LUC is not the obstacle to affordable housing—OPPOSE SB3104
/Act now to oppose SB3104. This bill exploits the call for affordable housing as a justification to strip the laws that protect agricultural lands from poorly planned housing developments. Please submit your testimony today!
Show up on Thursday 2/6/2020 at 1:45PM in 225. Tell lawmakers why you support affordable housing AND protections for agricultural lands. Your presence makes all the difference.
SB3104 is a catch-all affordable housing and land use bill in the 2020 Affordability Package presented by legislators and the Governor before the start of the legislative session. The Sierra Club supports truly affordable, well-planned housing throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Lawmakers claim this bill would ensure affordable housing is built, but we read it and we aren’t seeing it.
The Land Use Commission is not the obstacle to affordable housing
There are already laws in place (like Haw. Rev. Stat. § 201H) that expedite the permitting process for affordable housing projects. The LUC has 45 days to process applications for affordable housing under this statute, and they have ALWAYS met that deadline. Where is the long line of affordable housing projects waiting for the LUC’s approval? There is none.
Developers using counties to side step protections
Developers are using “home rule” as a way to get some county mayors to push SB3104, so that more farm land can be cleared for construction without LUC oversight or historic preservation protections. The counties want to develop as much land as possible because they can collect a lot more property taxes from homeowners than they do from farmers. In reality, this bill would reduce public participation in land use decisions, increase laxness and loopholes for special interests, and reduce critical state oversight and protections of our resources.
Urban sprawl and loss of farmland
If passed, SB3104 would allow counties to authorize 25 acres of farmland to be converted to housing. Nothing in this bill ensures county-approved projects are planned well -- for example ensuring public schools and public transportation are sufficient, or that parks, grocery stores, and other essentials to a healthy community are adequate. Those 25 acres could be in the middle of a large agricultural district, far from basic necessities, and could overrun undocumented historic and cultural assets.
SB3104 does not ensure actual affordable housing
SB3104 would only require HALF of the units developed to be sold at or below 140% AMI and there is no guarantee that units will be kept at this level over the long-term. It is well-established that 140% AMI is not affordable.
The Sierra Club stands with affordable housing advocates throughout the state calling for truly affordable housing that is kept affordable for the foreseeable future and is well-planned near the urban centers of our islands. Sadly, SB3104 is far from that.