Yesterday, the Hawai‘i County Council overrode Mayor Mitch Roth’s veto of Bill 194. The bill would allow the County council to confirm if developers can get extensions on their rezoning applications.
The Mayor vetoed Bill 194, citing concerns over its potential impact on the County’s ability to condition rezoning ordinances, provide affordable housing, and facilitate development projects. The Bill proposed to remove the Planning Commission’s, Council’s, and Department’s authority to grant and/or add administrative time extensions for the performance of conditions within rezoning ordinances. Instead, any request for a time extension would require an additional Council approval.
Mayor Roth released the following statement in response to the override of his veto:
“It’s disappointing that the Council chose to pass an imperfect bill today that will limit the County’s flexibility to appropriately condition rezoning ordinances — adding expense, uncertainty, and difficulty to the rezoning process, ensuring we maintain our position as the most regulated County in the nation. That said, the Council has made its decision, and we will respect it and move forward accordingly. Should we be able to revisit the language, we will stand ready to engage in that process. Otherwise, our administration will continue to make strides toward getting local families into homes and local builders onto job sites.
