Councilman Brandon Elefante proposed an amendment that would increase the affordable-housing requirement for projects with zoning exemptions to more than 30 percent of units offered at affordable rates. Additionally, for IPD-T permit projects with more than 10 residential units, his amendments would require at least 30 percent to be offered at up to 120 percent of AMI. He also proposed to eliminate the in-lieu fee for community benefits. Those changes were included in the bill that was reported out of the committee for second reading on Thursday.

Catherine Graham of the Housing Now Coalition and Faith Action for Community Equity Hawaiʻi said there need to be more options for those earning 30 to 60 percent of AMI. She said the in-lieu fee is “a great idea in theory” but that she has not seen the fees used to provide affordable housing.

“The community benefits must be actual benefits to the community and affordable housing is the number-one benefit,” Graham said in written testimony.

Habitat for Humanity, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice also submitted testimony supporting stricter affordable-housing requirements.