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Committee hears draft housing chapter: plan estimates 17,000-unit need and proposes incentives, zoning changes
Summary
Planning staff told the committee the draft housing chapter estimates an additional 17,000 housing units needed over 25 years, suggests incentives for smaller and mixed-income housing, and recommends code amendments and programs to preserve and rehab existing stock while prioritizing affordability for Hawaii County residents.
Planning staff told the policy committee that housing is among the county’s most urgent challenges and presented the draft chapter “Housing for All.” Bethany Morrison summarized the chapter’s goal as ensuring “residents have access to adequate and affordable housing” and described data used in the plan.
Morrison said county forecasts project an additional 17,000 housing units will be needed over the next 25 years and that the county already faces a shortfall of more than 5,000 units. “We need to be building, approximately 900 new units of housing per year to accommodate our past and future growth,” she said. Morrison also noted that the Office of Housing has nearly 8,000 units in the pipeline at various stages of development.
The draft chapter organizes work into three objectives: diversify and expand new housing types; conserve and improve existing housing stock; and increase housing affordability. Policies and proposed actions include incentives for missing-middle and smaller-house designs (expedited permitting, fee waivers and tax incentives), a program to inventory existing housing conditions (Action 38a) to identify units for rehabilitation or demolition, and outreach to connect residents with housing assistance programs.
Committee members questioned how the plan would interact with jobs and local demand. Councilmember Fresh Onishi asked whether housing demand will be supported by quality jobs and suggested lease-based land programs to make homeownership more accessible. Morrison and other members noted statutory tools already available: the chapter references adopting a county affordability program modeled on Hawaii Revised Statutes section 201H and highlights HRS 46-15, which allows experimental and demonstration housing projects after a public hearing and council approval.
Members discussed regulatory barriers that raise construction costs. The chapter recommends targeted building- and zoning-code amendments to allow innovative housing solutions—such as microhousing, modular units, adaptive reuse of vacant commercial space and permanent supportive housing—while maintaining health and safety standards. Morrison identified Action 37h to “develop and implement various incentives to facilitate smaller house designs or multifamily housing options.”
The committee did not adopt any zoning or code changes; members directed staff to continue coordination with the ad hoc housing committee, Office of Housing, and planning consultants to refine code amendment proposals and to return with more implementation detail.
Ending: The committee postponed final action; members asked staff to provide additional data on housing stock condition, the feasibility of incentive programs, and how proposed changes would be implemented alongside transportation and water infrastructure planning.
