THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

135

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE CONVENING OF AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING TASK FORCE.

 

WHEREAS, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, Hawaii's "housing wage", or the amount a full-time employed worker in Hawaii would have to earn on an hourly basis to afford the rent on a modest two-bedroom home, is $17.02, and Hawaii ranks seventh among the least affordable states for rental housing; and

WHEREAS, in July, 2003, the Honolulu Board of Realtors reported that Oahu's apartment inventory had dropped dramatically in the past two years, while rental rates appear to have increased 5 percent to 9 percent a year; and

WHEREAS, at an affordable housing summit held in Kauai in December, 2003, the County of Kauai's Housing Agency reported that 350 new affordable housing units are needed to meet the housing needs of local residents, and that this figure would increase to 500 per year within five years; and

WHEREAS, at the same summit, participants identified some of the barriers to developing affordable housing on Kauai as the lengthy and cumbersome zoning and permitting processes, lack of infrastructure (primarily water and sewer), outdated development plans, the high cost of land and building materials, and the need for new and affordable financing sources for both developers and buyers; and

WHEREAS, in February, 2004, the mayor of Maui County estimated that Maui County needs an additional 4,000 affordable homes; and

WHEREAS, the West Hawaii area on the Big Island has experienced increased construction activity in the luxury home market, but suffers from a shortage of affordable housing, and affordable housing is similarly difficult to find in East Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that the urgency of the affordable housing shortage situation in Hawaii requires that the State, in addition to developing long range plans, develop near-term solutions that can be implemented in the near future to help ease Hawaii's housing shortage; and

WHEREAS, the mission of the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii (HCDCH) is to serve as a catalyst to provide Hawaii's residents with affordable housing and shelter opportunities in a balanced and supportive environment without discrimination; and

WHEREAS, as the lead agency for the development of affordable housing in the State, the Legislature further finds that HCDCH should convene a task force to develop near-term solutions to the housing shortage problem; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii is requested to convene a task force to develop near-term solutions to Hawaii's affordable housing shortage problem, with respect to both the ownership and rental markets; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force should include representatives from the appropriate state, county, and federal agencies, developers, financial institutions, the real estate industry, and housing advocacy organizations; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the issues considered by the task force should include:

(1) Incentives for the development of affordable housing;

(2) Acceleration of regulatory and permitting processes;

(3) Infrastructure issues;

(4) Implementation issues; and

(5) Incentives for affordable housing financing; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii is requested to report its findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii and the directors of the county housing agencies.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Affordable Housing Task Force