Oʻahu voters have a long ballot this year. There are 20 Honolulu charter amendment questions, and five of them, a full quarter, deal with housing.
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. As Hawaiʻi Public Radio reported, housing advocates say the measures won't fix the island's shortage by themselves but would give the city more tools. HPR cited a 2024 state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism report that found Oʻahu could need up to 24,000 more housing units through 2035.
"They alone will not end Oʻahu's chronic housing shortage, but what they do is they provide city government with more tools to housing production and preserve existing housing," said Perry Arrasmith, policy director for the nonprofit Housing Hawaiʻi's Future.
The five questions
Here's a plain rundown, using the descriptions on the Honolulu City Council's ballot guide:
- Question 7, housing affordability: Adds a statement to the charter recognizing the shortage of housing for long-term residents, calling housing-related outmigration an existential threat to the city, and declaring that encouraging use of existing housing for city residents is a compelling government interest.
- Question 8, the Affordable Housing Fund: Makes clear the fund is a revolving fund, so loan repayments, interest, earnings and proceeds go back into it. The council guide says the fund could also support a wider range of affordable rental housing, including affordable units in mixed-use and mixed-income projects.
- Question 9, property transactions: Ends a separate public hearing requirement for city real property transactions. The public could still testify when those transactions come before the City Council. The council guide says many of these deals are small, like utility or public access easements, and that the hearings are rarely attended but cost the city staff time and advertising.
- Question 10, a housing plan: Requires the director of housing and land management to prepare a 10-year Housing Functional Plan, updated at least every five years, starting Jan. 1, 2030.
- Question 12, outside money: Lets the Affordable Housing Fund and the city's other special funds accept money from federal, state, philanthropic and other sources.
The money piece
The biggest effect could be on the Affordable Housing Fund, which the city uses to buy land and build affordable housing. It gets 0.5% of the city's yearly property tax revenue, about $8 million, according to HPR. Right now the fund focuses on rental housing for households earning up to 60% of the area median income. The council's ballot guide says the money goes to buying land, renovating existing buildings and building new affordable units, and projects that get fund money must stay affordable for at least 60 years.
Supporters say limiting the fund to the lowest incomes isn't enough. Kevin Auger, the city's housing director, said in written testimony that "the City must be able to support whole communities — where people across income levels can live, work, access services, and have opportunities to play and recreate." HPR noted the change could help with housing near rail, and could help people who earn just over 60% of the median and still can't find housing they can afford.
Arrasmith said a strong revolving fund is overdue. "That's something that we should already have, especially with the housing shortage we have right now on Oʻahu," he said.
The charter already requires long-range plans for parks, transportation and environmental services, but not housing. Hawaiʻi Appleseed said in a written statement that a housing plan would "require action on behalf of the city to meet said plan." Supporters told HPR a plan would set deliverables and outlast any one administration.
HPR also reported that an early version of one proposal would have asked voters about a controversial "empty homes tax" on secondary homes and investment properties. That's not what's on the ballot.
Why it matters for Contractors
Charter amendments don't pour concrete, but they shape where the money and the work come from. A revolving Affordable Housing Fund that can take outside money and support mixed-income projects could mean more projects get financed, and that means more jobs for Oʻahu's builders and trades. A 10-year housing plan could make the city's pipeline easier to see, which helps contractors plan crews and equipment. And cutting a separate hearing step on city property deals could shave time off projects on city land. If you build on Oʻahu, read up on Questions 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12 before you fill in your ballot.