Housing bills looked like winners, until they didn't

by Keli'i Akina, Ph.D., President / CEO, Grassroot Institute of Hawaii

Two important housing reform measures were unexpectedly killed this week as the state House and Senate prepared for “crossover” at the Legislature, during which the chambers exchange all the bills they have so far approved. 

This is regrettable not just because of what it means for Hawaii’s ongoing housing crisis, but also because of the way it happened.

One of the measures, HB1919, proposed prohibiting the state’s counties from imposing minimum parking requirements on certain construction projects, such as smaller homes, affordable housing, senior housing and accessory dwelling units. 

Parking regulations are one of the many barriers to homebuilding in Hawaii that drive up housing prices. Land and construction costs make building parking expensive, and those costs get passed on to owners and renters who might not even need those spaces.

HB1919 sailed through three House committee hearings and passed two full House votes before attracting enough “no” votes to prevent it from moving on to the Senate, which is a rare course for a bill to take. The measure also received overwhelming support in public testimony and very little opposition. 

The other housing reform bill that was surprisingly killed this week is SB2423, which would have prevented the counties from requiring lot sizes larger than 2,500 square feet in parcels zoned for housing in the urban district. This too had the potential to improve the cost and availability of housing throughout the islands. 

Land in Hawaii is incredibly expensive, so mandating large lot sizes naturally drives up home prices. Not only is the land costly, but homebuilders tend to build larger, more expensive homes to recoup those costs. 

Nationwide, jurisdictions that reduce minimum lot sizes see significant growth in the construction of smaller, less expensive homes. 

Similar to the House bill, SB2423 made it through two committee hearings and a full Senate vote, receiving little opposition along the way. But instead of being outright defeated on its final reading, it was simply “recommitted” to the committee that most recently considered it, a procedural move that effectively killed it anyway.

Fortunately, many opportunities remain for legislators to still pass measures that could help alleviate Hawaii’s housing crisis. Bills to reform the state Land Use Commission, allow employee housing on farmland and make improvements to the state building code remain in play.

Hawaii has already suffered too many years of excuses and delays in passing meaningful housing reform. We must hold our legislators accountable when it comes to taking action to address the state’s dire housing needs.

E hana kākou! (Lets work together!)