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Debate over MCX zoning and workforce housing stalls; amendment fails and bill postponed
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Summary
Council members and residents clashed over Bill 63, which would allow dwellings accessory to industrial‑commercial‑mixed (MCX) uses. After extensive testimony from developers and community members, an amendment requiring dwellings be strictly accessory failed on a 8‑1 roll call; the council postponed the bill to Feb. 4 for further work.
Bill 63, a proposed amendment to the county code that would allow dwellings tied to uses in the industrial‑commercial‑mixed (MCX) zone, drew extended testimony and an unsuccessful amendment attempt during the Jan. 7 council meeting.
Proponents including Riley Smith, president and CEO of Langhau Properties, and planner Bill Moore argued MCX‑adjacent workforce housing would help employers retain staff who now commute long distances. Smith said the West Hawaii business park they represent faces employee retention challenges because workers ‘‘end up sleeping in their cars’’ when housing is unaffordable or unavailable.
Opponents included resident Josephine Kiliipio, who urged council members to take more time to review the proposal and attend Kona CDP Action Committee meetings. Several council members said they share concerns about permitting and enforcement. Planning Director Jeff Darrow explained the amendment that Vice Chair Onishi proposed would limit dwellings so they are ‘‘incidental and subordinate to the primary use’’ and not a standalone permitted use, but acknowledged the code language would allow a range of dwelling types and would not itself impose an affordable‑housing requirement.
Council members debated whether the amendment preserved the bill’s intent to encourage workforce housing while avoiding a pathway to unconstrained residential development on MCX land. Councilmember Eustace and others pressed the director on how accessory status would be verified on permit applications and whether density triggers and Chapter 11 affordable‑housing requirements would apply.
A motion to amend the bill with communication 333.14 (to add dwellings as a subordinate/accessory use) was moved by Vice Chair Onishi and seconded by Councilmember Kurkowitz; the amendment failed on a roll call vote (1 aye, 8 no). After further discussion, the council postponed Bill 63 to the Feb. 4, 2026 meeting to allow additional drafting and outreach to the Kona CDP Action Committee.
The debate centered on how to balance workforce housing needs with protections against speculative or tourist‑market housing conversions; councilmembers proposed alternatives including site‑specific use permits or requiring affordable‑housing agreements linked to density triggers.
No final change to zoning took place at the Jan. 7 session.
