HR 59: requesting the land use commission to coordinate with county planning commissions and county councils to conduct concurrent reviews of general plan AMENDMENTS, district boundary amendments, and zoning amendments when reclassifying land.
- Session Year: 2025-2026
- House: House
- Latest Version Date: 2025-03-06
Current Status:
Passed
(2025-04-03: Resolution adopted in final form.)
Introduced
In Committee
First Chamber
In Committee
Second Chamber
Final Decking
Enacted
requesting the land use commission to coordinate with county planning commissions and county councils to conduct concurrent reviews of general plan AMENDMENTS, district boundary amendments, and zoning amendments when reclassifying land.
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
59 |
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THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2025 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
requesting the land use commission to coordinate with county planning commissions and county councils to conduct concurrent reviews of general plan AMENDMENTS, district boundary amendments, and zoning amendments when reclassifying land.
WHEREAS, the Land Use Commission is responsible for classifying all lands in the State into urban, rural, agricultural, or conservation districts; and
WHEREAS, the counties are responsible for overseeing planning and zoning under their respective general plans and zoning ordinances, which must align with and implement state land use districts; and
WHEREAS, any significant change in land use requires a three-step process that involves:
(1) A general plan amendment, which is a county-level process;
(2) A state district boundary amendment, which is either a Land Use Commission process or, if the land in question is below a certain acreage threshold, a county-level process; and
(3) A county zoning amendment, which is a county-level process to implement the updated general plan and land use district; and
WHEREAS, under the existing land reclassification system, each amendment is processed separately and sequentially, resulting in multiple review periods and public hearings that can take months or even years to complete; and
WHEREAS, this protracted review timeline poses challenges for landowners, businesses, and government agencies seeking to address housing, infrastructure, economic development, and environmental management needs in a timely manner; and
WHEREAS, more efficient coordination and scheduling between the Land Use Commission, county planning commissions, and county councils will significantly expedite the overall land reclassification process, reduce redundancy, and improve public engagement by consolidating timelines where possible while still preserving the integrity and thoroughness of each review; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the Land Use Commission is requested to coordinate with each county planning commission and county council to conduct concurrent reviews of general plan amendments, district boundary amendments, and zoning amendments; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Land Use Commission, county planning commissions, and county councils are requested to ensure each decision is made in the appropriate sequence but scheduled as close together as practicable; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Land Use Commissions, county planning commissions, and county councils are requested to develop administrative protocols or memoranda of understanding to facilitate shared hearings, joint public comment opportunities, and synchronized timelines to reduce unnecessary delay and duplication of effort; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Land Use Commission; Director of the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development; Mayors of the Counties of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii and Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu; Chairpersons of the County Councils of Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii and the Chairperson of the Honolulu City Council; and Directors of the Departments of Planning of the Counties of Maui and Kauai, Planning Department of the County of Hawaii, and Department of Planning and Permitting of the City and County of Honolulu.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Land Use; Reclassification; Land Use Commission; Counties; Review
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Date
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Status
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| Apr 3, 2025 | Resolution adopted in final form. |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Adopted with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Woodson excused (2). |
| Apr 3, 2025 | Reported from FIN (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1815), recommending adoption. |
| Mar 31, 2025 | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 14 Ayes: Representative(s) Yamashita, Takenouchi, Grandinetti, Holt, Hussey, Keohokapu-Lee Loy, Kitagawa, Kusch, Lamosao, Lee, M., Miyake, Morikawa, Templo, Alcos; Ayes with reservations: none; 0 Noes: none; and 2 Excused: Representative(s) Reyes Oda, Ward. |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Scheduled for decision making on Monday, 03-31-25 10:15AM in conference room 308 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Cochran, Hussey, Muraoka, Ward excused (4). |
| Mar 28, 2025 | Reported from WAL (Stand. Com. Rep. No. 1688), recommending referral to FIN. |
| Mar 25, 2025 | The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED. The votes were as follows: 9 Ayes: Representative(s) Hashem, Lamosao, Ichiyama, Morikawa, Poepoe, Woodson, Shimizu, Souza; Ayes with reservations: Representative(s) Belatti; 1 Noes: Representative(s) Iwamoto; and Excused: none. |
| Mar 20, 2025 | Resolution scheduled to be heard by WAL on Tuesday, 03-25-25 9:40AM in conference room 411 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE. |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Referred to WAL, FIN, referral sheet 22 |
| Mar 7, 2025 | Offered |
| Mar 6, 2025 | To be offered. |
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Date
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Description
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Location
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Votes
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| Mar 31, 2025 | The committee on FIN recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED | House Standing Committee on Finance |
Passed |
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| Mar 25, 2025 | The committee on WAL recommend that the measure be PASSED, UNAMENDED | House Standing Committee on Water & Land |
Passed |
This list shows positions taken on this bill by organizations on the date displayed, which is linked to the original source.
Positions by individuals are not included.
STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1815
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.R. No. 59
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.R. No. 59 entitled:
"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LAND USE COMMISSION TO COORDINATE WITH COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSIONS AND COUNTY COUNCILS TO CONDUCT CONCURRENT REVIEWS OF GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS, DISTRICT BOUNDARY AMENDMENTS, AND ZONING AMENDMENTS WHEN RECLASSIFYING LAND,"
begs leave to report as follows:
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 59 and recommends its adoption.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,
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____________________________ KYLE T. YAMASHITA, Chair |
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STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1688
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2025
RE: H.R. No. 59
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2025
State of Hawaii
Madame:
Your Committee on Water & Land, to which was referred H.R. No. 59 entitled:
"HOUSE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LAND USE COMMISSION TO COORDINATE WITH COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSIONS AND COUNTY COUNCILS TO CONDUCT CONCURRENT REVIEWS OF GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS, DISTRICT BOUNDARY AMENDMENTS, AND ZONING AMENDMENTS WHEN RECLASSIFYING LAND,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to request the Land Use Commission to coordinate with county planning commissions and county councils to conduct concurrent reviews of general plan amendments, district boundary amendments, and zoning amendments when reclassifying land.
Your Committee finds that while the Land Use Commission is responsible for classifying all lands in the State, the counties are responsible for overseeing planning and zoning under their respective general plans and zoning ordinances. Your Committee further finds that because of this division of responsibilities, any significant changes in land use require a three-step process that involves the counties making a general plan amendment, the Land Use Commission making a state district boundary amendment, and the counties making a county zoning amendment, with each amendment processed separately and sequentially. Your Committee believes that encouraging the Land Use Commission and counties to coordinate and hold concurrent reviews for these amendments will significantly expedite the land use reclassification and rezoning process while still maintaining the integrity and thoroughness of each review.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water & Land that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.R. No. 59 and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water & Land,
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____________________________ MARK J. HASHEM, Chair |
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Date
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Testimony PDF
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| Mar 24, 2025 | HR59_TESTIMONY_WAL_03-25-25_.PDF |
Bill Author
Bill Co-Author(s):
