Building Assessment

[Rob Tucker]

Unless they changed the code I understand Ohana dwellings to be allowed on lots of 10,000 sf or more.
I have a designated ohana dwelling on my property and have been through the process.

I agree with much that has been said above. I believe that a legal (rental) ohana dwelling contributes to affordable housing in three ways: 1) income from the unit helps a family pay their mortgage 2) the ohana itself can be an affordable housing unit; and 3) it can be very available for elderly family members or home care providers.

I say yes to ohanas or accessory dwelling units whichever you call them

[Kapohocat]

Wow! I knew the punaweb crew could come up with some great ideas!

As for what direction, moving ideas ahead is going to take, no sure yet... any ideas on that?

I do want to see affordable housing - not just for Hawaiians, but for college students and tutus (grandma/grandpa's) also.

When I worked at Argus, there were many tutus whose husbands had passed away and the kids were thinking of building a second house on a Ag lot - so they could take care and share expenses with tutu. of course when tutu is no longer it may be rented to someone... duh... but that someone might be one of the kids.

The idea of family moving away is much more a mainland idea than Hawaiian. Families here tend to congregate and share dwellings more often - multi-generational housing options.

Catherine Dumond
Blue Water Project Management
808 217-7578
http://bluewaterpm.125mb.com/index.html
"We help make building your dream home a reality"

[emorata]

i would like to get an update from any of the realtors, developers and draftspeople as to what the current requirements/restrictions to Ag lots in puna currently for some reason i also heard that ohana's are only allowed on larger parcel acreage but not sure about what that requirement is.

thanks for updating everyone on this issue esp with the current requirements.

noel

[John S. Rabi]

You can not build an ohana dwelling on AG-zoned properties. No exceptions. You are able to build a second agricultural dwelling if you meet certain conditions. You have to apply for it at the Planning Department first and if they approve it you can submit your building permit to the Department of Public Works (Building Department.)

Aloha,
John S. Rabi, ABR,CM,CRB,FHS,PB,RB
http://www.JohnRabi.com
Typically Tropical Properties
75-5870 Walua Road, Suite 101
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
(808)327-3185

[Hotzcatz]

I don't think the state should make the Ohana required or make an assessment for it if it isn't built on residential lots for owner/builders. They have enough financial difficulties without any additional ones and they are just trying to house themselves which should help leave some affordable housing for someone else. Actually, they shouldn't encourage Ohana on all lots anyway since that would make things too dense and the infrastructure already can't handle. For some subdivisions, - if they were subdivided from old plantation camps, an Ohana is illegal and should stay that way since the lots are too small.

If the County wanted to make housing more affordable, allow home owners to install their own plumbing & electrical work like it is said they can do on the mainland. Allow homeowners to draw up their own plans without all the engineer stamps like they used to. Remove a lot of the new building code requirements which have added significant costs to construction. If an engineer/architect signs off a job as structurally sound, then allow them to build as designed, even if it doesn't have a bazillion Simpson clips or the plywood roof decking. Allow people to be responsible for their own houses especially if they are going to live in it themselves.

The housing & rental market also goes through ups and downs like everything else. Right now, unemployment is really low so rents are really high. When the unemployement goes up, rent prices will go down. Either way, the renters lose.

I think it will take more than one thing to correct this difficulty. Personally, I would like to see more planned communities where there are shops & facilities inside each housing area. That will give a few jobs to folks living in the area as well as save a few trips to town for folks in the neighborhood. Less burden on the infrastructure if you can buy a quart of milk at a local store instead of driving to town to get it. Also we could use more emphasis on jobs other than tourist related ones since tourist jobs usually entail the employee having to drive to where the tourists are. An $8 an hour job next to your home in Puna is worth an $18 an hour job in Kona.

Hmm, about $25 to $30 worth of gas (each day!) to get to work and an extra four hours of commute time. $8 x 12 hours (the other job takes a 12 hour day because of the commute time so we figure that time can be used to work near home) = $96 minus 20% taxes ($19.20) = $76.80 per day. And half of that will be overtime by the end of the week if it is one job instead of two with the twelve hour days so it will come out to more than that. Let's see, $18 x 8 hours = $144 minus the $30 gas money = $114. (Have to buy tires more frequently, but we won't factor that in.) Minus 25% taxes ($28.50)[higher income has higher tax bracket]= $85.50

So, you get an extra $8.70 per day for a job in Kona at $10 more per hour. If you work near home and eat lunch at home, that will equal things out. Of course, you have to fill in your commute to Kona time with work time near home, but it takes the same amount of time either way.

Well, time to fill the coffee cup!

A hui hou,
Cathy