On Monday, the Honolulu City Council will discuss a controversial state bill that would allow for denser neighborhoods.
The council has introduced a resolution opposing Senate Bill 3202, which would allow at least two additional dwelling units to be built on residentially zoned properties in urban districts.
Supporters of the bill say it would provide much-needed affordable housing in the state by adding affordable “middle housing” units like duplexes to the housing supply. The bill would apply to residentially zoned lots in urban districts.
“This measure promotes higher density, compact development, and efficient use of the state’s limited lands that are suitable for residential development," the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation said in a written testimony supporting the bill.
"Promoting higher density development in urban areas aids in addressing the state’s shortfall of housing units and reduces the pressure to convert agricultural and conservation lands into urban uses,” the corporation continued.
But some Oʻahu councilmembers and residents say it would allow more so-called “monster homes” and even more densely packed neighborhoods, which are already problems on the island.
The bill would apply to properties that are at least 2,000 square feet so that larger properties can be subdivided and packed with housing units.
A 10,000-square-foot property, which is about one-quarter of an acre, would be allowed to have up to 15 separate dwelling units under the current language of the bill.
“Each 2,000-square-foot (lot) could have three homes all stuck together with common walls, and up to 15 unrelated adults and their families, which feels a lot more like a barracks or a dorm than a home,” said state Rep. Lisa Marten, whose district includes Waimānalo and Lanikai, this week at a city council meeting.
Marten and others worry about the insufficient street parking and other infrastructure that would come with the increased density, which residents in neighborhoods with monster homes already experience.
Additionally, opponents note that there isn’t a provision in SB 3202 that would ensure the resulting units from the bill would be affordable.
“There’s nothing in the bill that makes it affordable — no listing of (area median income), rent control, price caps. … Someone could come in and make a 5,000-square-foot property six separate units and sell them all for $1 million or more. This is not affordable housing for local people,” Honolulu resident Vanessa Distajo told the council.
Council Chair Tommy Waters said developers are already buying properties to build and sell expensive homes.
“I want (this proposal) to work. What safeguards can we put in the bill amending SB 3202 that would require them to be affordable? We're showing, based on what's happening in my neighborhood, these houses are not affordable,” he said.
The city’s resolution said that the measure might be suitable for the neighbor islands, where properties are bigger and neighborhoods are less dense. But the resolution requests Oʻahu and any county with a population greater than 500,000 people to be excluded if the measure is passed.
It also notes that the city already has plans and regulations in place to balance the addition of new housing with density, infrastructure and other concerns.
