Bill Text: HI HCR122 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Requesting The Counties To Amend Or Adopt An Ordinance To Allow Religious Institutions, Educational Institutions, Or Medical Institutions To Develop Residential Units On Parcels That Meet Certain Conditions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2024-04-22 - Resolution adopted in final form. [HCR122 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2024-HCR122-Introduced.html

---

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	122
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the counties to amend or adopt an ordinance to allow religious institutions, educational institutions, or medical institutions to develop residential units on parcels that meet certain conditions.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, there is a severe housing shortage in the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the limited diversity in the types of housing options increases the price of buying or renting housing, ultimately forcing many residents out of Hawaii; and

 

     WHEREAS, expanding development options in the housing market can alleviate price pressure on the private market, prevent the displacement of long-standing residents, and ensure that the State remains accessible across diverse housing prices and forms; and

 

     WHEREAS, creative solutions are needed to streamline building permit approvals for the development of new housing or modification of existing homes to address the severe lack of affordable housing; and

 

     WHEREAS, the counties' statutorily-authorized zoning powers are tools that can guide the overall future development of each county, including the development of residential units; and

 

     WHEREAS, there are religious institutions, educational institutions, and medical institutions that are willing to build residential housing units on their property; and

 

     WHEREAS, allowing these institutions to build residential units on their lands is one creative solution to address the housing shortage in the State; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the Senate concurring, that each county is requested to amend or adopt an ordinance to allow religious institutions, educational institutions, or medical institutions to construct residential units on parcels of lands that are within the state urban land use district and zoned for residential or commercial use; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in amending or adopting the ordinance, the counties are requested to:

 

     (1)  Limit any proposed development of residential units to less than fifteen acres and no greater than fifty percent of the parcel area; and

 

     (2)  Require that any residential unit developed on a religious institution's, educational institution's, or medical institution's property be retained by the institution so long as the institution remains in existence; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in amending or adopting the ordinance, the counties are requested to use the following definitions:

 

     (1)  "Educational institution" means any private educational organization that has been granted tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended;

 

     (2)  "Medical institution" means any organization that has been incorporated in the State as a nonprofit corporation and that has continuously operated and will be operated exclusively to provide, or to contribute to the support of, organizations or institutions organized and operated exclusively to provide hospital, medical, research, or therapeutic services to the public; and

 

     (3)  "Religious institution" means any religious institution or organization that has been granted tax exempt status under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 1986, as amended, does not restrict membership to persons on the basis of race, color, or ancestry, and has no part of its earnings inured to any private shareholder or individual; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the counties are requested to make clear that it is not the intent of the ordinance to provide a process to allow developers to create a religious institution, educational institution, or medical institution for the sole purpose of circumventing the normal development process; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the County of Hawaii, Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, Mayor of the County of Kauai, Mayor of the County of Maui, each member of the Hawaii County Council, each member of the Honolulu City Council, each member of the Kauai County Council, and each member of the Maui County Council.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Counties; Religious Institution; Educational Institutions; Medical Institutions; Residential Units