Report Title:

Public Lands; Agricultural

Description:

Eliminates concepts of "intensive" and "alternative" agricultural uses from public land and agricultural park laws to provide uniformity in classification and use of agricultural land.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

1178

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to public lands.

 

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

SECTION 1. Section 166-9, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§166-9 Rules. The board shall adopt rules in accordance with chapter 91 in order to effectuate the purposes of this chapter. Such rules shall provide, without limitation, for definitions; planning generally and for [intensive] agricultural uses; general eligibility requirements; qualifications of applicants; preference rights; disposition of leases; lease provisions; lease restrictions generally and for [intensive] agricultural uses; and notice of breach or default. Rules adopted by the board for the purposes of this chapter shall be consistent with sections 171-11 and 171-20."

SECTION 2. Section 171-10, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§171-10 Classes of lands. The board of land and natural resources shall classify all public lands and in doing so be guided by the following classifications:

1. [Intensive agricultural] Agricultural use

(A) First class--Lands highly productive of [intensive] crops such as sugarcane, pineapples, truck crops, and orchard crops.

(B) Second class--Lands having medium productivity for [intensive] crops.

(C) Third class--Lands having fair to marginal productivity for [intensive] crops.

2. Special livestock use

(A) First class--Lands highly suitable for special livestock uses such as swine, dairy, and poultry production. In making the determination, consideration shall be given to drainage, climate, topography, proximity to market, and transportation and compatibility to adjoining land use, among other considerations. "Dairy" as used for disposition purposes means a "dry lot" dairy without allowance for grazing.

(B) Second class--Lands suitable for special livestock uses, but inferior to those of first class.

3. Pasture use

(A) First class--Lands having a potentially high economic animal unit carrying capacity and capable of correspondingly high liveweight gains per acre per year, such as, less than five acres per animal unit per year and more than one hundred pounds live beef gains per animal unit per acre per year.

(B) Second class--Lands having a potentially medium economic animal unit carrying capacity and capable of moderate liveweight gains per acre per year, such as, five to twenty acres per animal unit per year and twenty to one hundred pounds live beef gains per animal unit per acre per year.

(C) Third class--Lands having a relatively low animal unit carrying capacity and producing correspondingly low liveweight gains per acre per year, such as, more than twenty acres per animal unit per year and less than twenty pounds average live beef gains per animal unit per acre per year.

4. Commercial timber use

(A) First class--Lands of high suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential under normal forest management practices with yields exceeding amounts such as one thousand board feet per acre, and with location and terrain presenting favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

(B) Second class--Lands of high suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential under normal forest management practices with yields exceeding amounts such as one thousand board feet per acre, and with location and terrain presenting less favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

(C) Third class--Lands of medium suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential in amounts such as five hundred to one thousand board feet per acre under normal forest management practices, and with location and terrain presenting favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

(D) Fourth class--Lands of medium suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential in amounts such as five hundred to one thousand board feet per acre under normal forest management practices, and with location and terrain presenting less favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

(E) Fifth class--Lands of relatively low suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential less than an amount such as five hundred board feet per acre, and with location and terrain presenting favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

(F) Sixth class--Lands of relatively low suitability for growth of merchantable timber having mean annual growth potential less than an amount such as five hundred board feet per acre, and with location and terrain presenting less favorable logging, transportation, and marketing conditions.

5. Quarry use

Lands having sufficient quantity and quality of rock, gravel, and sand for purpose of commercial use.

6. Mining use

Lands bearing sufficient quantity and quality of mineral products for purpose of commercial mining and use.

7. Recreational use

Lands suitable for use and development as parks, playgrounds, historical sites, natural area, camp grounds, wildlife refuge, scenic sites, and other such uses.

8. Watershed use

Lands suitable for the use and development as watersheds or for the development of water, and requiring necessary restrictions on other uses.

9. Residential use

Lands suitable and economically feasible for residential development and use.

10. Commercial and industrial use

Lands suitable and economically feasible for commercial and industrial development and use.

11. Hotel, apartment, and motel use

Lands suitable and economically feasible for hotel, apartment, and motel development and use.

12. Resort use

Lands suitable and economically feasible for resort development and use.

13. Unclassified uses

Lands not otherwise classifiable under the foregoing sections."

SECTION 3. Section 171-34, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§171-34 Planning; [intensive] agricultural and pasture uses. In addition to the requirements set forth in section 171-33, if the intended disposition is for [intensive] agricultural or pasture uses, the board of land and natural resources shall:

(1) Make or cause to be made an on-the-ground inspection of the land;

(2) Secure data or information from the land study bureau relating to such parcel;

(3) Review any other pertinent information with respect to the land and the surrounding area; and

(4) Based upon information obtained, prepare a written report on the land, which report shall include the following:

(A) The class of the land within the specific use for which disposition is intended;

(B) The condition of the land with respect to its state of development;

(C) Existing improvements, if any;

(D) Extent of uncontrolled erosion if any;

(E) Nature of forage; and

(F) Extent of infestation with noxious weeds."

SECTION 4. Section 171-36, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsections (b),(c), and (d) to read as follows:

"(b) The board, from time to time, upon the issuance or during the term of any [intensive] agricultural, aquaculture, commercial, mariculture, special livestock, pasture, or industrial lease, may:

(1) Modify or eliminate any of the restrictions specified in subsection (a);

(2) Extend or modify the fixed rental period of the lease; or

(3) Extend the term of the lease

to the extent necessary to qualify the lease for mortgage lending or guaranty purposes with any federal mortgage lending agency, to qualify the lessee for any state or private lending institution loan, private loan guaranteed by the State, or any loan in which the State and any private lender participates, or to amortize the cost of substantial improvements to the demised premises that are paid for by the lessee without institutional financing, such extension being based on the economic life of the improvements as determined by the board or an independent appraiser; provided that the approval of any extension shall be subject to the following:

(1) The demised premises have been used substantially for the purpose for which they were originally leased;

(2) The aggregate of the initial term and any extension granted shall not be for more than fifty-five years;

(3) In the event of a reopening, the rental for any ensuing period shall be the fair market rental at the time of reopening;

(4) Any federal or private lending institution shall be qualified to do business in the State;

(5) Proceeds of any mortgage or loan shall be used solely for the operations or improvements on the demised premises;

(6) Where improvements are financed by the lessee, the lessee shall submit receipts of expenditures within a time period specified by the board, otherwise the lease extension shall be canceled; and

(7) The rules of the board, setting forth any additional terms and conditions, which shall ensure and promote the purposes of the demised lands.

(c) The board at any time during the term of any [intensive] agricultural, aquaculture, or mariculture lease and when justified by sound economic practices or other circumstances, may permit an [alternative] agricultural, aquaculture, or mariculture use or uses for any portion or portions of the land demised. As a condition to permitting [alternative] uses, the board may require such other modifications, including rental adjustments or changes in the lease as may be necessary to effect or accommodate the [alternative] use or uses. [An alternative] A use or uses may be allowed by the board upon:

(1) The application of the lessee;

(2) Consent of each holder of record having a security interest in the leasehold; and

(3) A finding by the board that the [alternative] use or uses are in the public interest.

(d) The board, from time to time, during the term of any agriculture, [intensive] agriculture, aquaculture, commercial, mariculture, special livestock, pasture, or industrial lease, may modify or eliminate any of the [[]restrictions[]] specified in subsection (a), extend or modify the fixed rental period of the lease, or extend the term of the lease upon a showing of significant economic hardship directly caused by:

(1) State disaster, pursuant to chapter 209, including seismic or tidal wave, tsunami, hurricane, volcanic eruption, typhoon, earthquake, flood, or severe drought; or

(2) A taking of a portion of the area of the lease by government action by eminent domain, withdrawal, or conservation easement; provided that the portion taken shall not be less than ten per cent of the entire leased area unless otherwise approved by the board; and provided that the board determines that the lessee will not be adequately compensated pursuant to the lease provisions."

SECTION 5. Section 171-37, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"§171-37 Lease restrictions; [intensive] agricultural and pasture uses. In addition to the restrictions provided in section 171-36, the following restrictions shall apply to all leases for [intensive] agricultural and pasture uses:

(1) The lease term shall be not less than fifteen years nor more than thirty-five years, except that if the type of disposition requires the lessee to occupy the premises as the lessee's own personal residence, it may be longer than thirty-five years, but not in excess of seventy-five years, and except in the case of a tree-crop orchard lease the term of which shall not be in excess of forty-five years.

(2) If the land being leased is not immediately productive and requires extensive expenditures for clearing, conditioning of the soil, the securing of water, the planting of grasses, or the construction of improvements, as the result of which a longer term is necessary to amortize the lessee's investment, then the lease term may be longer than thirty-five years, but not in excess of fifty-five years.

(3) The land leased hereunder, or any portion thereof, shall be subject to withdrawal by the board of land and natural resources at any time during the term of the lease with reasonable notice and without compensation, except as provided herein, for public uses or purposes, including residential, commercial, industrial, or resort developments, for constructing new roads or extensions, or changes in line or grade of existing roads, for rights-of-way and easements of all kinds, and shall be subject to the right of the board to remove soil, rock, or gravel as may be necessary for the construction of roads and rights-of-way within or without the demised premises; provided that upon the withdrawal, or upon the taking which causes any portion of the land originally demised to become unusable for the specific use or uses for which it was demised, the rent shall be reduced in proportion to the value of the land withdrawn or made unusable, and if any permanent improvement constructed upon the land by the lessee is destroyed or made unusable in the process of the withdrawal or taking, the proportionate value thereof shall be paid based upon the unexpired term of the lease; provided further that no withdrawal or taking shall be had as to those portions of the land which are then under cultivation with crops until the crops are harvested, unless the board pays to the lessee the value of the crops; and provided further that upon withdrawal any person with a long-term lease shall be compensated for the present value of all permanent improvements in place at the time of withdrawal that were legally constructed upon the land by the lessee to the leased land being withdrawn. In the case of tree crops, the board shall pay to the lessee the residual value of the trees taken and, if there are unharvested crops, the value of the crops also.

"Tree-crop", as used in this section, shall be exclusive of papaya and banana."

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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