An estimated 20,000 Oahu homeowners would soon be able to create second housing units on their properties that they can rent out to people after the Honolulu City Council approved a bill Wednesday that allows for accessory dwelling units.
Mayor Kirk Caldwell, who has deemed ADUs a major component of his affordable housing initiative, is expected to sign the bill in the coming days. His housing experts say that as many as 20,000 Oahu properties could be eligible for ADUs.
Proponents of the bill say ADUs present the quickest path to create affordable housing rental units to ease Oahu’s major housing crunch. City officials have forecast as many as 24,000 new housing units are needed in the next few years. Supporters said they also like that easing up on second-dwelling rules creates more housing units without any investment by government.
Councilman Ron Menor, the Council’s leading ADU proponent, said housing advocates have told him, “This bill represents one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation this Council has considered and will pass in years.”
If even a percentage of the 20,000 eligible properties added ADUs, “that would go a long way to addressing the affordable housing crisis on this island,” he said.
Opponents have argued that allowing ADUs could result in a proliferation of illegal bed-and-breakfast and transient vacation units. But those objections have waned in recent weeks as the Council added safeguards that would make it difficult to rent a home on a short-term basis.
For instance, an ADU permit prohibits using it to create a B&B or TVU. The bill also requires an ADU be rented out to a party for a minimum of six months. City Planning and Permitting Director George Atta told Council members Wednesday that he especially likes the provision that allows an advertisement for an ADU as either a B&B or TVU to be prima facie evidence that the unit is being used illegally.
Kailua Neighborhood Board Chairman Chuck Prentiss, whose region has become a key battleground in the B&B and vacation rental debate, said his board supports the ADU bill with the six-month minimum rental requirement provision.
“The lack of affordable housing in Kailua and elsewhere has reached crisis proportions,” Prentiss said. “Permitting accessory dwelling units in locations with adequate infrastructure will go a long way toward providing needed housing for local residents.”
An accessory dwelling unit, as defined in Bill 20, differs from a simple room rental situation in that it must have a separate entryway, kitchen and bathroom from its main dwelling. An ADU can be either attached or detached from the main house. The second unit must have at least one off-street parking stall, unless it is within half a mile of a rail station.
To be eligible for an ADU permit, a property lot has to be at least 3,500 square feet and have adequate water and sewer facilities. If a lot is between 3,500 and 5,000 square feet, the ADU can have a floor area of no more than 400 square feet. On a lot more than 5,000 square feet, the ADU can be up to 800 square feet.