Notice of Public Hearing
Honolulu City Council
Notice is hereby given that pursuant to Revised Ordinances of Honolulu (ROH) Section 28-2.3, the Council of the City and County of Honolulu will hold a public hearing at 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, September 3, 2025 in the Council Chamber at Honolulu Hale. Public testimony will be received for Bill 51 (2025) and any amendments proposed thereto by the Committee on Zoning and Planning, relating to the establishment of a special improvement district for the downtown area of Honolulu. The special improvement district would be comprised, generally, of the area as described within Bill 51 (2025). Testimony of all interested persons, will be heard.
The proposed special improvement district will rename the Fort Street Mall Special Improvement District #2 to be called the Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District #2, hereinafter the “District”. The proposed District will work in partnership with government and stakeholders to develop and implement programs that promote the overall vitality of Downtown Honolulu. The District would provide and finance the following supplemental services: Information and Safety Officers; Landscaping and Maintenance Crews; and Supplemental Improvements that may include lighting, landscaping, signage, and other improvements approved by the District board. The budget for the first year is approximately $1,900,000.
A special assessment (ROH Section 28-3) is proposed for each parcel of land in the District that is not assessed as “Residential” for the first Fiscal Year and shall be based on the rate of $0.75 for every $1,000 of "Assessed Value" of each such parcel of land, as indicated on the City’s real property tax assessment list prepared for the tax year corresponding with the applicable Fiscal Year. "Assessed Value" means the gross value of a parcel of land assessed by the Real Property Tax Division of the City, including the assessed value of any improvements on that parcel of land. The assessments for the subsequent fiscal years shall be made in accordance with ROH Section 28-3.2.
Protests against Bill 51 (2025) and any amendments proposed thereto by the Committee on Zoning and Planning may be submitted by owners/lessees before or at the public hearing. Any affected property owner or lessee wishing to protest the establishment of the District should complete and return the protest form that was mailed with this notice. Only signed protest forms returned by the close of the public hearing will be counted. Protests may be withdrawn in writing by the person that submitted the protest at any time prior to the conclusion of the hearing.
Bill 51 (2025) and any amendments proposed thereto by the Committee
on Zoning and Planning, may be viewed online at https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/measure/browse/3401 and at the Office of the City Clerk, Room 203, 530 S. King Street during regular business hours.
For information concerning the establishment of the proposed Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District No. 2, please consult the text of the bill directly or call the Office of Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam at (808)
768-5006.
Submission of written testimony and registration to testify by videoconference will commence on August 28, 2025 at https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/testimony. Additional testifier registration requests will be received at the hearing. Oral testimony at the public hearing will be limited to three minutes. Written testimony may also be mailed to Office of the City Clerk, attn. Bill 51 (2025), 530 S. King St Rm. 100, Honolulu HI, 96813.
If you need an auxiliary aid/service, an accommodation due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English, contact the Office of the City Clerk at (808) 768-5822 between 7:45 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. or send an email to doris.lam@honolulu.gov as soon as possible, but at least three (3) business days before the meeting.
GLEN I. TAKAHASHI, City Clerk, Office of the City Clerk
(SA1502865 8/22/25)
