March 10, 2026, 9 a.m.
Planning Department Conference Room
Kalana Pakui Building
To: Maui Planning Commission
Kim Thayer, Chair
Ashley Lindsey, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
Re: Item A(1) — A PROPOSED BILL TO ESTABLISH A NEW CHAPTER ON JOINT USE DEVELOPMENT
Aloha Chair Thayer, Vice Chair Lindsey and other members of the Commission,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Item A(1), which would allow joint development agreements.
This measure would give property owners greater flexibility in building new projects that could increase Maui’s housing supply.
Honolulu already allows joint development agreements, in which the owner or owners of two adjoining lots can agree to develop them as if they were one parcel. This proposed legislation is almost a word-for-word copy of the Honolulu ordinance, as it includes filing requirements for JDAs and lets the county enforce the rules of the agreement.[1]
In Honolulu, homebuilders frequently use JDAs to maximize the efficiency of their projects. A 2020 JDA allowed for the construction of the Hale Makana O Mo’ili’ili affordable senior housing project.[2] The project sits on two lots, where a lowrise apartment and a single-family home had been prior.[3]
Since both lots were zoned for apartment use, the JDA allowed the project to ignore the parcel boundaries and build a structure that would have otherwise been impossible to construct on the individual lots.
In many cases, JDAs simply make it easier to construct minor improvements. For example, in 2020 the Hawaii Korean Cultural Center in Honolulu obtained a JDA to build a retaining wall across the boundary of two adjoining parcels it owns.[4]
Honolulu approved nearly 60 JDAs between 2020 and July 2025.
Ultimately, JDAs are just another tool that could help builders navigate complicated land-use rules and the geographic features.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Footnotes
- § 21-5.90-2 Joint development of two or more adjacent zoning lots., Revised Ordinances of Honolulu, accessed Dec. 3, 2025. ↑
- 2020/CUP-42, Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, accessed Dec. 3, 2025. ↑
- “Hale Makana O Mo’ili’ili,” Moss and Associates LLC, accessed Dec. 3, 2025. ↑
- 2020/CUP-12, Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting, accessed Dec. 3, 2025. ↑
