HI HB1480

Requires affordable housing projects seeking exemptions under section 201H-38, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to be located within county-designated transit-oriented development (TOD) zones

Allows projects within a one-half mile radius of a proposed or existing transit station if the county has not designated TOD zones

Addresses concerns that recent 201H-38 housing developments have been approved in neighborhoods where existing infrastructure may not adequately support higher-density development

TOD zones are defined as specially zoned areas within one-fourth to one-half mile of a rail station, designed to encourage walkable communities with coordinated infrastructure plans

Section 201H-38 allows the Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation to exempt approved affordable housing projects from planning, zoning, and construction rules to expedite building