10-04-2008, 09:59 AM
To answer some more of your question:
I don't believe there's a size limits on farm dwellings (the size limit is on guesthouses), but it doesn't matter because the chances of getting an additional farm dwelling permit in HPP are slim at this time. I have talked to Planning about the areas where they feel farm plans are potentially genuine and where they are mostly attempts to end run the zoning, and HPP is the latter.
Obviously if you bought an existing farm with income that would be different.
Ohanas are not allowed on ag land. Ohanas are for residential zoning that exceeds a certain lot size.
So you are down to enlarging the original house, adding a guesthouse or a detached bedroom (no kitchen), or converting the existing into one of those two, as people are explaining.
It is a problem when people put a small house on ag land that is not truly farm land. They are a little bit stuck when it comes to having a larger house, if the existing house isn't what they want.
Even though there are tons of illegal ohanas and second units in HPP, the current climate at zoning is totally against approving any more building with that potential. They are getting real sticky about bar sinks or anything that could form the nucleus of a second kitchen and be turned into a separate unit.
btw, you didn't say if you are considering buying this property or already own it, but if the former -- unless the lot is unique, and if you want a property with two units, you should look around because they are there. Some are even legal from the days when they gave out permits without too much thought.
If you mostly want THIS lot but want to build a custom house, then you have to get a bit creative and modify the small house.
You can build a detached bedroom if it's 50 feet or less from the main structure. It cannot have a kitchen but it doesn't have the 500 square foot enclosed space limit of a guesthouse. It can be big.
So basically
if you can live with the 50 foot distance, you only have to demo the kitchen.
If you want more separation, you have the size limit and have to demo the kitchen.
I don't believe there's a size limits on farm dwellings (the size limit is on guesthouses), but it doesn't matter because the chances of getting an additional farm dwelling permit in HPP are slim at this time. I have talked to Planning about the areas where they feel farm plans are potentially genuine and where they are mostly attempts to end run the zoning, and HPP is the latter.
Obviously if you bought an existing farm with income that would be different.
Ohanas are not allowed on ag land. Ohanas are for residential zoning that exceeds a certain lot size.
So you are down to enlarging the original house, adding a guesthouse or a detached bedroom (no kitchen), or converting the existing into one of those two, as people are explaining.
It is a problem when people put a small house on ag land that is not truly farm land. They are a little bit stuck when it comes to having a larger house, if the existing house isn't what they want.
Even though there are tons of illegal ohanas and second units in HPP, the current climate at zoning is totally against approving any more building with that potential. They are getting real sticky about bar sinks or anything that could form the nucleus of a second kitchen and be turned into a separate unit.
btw, you didn't say if you are considering buying this property or already own it, but if the former -- unless the lot is unique, and if you want a property with two units, you should look around because they are there. Some are even legal from the days when they gave out permits without too much thought.
If you mostly want THIS lot but want to build a custom house, then you have to get a bit creative and modify the small house.
You can build a detached bedroom if it's 50 feet or less from the main structure. It cannot have a kitchen but it doesn't have the 500 square foot enclosed space limit of a guesthouse. It can be big.
So basically
if you can live with the 50 foot distance, you only have to demo the kitchen.
If you want more separation, you have the size limit and have to demo the kitchen.