The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the Hawai‘i County Windward Planning Commission on September 4, 2025.
_____________
Sept. 4, 2025, 9 a.m.
Hawai‘i County Council Chambers in Hilo
To: Hawai‘i County Windward Planning Commission
Louis Daniele III, Chair
Chantel Perrin, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Jonathan Helton, Policy Analyst
RE: Bill 63 (2025) — RELATING TO DWELLINGS
Aloha Chair Daniele, Vice Chair Perrin and other members of the Commission,
The Grassroot Institute of Hawaii supports Bill 63 (2025), which would make single-family, double-family and multifamily dwellings by-right permitted uses in the county’s industrial-commercial mixed-use zoning districts.
Under the bill, double-family and multifamily dwellings would be allowed at a maximum density of one unit per 1,250 square feet of land area. Single-family dwellings would not face this same density restriction.
These are the same standards under which single-family, double-family and multifamily dwellings are allowed in Hawai‘i County’s neighborhood commercial, village commercial and general commercial zoning districts.
Grassroot supports legalizing more mixed-use zoning because it would expand housing options.
According to estimates from the Hawaii Research and Economic Analysis Division, Hawaii County needs 6,665 new housing units built between 2025 and 2035 just to keep up with demand.[1] Authorizing more mixed-use construction could help make a dent in this shortfall.
This measure would also align Hawai‘i County’s zoning code with the state’s Act 37 (2024), which made residential uses a permitted use in all commercial zones statewide.
Buildings that contain both housing and businesses also promote walkable neighborhoods and all the benefits that come with them. As Grassroot pointed out in a 2023 policy brief: “Studies show that walkable neighborhoods also yield positive health outcomes. People lose weight, cardiovascular disease declines, and people report being happier.”[2]
Finally, Grassroot suggests that the Council and the county’s two planning commissions consult with building owners and homebuilders throughout the island on whether the 1,250 square feet of land per dwelling limitation should be relaxed to make more projects financially feasible.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Jonathan Helton
Policy Analyst
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
_____________
[1] Rene Kamita, “Hawai‘i Housing Demand: 2025-2035,” Research and Economic Analysis Division, Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, March 2024, p. 11.
[2] Jonathan Helton, “How to facilitate more homebuilding in Hawaii,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, December 2023, p. 16.
