The Honolulu City Council will be considering legislation that places a moratorium on the construction of “monster homes” and allow the Department of Planning and Permitting sufficient time to draft legislation that would prevent these homes from springing up in our neighborhoods.
The recent spread of large single-family dwellings has been described by many as “monster homes” and is negatively affecting families in long-established neighborhoods. While need for housing continues to be a challenge on Oahu, many feel the oversized structures change the character of the community.
Bill 110 (2017) introduced by council member Ikaika Anderson would place an immediate two-year moratorium on the construction of monster homes and would allow the City Council and the Planning Commission enough time to fully explore and evaluate development of the large dwellings. The Council would like more time to determine what permanent amendments would be appropriate to the city’s long-term planning and regulatory controls.
Also up for discussion are proposed amendments to the Land Use Ordinance (LUO) that are currently under consideration by the Department of Planning and Permitting and which would address the future construction of monster homes by requiring:
- Sufficient minimum number of parking stalls must be included within the footprint of the building
- Size restriction that is based on the size of a lot by using a floor area ratio appropriate for a single-family residential neighborhood
- Greater building setback from the property boundaries, perhaps for each story of the building, or by the proposed floor area
- Decreasing the area of the residential lot that a building is allowed to cover by the proposed floor area, or by some other measurement threshold
