisory council within the office of planning to recommend strategies and solutions regarding the impact of new housing developments on educational facilities.

SECTION 2. (a) There is established within the office of planning, for administrative purposes, an advisory council to be known as the smart growth advisory council. The advisory council shall address the impact of housing development by:

(1) Focusing on strategies and solutions to ensure that housing development takes place in areas with adequate infrastructure and at a rate that is consistent with the expansion of important infrastructure, and not in areas lacking adequate infrastructure;

(2) Developing ways to control the pace of housing development where educational facilities are already filled to capacity;

(3) Considering incentives and disincentives that will guide housing development in specific areas;

(4) Determining the kind of research and analysis to project the expansion of certain types of infrastructure in a community to ensure that the development of new infrastructure takes place at a rate consistent with the projected population of the community; and

(5) Recommend any legislation that addresses the impact of housing development on educational facilities.

(b) The council shall be composed of thirteen members appointed in accordance with section 26-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes, except as provided in subsection (c), and shall include at least one representative from each island.

(c) The council shall be governed by sections 26-34, 26-35, and 26-35.5, Hawaii Revised Statutes. Four of the members shall be appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the speaker of the house of representatives and four shall be appointed from a list of nominees submitted by the president of the senate.

The governor shall appoint the chair of the advisory council. The council shall consist of persons having experience with or concerns about county government, landownership, the business and development community, the farming community, and environmental, community-based, and Hawaiian organizations. The members of the council shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for expenses necessary for the performance of their duties.

(d) In carrying out the duties of this section, the council shall seek and use any available funding sources.

SECTION 3. The smart growth advisory council shall submit the following reports to the legislature regarding the legislation the council has drafted to address the impact of new housing developments:

(1) A preliminary status report due thirty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2004; and

(2) A final report due thirty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2005.

The advisory council shall be dissolved upon adjournment

sine die of the regular session of 2005.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $        or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2003-2004 and the sum of $        or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2004-2005 for the smart growth advisory council to carry out the purposes of this Act.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the office of planning for the purposes of Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2003.

INTRODUCED BY:

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