STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2319

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2972

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2018

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committees on Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology, Water and Land, and Agriculture and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2972 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LAND DEVELOPMENT,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Allocate twenty-five percent of revenues collected from commercial properties within the Banyan Drive redevelopment area to the Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency; and

 

     (2)  Appropriate funds from the special land and development fund to assist the Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency in conducting the environmental impact studies or other studies necessary for its redevelopment plan for the Banyan Drive redevelopment area.

 

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the County of Hawaii Planning Department; Harry Kim, Mayor of the County of Hawaii; Hawaii Association of REALTORS; International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142; and one individual.  Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

 

     Your Committees find that Banyan Drive is underutilized and in disrepair, regardless of being the center of tourism for East Hawaii.  The Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency has been working toward the redevelopment of the properties within Banyan Drive.  Given that the redevelopment areas have been defined and a master plan in line with the community's values has been created, your Committees believe that the next step is to provide funding to conduct environmental impact studies and other studies required pursuant to chapter 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes.  Your Committees further find that the redevelopment area consists almost entirely of state land and that working with the County of Hawaii to redevelop the center of tourism in East Hawaii will significantly benefit the State and County of Hawaii.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Deleting language that would have authorized the special land and development fund to be used by a redevelopment agency of a county to conduct environmental impact studies or other studies to ensure that monies appropriated is purely for the redevelopment of Banyan Drive;

 

     (2)  Reducing the percentage required to be allocated to the Banyan Drive Hawaii Redevelopment Agency from the revenues collected from commercial properties within the Banyan Drive redevelopment area from twenty-five percent to ten percent; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology, Water and Land, and Agriculture and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2972, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2972, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

 


Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Economic Development, Tourism, and Technology, Water and Land, and Agriculture and Environment,

 

________________________________

KARL RHOADS, Chair

 

________________________________

GLENN WAKAI, Chair

 

 

________________________________

MIKE GABBARD, Chair