Bill > SB1332

This bill establishes a new agricultural housing incentive called "farm cluster housing" to address the lack of affordable housing for farmers and farm employees in Hawaii. The legislation creates a process for landowners with at least ten acres of important agricultural lands to develop compact housing clusters for farmers and farm employees, with several key provisions. Counties will be required to enact ordinances allowing these housing developments, which must occupy no more than 5% of the total land area or 10 acres, whichever is less. The housing units can only be leased to active farmers or farm employees currently working on the agricultural lands, and cannot be used for short-term vacation rentals. The bill also modifies existing permit processing procedures to include priority review for farm cluster housing and repeals the previous statute governing farm dwellings on important agricultural lands. The goal is to support agricultural viability by providing a streamlined, controlled method for creating housing that keeps farmers close to their working lands without contributing to residential sprawl, while ensuring that the housing remains directly connected to active agricultural operations.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1332&year=2026