Grassroot-backed proposals make headway at Hawaii's county councils

from Grassroot Institute, Nov 16, 2024

The Hawai‘i County Council shelves a bill that would have hurt short-term rentals, and OKs one intended to cut permit delays

The Hawai'i County Council moved last Friday to postpone indefinitely a 30-page bill that would have rewritten the county’s regulations on short-term rentals — an action supported by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

Bill 121 had been under consideration by the Council for most of the year. But after months of amendments and proposed changes, Councilmember Ashley Kierkiewicz, co-introducer of the bill, moved to defer the measure indefinitely, and the Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use and Development agreed with a unanimous vote.

In his latest testimony, Grassroot Executive Vice President Joe Kent expressed concern about the effect the measure might have on existing STR operators, small businesses and the broader Hawaii Island economy. Kent urged that the county “undertake an economic analysis of the short-term rental industry in Hawai‘i County before acting on this bill.”

The Council approved a resolution earlier this year requesting that the County Department of Research and Development conduct such an analysis, which has not yet been completed.

Also on Hawaii Island, as noted in the item above, the Council approved the Grassroot-supported Bill 212, which will increase the permit threshold for routine maintenance and repair projects from $7,500 to $25,000, the highest amount in the state, pending approval by Mayor Mitch Roth.

Below are testimonies Grassroot submitted to Hawaii's county councils during the past two weeks:

Hawai‘i County

>> Bill 212 — “Trim permitting backlog by raising value threshold for low-risk repairs”

>> Bill 121 — “More economic research needed before acting on STR proposal”

Honolulu County

>> Bill 51 — “Make it easier to convert commercial buildings to housing”

>> Bill 46 — “Reasons abound to reject proposed 'empty homes’ tax”

Maui County

>> BIll 153 — “Extend property tax exemptions related to 2023 wildfire destruction“

>> BIll 147 — “Enacting Bill 147 would be positive contribution to Lahaina recovery“

Quick hits:

>> Grassroot executive Joe Kent was quoted in a KHON2 news report on Tuesday regarding Honolulu's proposed fare hikes for TheBus and paratransit services. Kent told reporter Bryce Moore that the increases perhaps would not be needed if the city's rail system wasn't losing so much money on its limited passenger operations. See the news report here.

>> Grassroot President Keli‘i Akina talked yesterday about "How to build a more affordable Hawaii" during a luncheon meeting with members of the Urban Land Institute Hawaii. He highlighted Grassroot's core principles, then discussed zoning reforms that could facilitate more homebuilding; Grassroot's new permitting report; why an "empty homes" tax should be rejected; and what could be done to help Lahaina rebuild faster. He also listed some of the proposals Grassroot will be advancing in the 2025 Legislature.