Aloha Friend,
This week Governor Josh Green signed six critical housing bills into law which will increase the affordable housing inventory in Hawaii and update and improve rental laws across the state — together marking the most significant housing regulatory and zoning reform in over 40 years.
In a signing ceremony at the Capitol, Governor Green emphasized the importance of these measures in addressing the state’s housing crisis.
“Housing has been and continues to be a top priority for my administration,” Governor Green said, “and today I signed several bills that are aimed at tackling the severe housing shortage in our state.”
The governor also thanked the legislators and community members involved in shaping the reforms.
“These bills represent the efforts of not only policymakers, departments, agencies, and stakeholders,” Governor Green said, “but very importantly, the input of the community and so many who came out to testify on housing legislation.”
The housing bills Governor Green signed this week include:
- Senate Bill 3202, which requires counties to adopt or amend ordinances by December 31, 2026 to allow for at least two accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on all residentially zoned lots, and also prohibits private covenants from including certain restrictions, supporting the efficient use of limited residential lands and making housing more attainable for residents.
- House Bill 1760, which enables the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation and counties to implement a bond volume cap recycling program, utilizing prior years’ tax-exempt private activity bond volume while preserving the current volume cap to support affordable housing development.
- House Bill 1925, which establishes and funds the Hawaii State Planning Act Phase II Task Force, continuing the work of the previous task force to guide long-range state development and housing policy solutions.
- House Bill 2090, which directs counties to allow adaptive reuse of existing commercial buildings through their ordinances, increasing housing inventory by repurposing underutilized commercial spaces and office buildings.
- Senate Bill 2066, which provides an alternative pathway for housing projects to seek exemptions from certain state laws and rules, expediting the regulatory process to increase affordable housing units.
- Senate Bill 2133, which authorizes the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to issue bonds for housing project infrastructure, financing the development of regional state infrastructure projects, particularly in transit-oriented development areas.
“These bills reflect the ongoing work to expand housing options for the people of Hawaii,” said Governor Green. “Mahalo to our residents and communities that continue to share their perspectives, take part in the legislative process, and contribute to ongoing policy discussions to come up with innovative and sound solutions to address our dire housing shortage.”
State and federal leaders joined the governor at the signing ceremony, praising the new laws and saying they will help create thousands of affordable new homes for Hawaii residents.
We will continue to keep you updated in the coming weeks and months as Josh takes further actions to address the affordable housing shortage.
If you support Josh’s efforts to take on our biggest challenges like housing, homelessness, and affordability, please consider chipping in a donation today.
Thank you for supporting Josh and for being an important part of Team Green.
Mahalo,
Team Green
