NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Pursuant to Chapter 91, Hawaii Revised Statutes, notice is hereby given that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation (HHFDC), Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State of Hawaii, will hold a public hearing on Monday, July 26, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. on amendments to and compilation of Chapter 15-307, "State-Assisted Land and Housing Development Program," Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR) and the adoption of Chapter 15-308 "State Assisted Sale and Lease Program," HAR. All are invited to state their views on the proposed rule amendments orally or in writing. Written testimony on these proposed rulemaking actions will be accepted through July 26, 2021 at the following address: HHFDC, Attention: Mavis Masaki, 677 Queen Street, Suite 300, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813; or via email to mavis.m.masaki@hawaii.gov.
Amendments to and compilation of Chapter 15-307, HAR, include repealing §§15-307-71 to -131, which govern HHFDC’s real estate services programs, and moving them to the proposed new Chapter 15-308, HAR; in §15-307-4, requiring starter homes to meet county design and construction standards; in §15-307-6, replacing standing county public advisory committees with developer-led informational meetings in the communities in which projects are located; and technical, typographical, and grammatical amendments.
Proposed new Chapter 15-308, HAR, primarily consists of §§15-307-71 to -131, which are moved over from Chapter 15-307, HAR. New provisions are also added to implement Act 159, Session Laws of Hawaii (SLH) 2017 to allow qualified nonprofit housing trusts to exercise HHFDC’s buyback rights, including a new definition of "qualified nonprofit housing trust" and adoption of a selection method. Sections 15-308-1 and -22 add an asset limit of 135% of the maximum household income for first-time homebuyers. Various technical, typographical, and grammatical amendments are also made to existing provisions.
The public hearing will be held via the Internet using Microsoft Teams on July 26, 2021 from 10:00 am to 11:00 am. The call-in phone number is 1-808-829-4853, Phone Conference ID: 205 445 075#. The Microsoft Teams meeting link is available at the HHFDC website: http://dbedt.hawaii.gov.
Due to health and safety concerns caused by the global Coronavirus outbreak, HHFDC is taking precautionary measure by closing its office to the public. Interested persons are strongly encouraged to view or download the draft rules electronically for free at the web site: http://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hhfdc/administrative-rules. A paper copy of the proposed rules may be mailed upon receipt of a check made payable to "HHFDC" in the amount of $13.00 for Chapter 15-307 and $4.80 for Chapter 15-308 for copying and postage costs. Requests for mailed copies should be made to HHFDC at the above address or by calling Mavis Masaki at one of the telephone numbers below:
Honolulu 587-0636 Maui 984-2400, ext. 70636
Hawaii 974-4000, ext. 70636 Molokai or Lanai
Kauai 274-3141, ext. 70636 1-800-468-4644, ext. 70636
Persons with special needs (e.g., large print, taped materials, sign language interpreter, or translator) shall make all requests for assistance by contacting HHFDC’s Personnel Office at 587-0501, by written request, or by email to hhfdchr@hawaii.gov. Prompt requests help to ensure the availability of appropriate accommodations.
DENISE ISERI-MATSUBARA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
(SA1331060 6/22/21)
