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Committee forwards bill to allow hospitals in mixed industrial-commercial zoning to full council
Summary
The county’s planning director recommended adding hospitals and related care facilities as a permitted use in the industrial-commercial-mixed (MCX) zoning district; the committee forwarded Bill 22 to the full council with a favorable recommendation after members discussed whether to separate hospitals from residential group-living uses.
The Hawaii County Council Committee on Economic Development voted unanimously to forward Bill 22, which would permit hospitals and related care facilities in the industrial-commercial-mixed (MCX) zoning district, to the full council with a favorable recommendation.
Jeff Darrow, Planning Director for the Hawaii County Planning Department, said the proposal would add hospitals, sanitariums, old-age and convalescent facilities, nursing and rest homes to the list of uses in the MCX district. Darrow told the committee the amendment “aligns with the public health and safety goals within the general plan,” is consistent with the intent of the MCX district and responds to requests from across the island to improve access to health care services.
Council members generally expressed support for permitting hospitals in MCX but debated whether the bill should separately treat hospitals and more residential group-living facilities such as nursing homes. Councilmember Kaguewada said nursing and long-term care facilities appear more residential in nature and asked whether the county should separate those uses from hospitals. Darrow replied that the code traditionally groups those uses and that most requests the department had received were for hospitals; he said the department could separate the uses at the council’s direction.
Councilmember Kimball noted that the Department of Health licenses and regulates many group-living and care facilities and suggested that DOH siting and licensing requirements would apply where appropriate. Councilmember Onishi and others said they support adding hospitals to MCX to improve siting flexibility for health care facilities, while acknowledging the need to consider residential compatibility and broader general-plan updates.
The motion to forward Bill 22 to the council with a favorable recommendation was moved by Councilmember Inaba and seconded by Councilmember Kimball. The committee vote was recorded as seven in favor, with Councilmembers Kirkewitz and Connolly E. Kleinfelder excused.
The bill as read into the record would amend Chapter 25, Article 5 of the Hawaii County Code (1983, 2016 ed., as amended) to add the listed health-care related uses to the MCX district. Windward and Leeward Planning Commissions both issued favorable recommendations to the council in late 2024.
Committee members asked the Planning Department to clarify whether definitions or licensing crosswalks with the Department of Health should be added before final council action. The committee took no further amendments and forwarded the bill to the full council.
