Hawaiʻi Island Mayor Mitch Roth’s State of the County address highlighted housing and shelter initiatives in the county.
He said the county’s Office of Housing and Community Development plans to construct more than 8,100 affordable housing units on the island to house the county’s working class. About 1,500 units are already built, under construction or will break ground in the coming year.
The Kaloko Heights project in Kailua-Kona will offer rentals priced at 50% to 100% of the area median income for a family of four, which Roth said will be $500 to $1,000 per month. Other projects like Kamakoa Nui in Waikōloa will add over 600 affordable homes.
Roth also said that his administration is working with the Hawaiʻi County Council to draft legislation to allow for accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, on existing parcels and to manage short-term rental properties to add to the county’s housing supply.
“Thanks to the help of our county council, we have signed into law an ordinance that will ensure that all county-led projects from here on out will be prioritized for not just any family, but they'll prioritize our working class families from Hawaiʻi," Roth said.
"Hawaiʻi working class families will get those first priorities,” he said.
Roth highlighted the county’s roughly 40-day permitting process for single-family homes. He noted the notoriously long permitting process for the state as a whole and referenced a University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Office report that found the average processing time to be about 200 days.
He said the county’s permitting time could drop even further thanks to legislation with the county council.
Roth also said housing for homeless individuals is a priority for his administration.
Hawaiʻi Island has secured $10 million in county, state and federal funds for the Kukuiola Emergency Shelter and Assessment Center in the heart of Kailua-Kona, according to Roth.
The project will finish its first phase in the coming year, which will include 16 emergency shelter units and 46 overnight parking stalls for those living in vehicles. The second phase will include 48 permanent housing units.
The mayor’s administration has allocated $19 million to homeless services programs and organizations to date.
“Recognizing it as one of the most complex humanitarian issues facing our country, state and island home, we continue to take a comprehensive approach that builds the capacity of our service providers, increases the affordable housing stock, and balances the community’s needs,” Roth said.
His address also touched on infrastructure improvements, parks, safety, environmental conservation and Hawaiian culture.
He said that the maintenance budget for park facilities has increased from $450,000 to $4 million under his administration, and he wants to increase that by another $1 million for the upcoming fiscal year.
The mayor also noted that over 70 miles of road have been paved in the three years of his administration, up from an average of 16 miles per year prior to his taking office. The Department of Public Works plans to pave an additional 50 miles of paving for the upcoming year.
Roth said the reconstruction of 13 miles of roadway and 9 miles of water lines damaged from the 2018 Kīlauea eruption has started.
Other goals for the upcoming year include expanding free internet access to 40 county facilities, bolstering the county fire department’s fleet, expanding the police department’s services and reducing its response times, updating traffic lights and signals to improve safety, moving more animals on the street to adoption facilities or reuniting them with their owners, and acquiring more land for environmental and cultural preservation.
His administration also believes the county can reach the Hawai‘i Clean Energy Initiative's 2045 goal of using 100% clean energy 10 years early.
Read the full State of County address here.
