January, 1981

Home   Newsletters February, 1981

March, 1981

Program Planning at February Units: The Unit - What Is it? President's Message (Barbara Farwell) How Laws Grow Units - What Is the League Doing? What Makes the City Run? Dept of Transportation Services (Dorothy Lum) Transportation Update (Dorothy Lum) Ghostrider on TheBus Women's Issues Public Hearings on Development Plans League Position on Housing (Astrid Monson) Builder Talks to Planning Committee Growth Management Planning Wanted Alive & Active Sunshine Coalition Corporate Fund Raising (Bobbie Slater) Direct Mail Drive Is Anyone Listening? The New Board of Education (Arlene Woo) Values and Violence in the Schools Health Care Study Welcome Calendar

Builder Talks to Planning Committee The builder's side of the housing issue was presented to League's Planning Ctte on January 12; it turned out to be not so different from League's own ideas. Elroy Chun, Exec. Vice Pres. of the Building Industry Assoc. of Hawaii, gave his own personal views on what could be done about the industry's apparent inability, under present conditions, to provide housing affordable by the bulk of island families. Forecasting the approaching end of the luxury condo market, Mr. Chun indicated that the industry's main hope for a prosperous future was finding a way to satisfy the needs of the great middle income demand. He sketched a number of practical approaches with which he felt League could agree and expressed hope that industry and League could find common legislative ground in supporting them. He suggested: Further government assistance to current efforts to develop a number of prototype designs for modest houses costing $45,000 to $60,000, exclusive of land. Government provision of prepared sites (infrastructure in place) and subsidization of land costs for low-mod housing developments. Intensive exploration of the possibilities of starter or core houses, perhaps with some self-help, as already being done in California and elsewhere. Exempting savings ear-marked for a family's own purchase of a home from income taxation, possibly through special housing banks. Use of employee pension funds - especially gov't employees' - for housing capital. Greater assistance to the single-lot owner desiring to develop housing for himself or for sale or rent. Help for the small builder, who is being squeezed out by land and financial problems. It was a profitable meeting and the committee looks forward to further discussions with Mr. Chun.

January, 1981

Top   Home   Newsletters

March, 1981