HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

175

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

requesting the City and county of honolulu, honolulu community college, and various other entities to pursue development of a mixed-use urban core in Kalihi and requesting Enterprise honolulu to submit a report relating to the mixed-use urban core.

 

 

WHEREAS, rising property values and a lack of affordable homes have forced urban planners in a number of communities to rethink existing models of development; and

WHEREAS, increasing density levels within an older urban core and rezoning mixed-industrial use areas may result in substantial increases in the number of affordable housing units located within the area; and

WHEREAS, residents who live closer to work avoid lengthy commutes and traffic congestion on Honolulu’s already overcrowded highways; and

WHEREAS, by 2012, Oahu will have an estimated 176,000 jobs to fill, with more than 51,000 of these jobs being newly created; and

WHEREAS, our present workforce is not adequately trained to meet the demand for workers in the areas of technology, healthcare, business and finance, defense, and physical and social sciences; and

WHEREAS, the Honolulu Community College (HCC), through its Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training, is a leader in offering technology training to help meet the needs of this future workforce; and

WHEREAS, HCC, through the Hawaii Construction Academy model, has developed curriculum to be used by high schools in a career academy setting that prepares students to enter the workforce with higher-paying jobs; and

WHEREAS, developing an "employment anchor" facility and expanding workforce training initiatives through local high schools and HCC may be the keys to establishing a vibrant work-live-learn community; and

WHEREAS, there is already significant demand for such an employment anchor by local technology businesses and by major dual-use contractors who desire to be located within the Honolulu urban core; and

WHEREAS, zoning changes permitting mixed industrial- residential development in the Kalihi area with residential units of medium height surrounding the employment anchor, as well as the expansion of existing programs at HCC, would be a first step toward meeting future workforce needs; and

WHEREAS, as an economically challenged area, the Kalihi zone would qualify for federal funding, new market tax credits, and federal block grants; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that this body strongly encourages the City and County of Honolulu, the local business and technology community, HCC, and Kalihi public schools to pursue development of a mixed-use residential-technology urban core in Kalihi; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Enterprise Honolulu, as a strong private sector partner of the City and County of Honolulu, is requested to provide a report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2007, with recommendations on the following:

(1) Financial incentives that may be necessary to stimulate development of a technology center in Kalihi;

(2) The most suitable location within Kalihi for undertaking such a project;

(3) Options for additional workforce development and training programs through HCC; and

(4) Opportunities for the state and county governments and private investors to secure federal grants to support development of a mixed-use residential urban core in the Kalihi area with a significant increase in affordable housing units;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, President of the University of Hawaii, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Honolulu.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Mixed-Use Urban Core; Kalihi; Workforce Development