Bill Text: HI HR63 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Opposing The Conversion Of The Front Street Apartments In Lahaina, Maui, To Market-rate Housing And Urging The Hawaii Housing Finance And Development Corporation To Explore Ways To Preserve The Front Street Apartments As Affordable Housing.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2017-03-28 - Report adopted; referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Aquino, McDermott, McKelvey excused (3). [HR63 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2017-HR63-Introduced.html

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	63
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

OPPOSING THE CONVERSION OF THE FRONT STREET APARTMENTS IN LAHAINA, MAUI, TO MARKET-RATE HOUSING AND URGING THE HAWAII HOUSING FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO EXPLORE WAYS TO PRESERVE THE FRONT STREET APARTMENTS AS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, the Front Street Apartments on Maui provide affordable housing to more than two hundred fifty low-income residents; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Front Street Apartments were developed in 2001 as affordable housing and were expected to remain affordable to low-income tenants for fifty years; and

 

     WHEREAS, state financing and state tax credits were among the financial resources utilized to develop the Front Street Apartments; and

 

     WHEREAS, the owners of the Front Street Apartments recently exercised an option to remove the property from affordability requirements that were tied to the development of the property; and

 

     WHEREAS, this change will allow the owners of the Front Street Apartments to begin renting available apartments at market rates and to raise rents for existing tenants within a few years; and

 

     WHEREAS, many tenants of the Front Street Apartments were not previously aware of this threat to their housing and are worried that the removal of affordability requirements could leave them homeless; and

 

     WHEREAS, the severe shortage of affordable housing on Maui will be exacerbated by the conversion of the Front Street Apartments to market-rate housing; and

 

     WHEREAS, state financing and state tax credits should support affordable housing that remains affordable for low-income tenants; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2017, that the House of Representatives opposes the conversion of any affordable housing to market-rate housing; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation is urged to explore all options available to preserve the Front Street Apartments as affordable housing; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the executive director and chair of the board of directors of the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Affordable Housing; Maui; Front Street Apartments; Conversion to Market-Rate Housing; Advance Notice