The following testimony was submitted by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii for consideration by the House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs on Feb. 24, 2026.
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Feb. 24, 2026, 2 p.m.
Hawaii State Capitol
Conference Room 325 and Videoconference
To: House Committee on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs
Rep. David A. Tarnas, Chair
Rep. Mahina Poepoe, Vice Chair
From: Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
Ted Kefalas, Director of Strategic Campaigns
RE: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF HB1845 HD1 — RELATING TO THE LAND USE COMMISSION
Aloha Chair, Vice Chair and other Committee members,
The Grassroot Institute supports HB1845 HD1, which would reduce the number of votes needed for the state Land Use Commission to approve a district boundary amendment from six to a simple majority of those present at the hearing.
This bill correctly identifies and addresses one of the major causes for the slow growth of housing in this state: the delays caused by multiple layers of bureaucratic approvals.
The Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i has found that Hawaii’s average permit approval delay is more than three times the national average. The UHERO report notes that “Extreme delays in permitting will generate significant costs and uncertainty for developers, creating a disincentive for new projects.”[1]
The LUC is a major contributor to permitting delays. Established more than 60 years ago, the LUC was intended to protect and manage Hawaii’s four land-use designations — urban, rural, agricultural and conservation.
In a sense, it became a statewide zoning and approval agency, often trumping the zoning authorities of the counties, which has added to the delay and bureaucracy faced by homebuilders.
In 2020, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii produced a report, “Reform the Hawaii LUC to encourage more housing,” that focused heavily on ways to reduce the scope of the LUC, which would free it up to focus on statewide environmental issues and district boundary amendments of conservation lands, as well as operate more efficiently in general.[2]
Further reform should look at ways to continue refocusing the LUC to better achieve its original purpose. But in the short term, this bill would help reduce the wait for housing developments that require LUC approval.
For anyone who wants to see more homes built for Hawaii residents, enacting this bill would be an important and very welcome step forward. We urge the committee to pass this bill.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Ted Kefalas
Director of Strategic Campaigns
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii
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[1] Rachel Inafuku, Justin Tyndall and Carl Bonham, “Measuring the Burden of Housing Regulation in Hawaii,” Economic Research Organization at the University of Hawai‘i, April 14, 2022, p.7.
[2] Jackson Grubbe, “Reform the Hawaii LUC to encourage more housing,” Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, September 2020.
