Text of HI SCR 161 (2022)

THE SENATE S.C.R. NO. 161 THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2022 STATE OF HAWAII SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION requesting the hawaii housing finance and development corporation to convene a task force on affordable housing permitting and to conduct a study of county ordinances on housing finance and development. WHEREAS, Hawai‘i is experiencing an unprecedented housing shortage, which has resulted in insufficient affordable housing for the State's residents; and WHEREAS, in 2020, Continuums of Care reported that over six thousand residents of Hawai‘i, including nearly five hundred families, were experiencing homelessness; and WHEREAS, in 2019, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism issued a report estimating that the State could need an additional forty-six thousand new housing units between 2020 and 2030; and WHEREAS, to meet Hawai‘i's demand for new housing units, additional affordable housing developments will be necessary; and WHEREAS, any solution to the State's housing crisis requires the adoption, application, and enforcement of policies that address county-level barriers to housing finance and development; and WHEREAS, additional information on the effect of county ordinances on the operations of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is necessary to promote greater access to affordable housing; and WHEREAS, the permitting processes for affordable housing developments differ among the agencies and departments with jurisdiction over affordable housing development; and WHEREAS, the lack of consistency and coordination among the State's agencies and departments on affordable housing permits contributes to Hawai‘i's housing shortage by increasing inefficiencies in the development of new affordable housing units; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2022, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to convene a task force to review the permitting process for affordable housing for each applicable state agency and department having jurisdiction over affordable housing development; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include one member from each state agency and department responsible for the development of affordable housing, including: (1) The Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, or the Executive Director's designee; (2) The Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, or the Executive Director's designee; (3) The director of the affordable housing development agency, office, or department of each county, or the director's designee; and (4) The Chair of the Hawaii Business Roundtable, or the Chair's designee; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to conduct a study of the effect of each county's ordinances on housing finance and development on its existing and future inventory of rental and for-sale housing units; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study is requested to address the following issues: (1) The effect of county ordinances on the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation operations under chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes; (2) Amendments to chapter 201H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, that would allow for increased development of housing where at least sixty percent of the units are priced as affordable; and (3) Other topics as necessary to identify county-level barriers to housing finance and development; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2023; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is requested to include in its report to the Legislature recommendations on any options available to streamline the permitting process for affordable housing development; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation, Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, mayor of each county, and Chair of the Hawaii Business Roundtable. OFFERED BY: _____________________________ Report Title: Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation; Task Force; Affordable Housing; Permitting; Counties; Study; Ordinances