§46-15.1 Housing; county powers. [Repeal and reenactment on July 1, 2024. L 2019, c 80, §§1, 2.] (a) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any county shall have and may exercise the same powers, subject to applicable limitations, as those granted the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation pursuant to chapter 201H insofar as those powers may be reasonably construed to be exercisable by a county for the purpose of developing, constructing, and providing low- and moderate-income housing; provided that no county shall be empowered to cause the State to issue general obligation bonds to finance a project pursuant to this section; provided further that county projects shall be granted an exemption from general excise or receipts taxes in the same manner as projects of the Hawaii housing finance and development corporation pursuant to section 201H-36; and provided further that section 201H-16 shall not apply to this section unless federal guidelines specifically provide local governments with that authorization and the authorization does not conflict with any state laws. The powers shall include the power, subject to applicable limitations, to:

(1) Develop and construct dwelling units, alone or in partnership with developers;

(2) Acquire necessary land by lease, purchase, exchange, or eminent domain;

(3) Provide assistance and aid to a public agency or other person in developing and constructing new housing and rehabilitating existing housing for elders of low- and moderate-income, other persons of low- and moderate-income, and persons displaced by any governmental action, by making long-term mortgage or interim construction loans available;

(4) Contract with any eligible bidders to provide for construction of urgently needed housing for persons of low- and moderate-income;

(5) Guarantee the top twenty-five per cent of the principal balance of real property mortgage loans, plus interest thereon, made to qualified borrowers by qualified lenders;

(6) Enter into mortgage guarantee agreements with appropriate officials of any agency or instrumentality of the United States to induce those officials to commit to insure or to insure mortgages under the National Housing Act, as amended;

(7) Make a direct loan to any qualified buyer for the downpayment required by a private lender to be made by the borrower as a condition of obtaining a loan from the private lender in the purchase of residential property;

(8) Provide funds for a share, not to exceed fifty per cent, of the principal amount of a loan made to a qualified borrower by a private lender who is unable otherwise to lend the borrower sufficient funds at reasonable rates in the purchase of residential property; and

(9) Sell or lease completed dwelling units.

For purposes of this section, a limitation is applicable to the extent that it may reasonably be construed to apply to a county.

(b) Each county shall recognize housing units developed by the department of Hawaiian home lands and issue affordable housing credits to the department of Hawaiian home lands. The credits shall be transferable and shall be issued on a one-credit for one-unit basis, unless the housing unit is eligible for additional credits as provided by adopted county ordinances, rules, or any memoranda of agreement between a county and the department of Hawaiian home lands. In the event that credits are transferred by the department of Hawaiian home lands, twenty-five per cent of any monetary proceeds from the transfer shall be used by the department of Hawaiian home lands to develop units for rental properties. Credits shall be issued for each single-family residence, multi-family unit, other residential unit, whether for purposes of sale or rental, or if allowed under the county's affordable housing programs, vacant lot, developed by the department of Hawaiian home lands. The credits may be applied county-wide within the same county in which the credits were earned to satisfy affordable housing obligations imposed by the county on market-priced residential and non-residential developments. County-wide or project-specific requirements for housing class, use, or type; or construction time for affordable housing units shall not impair, restrict, or condition the county's obligation to apply the credits in full satisfaction of all county requirements, whether by rule, ordinance, or particular zoning conditions of a project. Notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, the department may enter into a memorandum of agreement with the county of Kauai to establish, modify, or clarify the conditions for the issuance, transfer, and redemption of the affordable housing credits in accordance with county affordable housing ordinances or rules. Notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, the department may enter into a memorandum of agreement with the city and county of Honolulu to establish, modify, or clarify the conditions for the issuance, transfer, and redemption of the affordable housing credits in accordance with county affordable housing ordinances or rules. At least half of the affordable housing credits issued by the city and county of Honolulu shall be subject to a memorandum of agreement pursuant to this subsection.

For purposes of this section, "affordable housing obligation" means the requirement imposed by a county, regardless of the date of its imposition, to develop vacant lots, single-family residences, multi-family residences, or any other type of residence for sale or rent to individuals within a specified income range.

(c) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, any county may:

(1) Authorize and issue bonds under chapter 47 and chapter 49 to provide moneys to carry out the purposes of this section or section 46-15.2, including the satisfaction of any guarantees made by the county pursuant to this section;

(2) Appropriate moneys of the county to carry out the purposes of this section;

(3) Obtain insurance and guarantees from the State or the United States, or grants from either;

(4) Designate, after holding a public hearing on the matter and with the approval of the respective council, any lands owned by it for the purposes of this section;

(5) Provide interim construction loans to partnerships of which it is a partner and to developers whose projects qualify for federally assisted project mortgage insurance, or other similar programs of federal assistance for persons of low and moderate income; and

(6) Adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(d) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a county may waive its right to repurchase a privately-developed affordable housing unit built pursuant to a unilateral agreement or similar instrument, and may transfer that right of repurchase to a qualified nonprofit housing trust for the purpose of maintaining the unit as affordable for as long as required by the county program.

For the purposes of this subsection, "qualified nonprofit housing trust" means a corporation, association, or other duly chartered organization that is registered and in good standing with the State; that is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a charitable or otherwise tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; and that has the capacity, resources, and mission to carry out the purposes of this section as determined by the county in which the housing unit is located.

(e) A qualified nonprofit housing trust shall report the status and use of its housing units to its respective county by November 30 of each calendar year.

(f) The provisions of this section shall be construed liberally so as to effectuate the purpose of this section in facilitating the development, construction, and provision of low- and moderate-income housing by the various counties.

(g) For purposes of this section, "low and moderate income housing" means any housing project that meets the definition of "low- and moderate-income housing project" in section 39A-281. [L 1974, c 179, §2; am L 1977, c 207, §2; am L 1980, c 190, §1; am L 1981, c 39, §1; am L 1982, c 118, §1; am L 1987, c 80, §1 and c 337, §4; am L 1989, c 69, §2; am L 1990, c 67, §8; am L 1997, c 350, §6; am L 2005, c 196, §26(b); am L 2006, c 180, §16; am L 2007, c 37, §1 and c 249, §8; am L 2009, c 141, §§1, 3; am L 2012, c 98, §§1, 3; am L 2014, c 96, §11; am L 2015, c 102, §§1, 3, 4; am L 2016, c 55, §50; am L 2017, c 159, §3]

Note

L 1997, c 350, §§14 and 15 purport to amend this section.

The L 2014, c 96 amendment is exempt from the repeal and reenactment condition of L 2009, c 141, §3. L 2014, c 96, §23.

The L 2017, c 159 amendment is exempt from the repeal and reenactment condition of L 2015, c 102, §3 and L 2015, c 102, §4, as amended by L 2016, c 55, §50. L 2017, c 159, §9.

Cross References

Concurrent processing, see §46-15.7.

Facilitated application process, see §201-62.

Law Journals and Reviews

The Scramble to Protect the American Dream in Paradise: Is Affordable Housing Possible in Hawaii? 10 HBJ No. 13, at pg. 37.