Auwe! SB 763 would take away opportunity for public input on affordable housing projects statewide1/30/2023 Forwarding information below from Hawaii's Thousand Friends on a very bad Senate Bill (SB 763) which essentially takes away public input on affordable housing projects statewide:
BAD BILL Unfortunately, we begin the 2023 legislative session with a very bad bill that takes away the public’s opportunity to testify on affordable housing projects that are being developed under Hawaii Revised Statutes §201H-38 SB 763: RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING HEARING: Tuesday January 31 at 1:00 pm https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/hearingnotices/HEARING_HOU_01-31-23_.HTM SB 763 RELATING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING Signers on the bill: KANUHA, AQUINO, CHANG, KEITH-AGARAN, MCKELVEY, RICHARDS, Dela Cruz, Kidani, Moriwaki, Wakai https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2023/bills/SB363_.htm SB 763 is a bad bill for two reasons: 1) The real purpose of SB736 is to delete all references to legislative body in HRS §201H-38 and replace it with the word county. A legislative body is a decision-making County Council or legislative body. This change means that each county's planning office, instead of County Council, will review and approve 201H-38 applications without any public due process. There will be NO public hearings before county councils, NO opportunities to submit testimony, and NO opportunities to make comments or ask questions. 2) The second reason it is a bad bill is that SB 736 inserts a section (b) on page 6 (see below) into Hawaii Revised Statute §201H-38, which is both unnecessary and duplicative since housing projects proposed under the statute are already exempt from all statutes, ordinances, charter provisions, and rules of any government agency relating to planning, zoning, construction standards for subdivisions, development and improvement of land, and the construction of dwelling units. In SB 736 the proposed section (b) temporarily exempts affordable housing projects by the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation from specific state and county fees and exactions related to discretionary approval or ministerial permitting, except application fees payable to the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation . . . Hawaii Revised Statutes §201H-38 already allows affordable housing projects to seek exemptions from a multitude of permits: *building permits, *plan review fees, *private storm drainage connection permit, *grading and grubbing permit fees, *payment of wastewater system facilities, *board of water supply water system facilities, *trenching fees, *storm water quality review fees, *plan review fees under disability and communication access board, *GET taxes, *Department of Health filing fee for National Pollution Discharge Elimination System fees, *and real property taxes. Those are thousands of dollars that, under the normal development application process, would have gone to various government agencies to help run our county, state and federal governments. Other exemptions include *increased height limit, *allowing apartments in residential zoning *and side yard setbacks. __________ To submit testimony on proposed bills and access information on the legislature, go to https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov. The website is self-explanatory and has labeled bars you can click on to "Participate" or "Submit Testimony," read hearing notices, track measures, find info on legislators, and contact the Public Access Room. For lists of Senators and Representatives and lists of House and Senate committee chairs and members, click the far-left bar on the first website page. To submit testimony on a proposed bill, click on the Participate bar on the first page of the website, or the Submit Testimony bar on the second website page. Then click a button at top right to register (if it's your first time on the website) or sign in (if you are already registered). Then fill in the bill number in the space provided and follow the instructions to submit testimony on it. Contact the Public Access Room at https://lrb.hawaii.gov/par/ if you need help or information.
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