Affordable Housing: Hawaii County Update

Bill 112 and Bill 156 that would amend Hawaii County’s affordable housing policy were returned to Council by the Mayor today with his veto messages Comm. 465.10 and Comm. 200.49, respectively.

Bill 112 would extend the requirements for affordable housing to properties which are being subdivided or developed under plan approval, in cases where the property was zoned without specific affordable housing requirements; i.e., post-zoning, subdivision requirements.

Bill 156 would require industrial park developments, consisting of multiple individual enterprises which cumulatively generate over 100 employees on a fulltime equivalent basis, to earn one affordable housing credit for every four fulltime equivalent jobs created. In addition, rezonings to ML (Limited Industrial), MG (General Industrial), or MCX (Industrial-Commercial Mixed) approved after the effective date of the ordinance, wherein projects have a potential to generate more than one hundred employees on a full-time equivalent basis, must earn one affordable housing credit for every four full-time equivalent jobs created.

Under Article III, Section 3-12, Hawai‘i County Charter, in order to override the Mayor’s veto, the Council must (1) move to reconsider the vote upon the bill; and (2) approve it with an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the entire membership.