Hawaii lawmakers push for more accessory dwelling units

Jan. 6—State homeless coordinator John Mizuno said he hopes a commission will be created to ensure ADUs lead to lower rent.

State lawmakers this legislative session will push for an increase in the number of smaller independent homes known as accessory dwelling units, specifically on Maui to house wildfire survivors and statewide to reduce homelessness.

State Rep. Gene Ward (R, Hawaii Kai-Kalama Valley ) plans to modify 2023's House Bill 1170 providing state funds to subsidize building ADUs, focusing on Maui survivors. But Ward hopes the measure will make ADUs more attractive for property owners statewide.

Ward envisions ADUs built with infrastructure and amenities like water, sewer, electricity and cable television.

"The crux of it is, if you rent it three to five years after you build the ADU, we will match you dollar for dollar, " Ward said. "This means we can build using the private sector, not the government."

Ward also hopes that reduced construction costs will lead property owners to provide lower-than-market rental rates to tenants, which he would like to remain low for three to five years. Landlords then would be able to recoup lost rental income by charging market rates, and also could then include family members as tenants.

State homeless coordinator John Mizuno, whose responsibilities include developing more affordable housing, said he hopes a commission will be created to ensure ADUs lead to lower rent. Mizuno served 17 years in the state House of Representatives before his appointment in December by Gov. Josh Green as homeless coordinator.

Green wants owners of at least 3, 000 short-term rental units on Maui to transition to long-term rental housing to relocate 3, 000 families that survived the fires into longer-term housing. Green also sees the construction of ADUs as another tool to ease Maui's housing crunch as well as the state's overall housing shortage.

Maui already had a housing shortage before the Aug. 8 wildfires, which destroyed over 3, 000 structures, most of them homes. Ward and Green see ADUs as a potential way to get fire survivors housed.

But Mizuno also sees ADUs as a way to house the homeless in a state with the second-highest per capita rate for homelessness in the country—especially on Oahu.

"Some of the homeless that were displaced from the Lahaina fires are now on a beach, and we have to address those displaced individuals as soon as possible, as well as all homeless, " Mizuno said.

Despite having the largest population of all island counties, he believes that Honolulu has the fewest ADUs.

There are 1, 091 existing ADUs on Oahu, according to the city, with 13 ADU permits that have been approved and 376 applications under review.

There are an additional 96 "ohana units " that are similar but reserved only for family members, according to the city. Another 21 ohana units are under construction and being inspected, with 26 ohana unit applications being reviewed.

Former Mayor Kirk Caldwell signed Honolulu's ADU ordinance in 2015. But Honolulu trails other counties because of factors including approvals relating to wastewater capacity and the high number of ADUs undergoing the Department of Planning and Permitting's pre-check approval process, according to city spokesperson Ryan Wilson.

DPP has revoked 22 ADU building permits for reasons such as a possible violation or an expired permit, and the city has seen 379 permits canceled by the landowners.

Honolulu's ADU ordinance limits structures to 800 square feet, but the state could allow for bigger ones, Mizuno said.

"If the square footage needs to be widened, then so be it—whatever we can do to get more people into housing, " he said.

Mizuno plans to collaborate with whomever Green picks to replace Mizuno in the House in introducing a bill to continue state support for ADUs.

The new bill likely would also offer incentives for owners to take in a homeless person or family through subsidies.

"I'm under no illusion that any single component to deal with homelessness will be the silver bullet, " Mizuno said. "If we collaborate and have a state strategic plan on using these components together, we can certainly push the needle and make more than just a dent in reducing homelessness in the state of Hawaii."