‘YIGBY’ regulation would assist ease Hawaii housing scarcity

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By Keli‘i Akina

Hawaii’s church buildings need to assist resolve the state’s housing disaster. Why are we making it so troublesome for them?

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On this week’s episode of “Hawaii Collectively” on ThinkTech Hawaii, my Grassroot Institute of Hawaii colleague Ted Kefalas stood in for me because the host to interview the Rev. Joshua Hayashi, chief government officer of Mission Administration Co.

Hayashi’s group focuses on serving to church buildings obtain their targets by housing or different community-oriented constructions. Generally meaning relocating a daycare middle or organizing a farmer’s market to boost funds.

And typically it means creating inexpensive housing on church-owned land.

Hayashi mentioned church-owned properties characterize nice potential to deal with Hawaii’s scarcity of housing.

“If individuals knew how strategic these properties had been,” he informed Ted, “the sport might change in how we speak about inexpensive housing.”

Hayashi mentioned the United Church of Christ alone has about 150 church buildings all through the islands, and if all of the spiritual denominations in Hawaii mixed their properties, they might qualify as one of many state’s 5 largest landholders.

Furthermore, he mentioned, their properties typically are in prime areas, close to the middle of “each little city,” which creates a uncommon alternative to construct housing in areas that will normally be thought-about too costly for inexpensive growth.

You is perhaps questioning why church buildings, which aren’t pushed by earnings like most homebuilders, could be all for constructing housing. Hayashi had a solution for that query.

“Church buildings can have a mission,” he mentioned, however additionally they want “some type of sustainability,” so maximizing the worth of their lands — “with the suitable controls” — might assist them survive.

Hayashi mentioned just a few initiatives of this type are already within the works, together with an 80-unit inexpensive housing venture in Wailuku on Maui. However there are also important roadblocks as a result of the weather of Hawaii’s regulatory framework which can be geared towards stopping “predatory habits” by builders also can thwart new homebuilding.

For instance, a church in Waipahu on Oahu needed to offer housing, however the venture fell aside when church leaders discovered that it might take six or seven years — at the very least — simply to get the permits.

Hayashi mentioned it will be splendid if state lawmakers had been to undertake a “Sure in God’s Yard” regulation, just like the one California just lately enacted. That regulation permits church buildings and different nonprofits to construct housing on their land “by proper” — that’s, with out the necessity for discretionary approvals from any authorities our bodies. If a housing venture meets all the prevailing codes, then it’s allowed to proceed.

Hayashi mentioned half a dozen initiatives would have the ability to sail by the approval course of if Hawaii had been to undertake a YIGBY regulation.

He added that except church buildings are allowed to “mobilize on a few of these properties” comparatively rapidly — “in lower than six or seven years” — lots of these properties doubtless will likely be deserted or bought.

“To me,” Hayashi mentioned, “the YIGBY [law would be] the dream scenario. If we might try this, one thing might actually occur.”
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Keli‘i Akina is president and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii.

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