RADIANT CORDERO Councilmember District VII (808) 768-5007 (808) 768-1208 (fax) e-mail:
[email protected] March 18, 2021 Committee on Housing Videoconference Conference Room 423 State Capitol 415 South Beretania Street TO: House Committee on Housing Rep. Nadine K. Nakamura, Chair Rep. Troy N. Hashimoto, Vice Chair Members of the House Committee on Housing FROM: Councilmember Radiant Cordero Honolulu City Council, District 7 SUBJECT: Testimony in Opposition to SB1337, SD1 Aloha Chair Nakamura, Vice Chair Hashimoto and Members of the Committee on Housing: As a member of the Honolulu City Council representing over 100,000 neighbors from Ford Island & Halawa to Liliha & Iwilei, I urge the Committee on Housing to please oppose SB1337, SD1. The counties enact zoning, including plans for our beloved neighborhoods to ensure we do not hurt our current community members with hapless and random upzoning requests. My very community is crippled from the effects of past council decisions that allowed spot zoning through special interests and favors two decades ago and beyond. The implementation of nonconforming uses now grandfathers these zones. As a partner in the County, my predecessor and now I continue to fight to make this right. If we allow for SB1337, SD1 to authorize the Counties to establish for block-level upzones and even spot-zoning, if so approved by the block, this would allow for more monster homes to be built and contributes to neighbor-to-neighbor disputes. Planned developments are done so with community input. With this authorization, if a majority of the block votes for zone changes and unplanned consequences occur, the liability may lie on the County and potential litigation if the upzoning doesn’t support the potential capacity will drain the County of its only revenue source, real property tax.