Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Build up, build out, or accept Hawaii’s high cost of living
By Grassroot Institute @ 2:47 AM :: 6244 Views :: Land Use, Cost of Living

Build up, build out, or accept Hawaii’s high cost of living

by Aaron Lief, Grassroot Institute, Nov 4, 2016

For most residents of Hawaii, the high cost of living is a small price to pay in order to call the islands home. I, like many others, sacrificed a higher paying job and mainland prices in order to continue my life here–and I would make that decision again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, as the cost of living continues to increase, many people will be forced to move away, or settle for substandard living conditions.

So what can we do? For starters, we could look at what isn’t working. Hawaii lawmakers require developers to build affordable housing, which is a laudable goal; any time a developer wants to build a project, 25% of the new units must be affordable housing. However, the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization found that this well-meaning policy actually led to a reduction in affordable housing. Oops.

Some people believe rent control is the answer. But as we’ve written before, this also reduces housing options. Even if rent control were implemented, it wouldn’t change the fact that there simply aren’t enough homes for Hawaii residents.

It comes down to supply and demand. If there are more available houses than people, the cost of living will go down. However, if there are more people than houses–which is the current case in Hawaii–the cost of living increases. That gives us two options: increase the supply of housing, or decrease the demand.

Increasing supply in Hawaii can be difficult. The public generally frowns on new housing projects, even though they may wish for a better house for themselves. It’s a catch-22; while many people say that they don’t want to see mass urbanization of Hawaii’s agricultural and conservation land, they also want to see more affordable housing for our residents.

But red tape adds another hurdle. Hawaii’s regulations are the most restrictive in the nation for new developments. Less than 5% of Hawaii’s land mass is zoned for urban development. This leaves 95% of the land in Hawaii for conservation and agriculture, but that means it’s almost impossible to build out.

If we don’t want to expand out, then the solution is simple: build upward. Building taller buildings would conserve open space while providing more housing–and ultimately lower home prices.

If the solution seems too good to be true, it’s because it is. Hawaii’s zoning laws generally limit buildings to no more than 25 feet in residential neighborhoods, and 350 feet in downtown Honolulu. Changing these laws would be difficult since many residents are worried about losing their view.

At the end of the day, we can’t have it both ways. Either we build or we don’t. But it may be time to accept that creative solutions to housing development may be the best chance for a future in Hawaii where locals can finally stay in paradise.

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii Military History

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Together

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

July 4 in Hawaii

Land and Power in Hawaii

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii