Affordable housing topic of legislative meeting

A state Senate task force wants to gather public input to develop strategy to produce more affordable housing on Kaua‘i and elsewhere in the state.

The Senate Affordable Housing Task Force, which is co-chaired by Kaua‘i’s state Sen. Gary Hooser and state Sen. Ron Menor, has scheduled a public hearing on the matter at the historic County Building from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 10.

The building of more affordable housing will enable more Kaua‘i families to remain on the island in the face of escalating housing prices that have threatened to force some families off the island.

The Senate task force is committed to producing “tangible results, not just planning or process” that will lead to the availability of affordable housing, Hooser said in an interview with the Garden Island.

The Senate task force has held four public hearings on O‘ahu, the Big Island and Maui in the past week to find out what communities want in the way of affordable housing.

The Senate task force wants to know how it can help Kaua‘i develop more affordable housing units, Hooser said.

“Two things have come from the public meetings,” he said. “One is that the need for affordable housing is a statewide crisis.”

The other point raised at the public hearings is that each community has specific needs as they relate to the development of more affordable housing, Hooser said.

Residents on the Big Island, including Big Island Mayor Harry Kim, talked about the need for more water sources, Hooser said.

And Maui County residents asked the state to help with the development of more infrastructure to facilitate the development of more affordable housing.

“We are going to each community, and basically, we are asking the question of what we can do as state legislators and the state government to facilitate the increased availability for affordable housing,” Hooser said.

Hooser also said the Senate task force hopes to “hear from the county government as well as the developers, landowners and the general community to tell us whether we are on the right track and what they need, basically,” Hooser said.

Hooser said the Senate task force has some ideas on how it can help the situation. “We are looking at providing developers with tax credits and low-interest financing,” he said.

Hooser said it was his impression that the state has provided some land to Kaua‘i County, and if that hasn’t been done, it should be.

He said the Senate task force wants results.

“The Senate, and the Legislature, in general, are committed to producing tangible results, not just planning or the process,” Hooser said.

To be “truly successful will take a long-term commitment by the state, county and private sector leadership, landowners and developers, those kinds of people,” Hooser said.

In general, the government task force will review the findings and recommendations of the House and Community Development Corporation Task Force.

The task force also will field comments on the subject from developers, landowners, economists and financial specialists, as well as government officials charged with housing responsibilities. Members of the Senate Task Force include Sens. Rosalyn Baker, Will Espero, David Ige, Norman Sakamoto and Bob Hogue.

Residents also are encouraged to attend the Monday meeting to give their input.

Members of the Kaua‘i County Council and Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s administration have pushed for the development of more affordable housing on Kaua‘i and are likely to attend Monday night’s meeting.

Over the past year, councilmembers JoAnn Yukimura and Mel Rapozo have led efforts by the council to develop such housing.

Those wanting more information on Monday’s meeting of the Senate task force can contact Hooser at 1-808-586-6030 or Menor at 1-808-586-6740.

Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@ pulitzer.net.