STAND. COM. REP. NO. 188

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 740

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 740 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HOUSING,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Direct the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to identify public lands within one-half mile of Honolulu's transit corridor and within a one-mile radius of any designated transit station suitable for affordable housing;

 

     (2)  Require the Governor to set aside the identified public lands for housing development; and

 

     (3)  Require the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to report to Legislature.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by one state agency and one private organization.  Testimony in opposition was submitted by one state agency.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that this measure is one of many under consideration by the Legislature in response to severe shortages of affordable housing in Hawaii.  Your Committees are concerned that a long-term economic crisis will further worsen what is already a challenging housing market for Hawaii residents.

 

     Your Committees further find that the City and County of Honolulu's mass transit project offers exceptional opportunities for the development of affordable housing.  Your Committees have heard and approved a wide range of proposed affordable housing initiatives in transit oriented development and encourage further legislative discussions on the proposal in this measure.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring consultation with the Commission on Transit Oriented Development, proposed to be established pursuant to section 6 of S.B. No. 442, in identifying public lands within one‑half mile of Honolulu's transit corridor and within one mile of any transit station;

 

     (2)  Adding a severability clause to ensure that the provisions of this measure will not be adversely affected if S.B. No. 442 is not enacted; and

 

     (3)  Adding a provision for the Revisor of Statutes to reference the appropriate section of the Hawaii Revised Statutes that corresponds to the codified provisions of S.B. No. 442, if enacted.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 740, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 740, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Water, Land, Agriculture, and Hawaiian Affairs.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Transportation, International and Intergovernmental Affairs and Education and Housing,

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair

 

____________________________

J. KALANI ENGLISH, Chair