OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Honolulu Housing, Homelessness, and Parks Committee Meeting - June 24, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, June 24, 2026
BodyHonolulu, Hawaii
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, June 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:56:09
Transcript — Verbatim
0:41

Aloha and good afternoon, everyone.

0:43

It is Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026, and the time is 230 p.m.

0:50

Will the Committee on Housing, Homelessness, and Parks meeting please come to order.

0:55

I'd like to welcome our committee members, Committee Vice Chair Toba, Council members Cordero, Nishimoto, Wire.

1:01

With us, we also have Councilmember Dos Santos Tan and Kiaina and anyone else who would like to join us.

1:07

Pursuant to Hawaii revised statutes, Section 92-3.7.

1:11

This meeting will be conducted as a remote meeting by interactive conference technology with the following procedures in effect for the meeting.

1:17

Members of the public will be allowed to provide oral testimony on all items on the agenda when each item is taken up in two ways, in person in the council chamber and remotely.

1:26

Before testifying, each person shall state their name for the record and will be limited to a one time, one minute presentation on each item.

1:33

All persons who register to testify in person will be called upon first.

1:36

Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers.

1:41

Once in person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to remote testimony via video conference or phone.

1:47

When I call your name or the last three digits of your phone number, please follow the prompt to unmute.

1:52

As both English and Alala Hawaii are the official languages of the state of Hawaii pursuant to Article 15, Section 4 of the Hawaii Constitution and HRS section 1-13.

2:02

Members of the public may testify in either language.

2:04

For oral testimonies offered in Olala Hawaii, additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of their testimony.

2:13

HRS section 92-3.7 requires that all votes at a remote meeting be conducted by roll call unless unanimous.

2:20

Therefore, I will first call for objections.

2:22

If there are any, then I will call for a roll call vote.

2:25

Written testimonies, including the testifiers' address, email address, phone number, will be available to the public as described on the posted agenda.

2:33

As a courtesy, please turn off or silence all cell phones for the duration of this meeting.

2:38

Members, please note that item number eight, Bill 19, 2026 on page 17 of the agenda has been canceled and will not be considered.

2:46

Thank you.

2:47

Okay, members.

2:48

This is the format of the meeting.

2:49

We're going to take um some gift resolutions.

2:51

I'm going to go through a few parks bills, housing bills, and then we do have a presentation by Department of Housing and Land Management.

2:58

So let's be mindful of the time for action.

3:01

Items one through three.

3:15

Item number one, resolution 26-139, accepting a monetary gift of 5,000 to the city from Friends of Hawaii Charities for the upkeep maintenance of Kahala Community Park.

3:26

Item number two, resolution 26-141, accepting a monetary gift of 5,000 to the city from Wellcare to help offset the operational costs of the Neil S.

3:37

Blazedale Center Exhibition Hall for the 55th Annual Senior Citizens Valentine Dance that was held on February 6, 2026.

3:45

And it was a great event.

3:46

Item number three, resolution 26-148, accepting a monetary gift of $6,750 and 67 cents to the city from Shinyo and Hawaii for the upkeep and maintenance of Alamoana Regional Park with us.

4:00

We have Director Laura Thielen, Director of Parks and Recreation.

4:06

And we'll have Kehao Pu, Deputy Director, come up and talk with us.

4:28

And we appreciate Chair and the Council's support of these donation resolutions.

4:34

We couldn't do it without these donors.

4:35

We thank you very much.

4:36

Clerks, are there any in-person or registered testifiers?

4:42

Are there any persons unregistered online or in the chambers wishing to testify on these items?

4:48

Chair, there are none.

4:54

Seeing none, the chair recommends that resolution 26-139 be reported out for adoption.

5:00

Any objections, reservations, hearing none so ordered.

5:03

The chair recommends that resolution 26-141 be reported out for adoption.

5:08

Any objections, reservations, hearing none, so ordered.

5:11

Lastly, the chair recommends that resolution 26-14 be reported out for adoption.

5:17

Any objections, reservations, hearing none, so ordered.

5:20

Thank you, committee members and council members.

5:23

Item number four, Bill 33 relating to funds, amending provisions related to the city and county of Honolulu funds.

5:29

Members, to recap, on March 31st, 2026, this committee approved a CD1 version of this bill, which is posted on the agenda and action was postponed.

5:38

We posted two proposed CD1s on the agenda for consideration.

5:42

OCS 2026-0386 backslash 6 backslash 16 backslash 2026, 9 38 a.m.

5:51

submitted by Councilmember Kia Aina, and then at 1017 a.m.

5:55

I submitted ACD1 as well.

5:57

The amendments are both listed on the agenda.

6:00

Councilmember Kiaina, would you like to have a few words in regards to your proposal?

6:07

Um sure.

6:09

Well, first of all, thank you, um Chair Topola for advancing uh this measure as well as the other measure that has been agendized because it's clear to me that we all need to look at ways to help to uh how to help the Department of Parks and Recreation.

6:27

So, with regard to this specific measure, but I believe your CD1 uh is addressing my concerns, and so I will not be um uh uh moving forward my CD1, but my concerns, of course, was with regard to the transient accommodation tax and a sliver of the funds that um addresses the impact to um natural resources from tourism.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Parks and Recreation████████████████16%
Funds Management████████8%
Community Engagement███████7%
Real Property Taxation███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Public Engagement█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Historic Preservation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Honolulu Housing, Homelessness, and Parks Committee Meeting - June 24, 2026

The Committee on Housing, Homelessness, and Parks convened on June 24, 2026, to consider several bills and resolutions related to parks, funds, farmers markets, cultural sites, fees, and affordable housing, followed by an informational briefing from the Department of Housing and Land Management.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 1–3: Three gift resolutions (26-139, 26-141, 26-148) accepting monetary donations for Kahala Community Park, the Neil S. Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall, and Ala Moana Regional Park were approved unanimously without testimony.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Angela Young (testifying on behalf of CARES): Expressed support for Bill 30 (farmers markets) but recommended the bill be inclusive of for-profit companies in addition to nonprofits to better support local businesses.
  • Ave Kwok (Monica Market): Urged amendments to Bill 18 CD1 to restore density calculations based on lot size (130 or 120 near bus stops) and support maximum height of 60 feet or underlying zoning, citing demand for affordable housing in Chinatown.
  • Brian Mick (Disability and Communication Access Board): Supported the elevator requirement in Bill 18 CD1 for buildings 30 feet or higher, stating accessibility benefits many groups.
  • Spencer Lee (JL Capital): Urged restoring the unit density formula in Bill 18, noting it improves project financeability and allows more units without additional height.
  • Gina Thielen: Testified that the current version of Bill 18 may not provide substantial help to adoption of Bill 7 projects, and urged careful consideration to avoid harming the program's early success.
  • Director Apuna (Department of Planning and Permitting): Provided extensive technical comments on Bill 18, recommending modifications to building height, fire safety, loading requirements, and limiting reduced development standards to smaller buildings. Clarified that permit issuance depends on application completeness, not solely on the department.

Discussion Items

  • Bill 33 (Funds): Director Laura Thielen (Parks) explained that the CD1 creates special funds for parks maintenance and botanical gardens/urban forestry to prevent lapse of revenues. Funds repurpose existing special funds for YPO Soccer Complex and Central Oahu Regional Park. The bill does not mandate specific TAT amounts. Approved as amended.
  • Bill 30 (Farmers Markets): Director Thielen stated amendments allow regulation under existing recreation rules, limit to nonprofit organizations, and restrict locations to parks that are not busy or summer fund sites. Approved as amended.
  • Bill 31 (Cultural Sites): Deputy Director Kehawalani Public Knight supported the bill to establish an Important Cultural Resource Area Program. Testifier Carmen Guzman Simpliciano (Kingdom Pathways) supported, noting it fills gaps in care for sites like Kuʻilia Heʻau. Approved as amended.
  • Bill 32 (Parks Fees): Councilmember Kiaina withdrew her CD1 after discussion. Director Thielen outlined amendments requiring the department to follow a transparent process including council notification 30 days prior to public hearings, annual reports, and consideration of impacts on low/moderate-income residents. Fees must be cost-based, not profit-generating. Approved as amended.
  • Bill 18 (Affordable Housing): The chair (Topola) explained the CD1 was stripped down to limit changes to lot size (up to 40,000 sq ft) and building height (60 feet or underlying zoning, whichever greater). Extensive discussion occurred. Councilmember Nishimoto opposed, citing negative impacts on his district. Councilmember Kiaina expressed concerns about transforming the program from small infill to larger developments without proper process. Councilmember Dos Santos Tan argued for restoring density formula near transit. The bill passed with a 4-1 roll call vote (Nishimoto no) and was reported out to second reading and public hearing, with plans to return to committee.
  • Informational Briefing – Department of Housing and Land Management: Director Kevin Auger presented an overview of the department's achievements over the past year (28M in acquisitions, 146M in financing, 1,400 housing units managed, 2,500 unit pipeline). He detailed upcoming transactions, including closures for conservation easements, TOD acquisitions in the Kalihi area, and development partner selections for city-owned lands (2,488 potential units). The department is also working on financing models, policy support for missing middle housing, and improving data systems. Councilmembers asked questions about TOD coordination, leasing city-owned spaces in Chinatown, and community engagement.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolutions 26-139, 26-141, 26-148: All three gift resolutions were reported out for adoption without objection.
  • Bill 33 (2026): Adopted as CD1 and reported out for second reading and public hearing, referred to Budget Committee.
  • Bill 30 (2026): Adopted as CD1 and reported out for second reading and public hearing.
  • Bill 31 (2026): Adopted as CD1 and reported out for second reading and public hearing.
  • Bill 32 (2026): Adopted as CD1 and reported out for second reading and public hearing.
  • Bill 18 (2026): Adopted as CD1 (roll call: Tupola aye, Cordero aye, Nishimoto nay, Wire aye) and reported out for second reading and public hearing, to return to committee after the UHERO report and further community input.
  • No action on Bill 19 (canceled).
  • Informational briefing received; written follow-up questions to be submitted.

Meeting Transcript

Aloha and good afternoon, everyone. It is Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026, and the time is 230 p.m. Will the Committee on Housing, Homelessness, and Parks meeting please come to order. I'd like to welcome our committee members, Committee Vice Chair Toba, Council members Cordero, Nishimoto, Wire. With us, we also have Councilmember Dos Santos Tan and Kiaina and anyone else who would like to join us. Pursuant to Hawaii revised statutes, Section 92-3.7. This meeting will be conducted as a remote meeting by interactive conference technology with the following procedures in effect for the meeting. Members of the public will be allowed to provide oral testimony on all items on the agenda when each item is taken up in two ways, in person in the council chamber and remotely. Before testifying, each person shall state their name for the record and will be limited to a one time, one minute presentation on each item. All persons who register to testify in person will be called upon first. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers. Once in person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to remote testimony via video conference or phone. When I call your name or the last three digits of your phone number, please follow the prompt to unmute. As both English and Alala Hawaii are the official languages of the state of Hawaii pursuant to Article 15, Section 4 of the Hawaii Constitution and HRS section 1-13. Members of the public may testify in either language. For oral testimonies offered in Olala Hawaii, additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of their testimony. HRS section 92-3.7 requires that all votes at a remote meeting be conducted by roll call unless unanimous. Therefore, I will first call for objections. If there are any, then I will call for a roll call vote. Written testimonies, including the testifiers' address, email address, phone number, will be available to the public as described on the posted agenda. As a courtesy, please turn off or silence all cell phones for the duration of this meeting. Members, please note that item number eight, Bill 19, 2026 on page 17 of the agenda has been canceled and will not be considered. Thank you. Okay, members. This is the format of the meeting. We're going to take um some gift resolutions. I'm going to go through a few parks bills, housing bills, and then we do have a presentation by Department of Housing and Land Management. So let's be mindful of the time for action. Items one through three. Item number one, resolution 26-139, accepting a monetary gift of 5,000 to the city from Friends of Hawaii Charities for the upkeep maintenance of Kahala Community Park. Item number two, resolution 26-141, accepting a monetary gift of 5,000 to the city from Wellcare to help offset the operational costs of the Neil S. Blazedale Center Exhibition Hall for the 55th Annual Senior Citizens Valentine Dance that was held on February 6, 2026. And it was a great event. Item number three, resolution 26-148, accepting a monetary gift of $6,750 and 67 cents to the city from Shinyo and Hawaii for the upkeep and maintenance of Alamoana Regional Park with us. We have Director Laura Thielen, Director of Parks and Recreation. And we'll have Kehao Pu, Deputy Director, come up and talk with us. And we appreciate Chair and the Council's support of these donation resolutions. We couldn't do it without these donors. We thank you very much. Clerks, are there any in-person or registered testifiers? Are there any persons unregistered online or in the chambers wishing to testify on these items? Chair, there are none. Seeing none, the chair recommends that resolution 26-139 be reported out for adoption. Any objections, reservations, hearing none so ordered. The chair recommends that resolution 26-141 be reported out for adoption. Any objections, reservations, hearing none, so ordered. Lastly, the chair recommends that resolution 26-14 be reported out for adoption. Any objections, reservations, hearing none, so ordered. Thank you, committee members and council members. Item number four, Bill 33 relating to funds, amending provisions related to the city and county of Honolulu funds.

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