Office of planning and sustainable development; establishment; responsibilities
HRS §225M-2
in effect225M-2. Office of planning and sustainable development; establishment; responsibilities
(a) There is established the office of planning and sustainable development within the department of business, economic development, and tourism for administrative purposes only. The head of the office shall be known as the director of the office of planning and sustainable development and referred to in this chapter as director. The director shall have:
(1) Training in the field of urban or regional
planning, public administration, or other related fields;
(2) Experience in programs or services related to
governmental planning; and
(3) Experience in a supervisory, consultative, or
administrative capacity.
The director shall be nominated by the governor and,
by and with the advice and consent of the senate, appointed by the governor
without regard to chapter 76, and shall be compensated at a salary level set by
the governor. The director shall be included in any benefit program generally
applicable to the officers and employees of the State. The director may retain
staff as may be necessary for the purposes of this chapter, in conformity with
chapter 76. The director shall report to the director of business, economic
development, and tourism and shall not be required to report directly to any
other principal executive department. The director may also employ staff
without regard to chapter 76, as authorized in this chapter and as may be
necessary.
(b) The office of planning and sustainable
development shall gather, analyze, and provide information to the governor, the
legislature, and state and county agencies to assist in the overall analysis
and formulation of state policies and strategies to provide central direction
and cohesion in the allocation of resources and effectuation of state
activities and programs and effectively address current or emerging issues and
opportunities. More specifically, the office shall engage in the following
activities:
(1) State comprehensive planning and program
coordination. Formulating and articulating comprehensive statewide goals,
objectives, policies, and priorities, and coordinating their implementation
through the statewide planning system established in part II of chapter 226;
(2) Strategic planning. Identifying and analyzing
significant issues, problems, and opportunities confronting the State, and
formulating strategies and alternative courses of action in response to
identified problems and opportunities by:
(A) Providing in-depth policy research,
analysis, and recommendations on existing or potential areas of critical state
concern;
(B) Examining and evaluating the
effectiveness of state programs in implementing state policies and priorities;
(C) Monitoring current social, economic, and
physical conditions and trends through surveys, environmental scanning, and
other techniques; and
(D) Developing, in collaboration with
affected public or private agencies and organizations, implementation plans and
schedules and, where appropriate, assisting in the mobilization of resources to
meet identified needs;
(3) Planning coordination and cooperation.
Facilitating coordinated and cooperative planning and policy development and
implementation activities among state agencies and between the state, county,
and federal governments, by:
(A) Reviewing, assessing, and coordinating,
as necessary, major plans, programs, projects, and regulatory activities
existing or proposed by state and county agencies;
(B) Formulating mechanisms to simplify,
streamline, or coordinate interagency development and regulatory processes; and
(C) Recognizing the presence of federal
defense and security forces and agencies in the State as important state
concerns;
(4) Statewide planning and geographic information
system. Collecting, integrating, analyzing, maintaining, and disseminating
various forms of data and information, including geospatial data and
information, to further effective state planning, policy analysis and
development, and delivery of government services by:
(A) Collecting, assembling, organizing,
evaluating, and classifying existing geospatial and non-geospatial data and
performing necessary basic research, conversions, and integration to provide a
common database for governmental planning and geospatial analyses by state
agencies;
(B) Planning, coordinating, and maintaining a
comprehensive, shared statewide planning and geographic information system and
associated geospatial database. The office shall be the lead agency
responsible for coordinating the maintenance of the multi-agency, statewide
planning and geographic information system and coordinating, collecting,
integrating, and disseminating geospatial data sets that are used to support a
variety of state agency applications and other spatial data analyses to enhance
decision-making. The office shall promote and encourage free and open data
sharing among and between all government agencies. To ensure the maintenance
of a comprehensive, accurate, up-to-date geospatial data resource that can be
drawn upon for decision-making related to essential public policy issues such
as land use planning, resource management, homeland security, and the overall
health, safety, and well-being of Hawaii's citizens, and to avoid redundant
data development efforts, state agencies shall provide to the shared system
either their respective geospatial databases or, at a minimum, especially in
cases of secure or confidential data sets that cannot be shared or must be
restricted, metadata describing existing geospatial data. In cases where
agencies provide restricted data, the office of planning and sustainable
development shall ensure the security of that data; and
(C) Maintaining a centralized depository of
state and national planning references;
(5) Land use planning. Developing and presenting the
position of the State in all boundary change petitions and proceedings before
the land use commission, and assisting state agencies in the development and
submittal of petitions for land use district boundary amendments, and
conducting reviews of the classification and districting of all lands in the
State, as specified in chapter 205;
(6) Coastal and ocean policy management, and sea
level rise adaptation coordination. Carrying out the lead agency
responsibilities for the Hawaii coastal zone management program, as specified
in chapter 205A. Also:
(A) Developing and maintaining an ocean and
coastal resources information, planning, and management system;
(B) Further developing and coordinating
implementation of the ocean resources management plan;
(C) Formulating ocean policies with respect
to the exclusive economic zone, coral reefs, and national marine sanctuaries;
and
(D) Coordinating sea level rise adaptation
with state agencies having operational responsibilities over state facilities
to identify existing and planned facilities, including critical infrastructure,
that are vulnerable to sea level rise, flooding impacts, and natural hazards;
(7) Regional planning and studies. Conducting plans
and studies to determine:
(A) The capability of various regions within
the State to support projected increases in both resident populations and
visitors;
(B) The potential physical, social, economic,
and environmental impact on these regions resulting from increases in both
resident populations and visitors;
(C) The maximum annual visitor carrying
capacity for the State by region, county, and island; and
(D) The appropriate guidance and management
of selected regions and areas of statewide critical concern.
The studies in subparagraphs (A) to (C) shall be
conducted at appropriate intervals, but not less than once every five years;
(8) Regional, national, and international planning.
Participating in and ensuring that state plans, policies, and objectives are
consistent, to the extent practicable, with regional, national, and
international planning efforts;
(9) Climate adaptation and sustainability planning
and coordination. Conducting plans and studies and preparing reports as
follows:
(A) Develop, monitor, and evaluate strategic
climate adaptation plans and actionable policy recommendations for the State
and counties addressing expected statewide climate change impacts identified
under chapter 225P and sections 226-108 and 226-109; and
(B) Provide planning and policy guidance and
assistance to state and county agencies regarding climate change and
sustainability;
(10) Smart growth and transit-oriented development.
Acting as the lead agency to coordinate and advance smart growth and
transit-oriented development planning within the State as follows:
(A) Identify transit-oriented development
opportunities shared between state and county agencies, including relevant
initiatives such as the department of health's healthy Hawaii initiative and
the Hawaii clean energy initiative;
(B) Refine the definition of "transit-oriented
development" in the context of Hawaii, while recognizing the potential for
smart growth development patterns in all locations;
(C) Clarify state goals for transit-oriented
development and smart growth that support the principles of the Hawaii State
Planning Act by preserving non-urbanized land, improving worker access to jobs,
and reducing fuel consumption;
(D) Target transit-oriented development areas
for significant increase in affordable housing and rental units;
(E) Conduct outreach to state agencies to
help educate state employees about the ways they can support and benefit from
transit-oriented development and the State's smart growth goals;
(F) Publicize coordinated state efforts that
support smart growth, walkable neighborhoods, and transit-oriented development;
(G) Review state land use decision-making
processes to identify ways to make transit-oriented development a higher
priority and facilitate better and more proactive leadership in creating
walkable communities and employment districts, even if transit will only be
provided at a later date; and
(H) Approve all state agencies' development
plans for parcels along the rail transit corridor. For the purposes of this
subparagraph, "development plans" means conceptual land use plans
that identify the location and planned uses within a defined area; and
(11) Environmental review. Performing duties set
forth under chapter 343, serving the governor in an advisory capacity on all
matters relating to environmental review, and having such powers delegated by
the governor as are necessary to coordinate and, when requested by the
governor, direct all state governmental agencies in matters concerning
environmental quality control, including:
(A) Advising and assisting private
industries, government department and agencies, and other persons on the
requirements of chapter 343; and
(B) Conducting public education programs on
environmental quality control;
provided that the office shall adopt rules in
accordance with chapter 91 to implement this paragraph.
(c) The land use commission's executive
officer, chief clerk, and employees shall be administratively attached to the
office, and section 205-1(c) shall apply.
(d) The office of planning and sustainable
development and the land use commission shall establish procedures and
safeguards to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest that may
otherwise arise as a result of any proceedings before the land use commission
to which the office of planning and sustainable development is a party,
including but not limited to petitions for amendments to district boundaries
involving land areas greater than fifteen acres pursuant to section 205-4, and
contested case proceedings pursuant to section 205-19. These procedures and
safeguards shall include a reporting structure for the land use commission and
its executive director and employees that is separate from the reporting
structure for the land use division of the office.
[L 1987, c 336, pt of §1; am
L 1988, c 352, §5; am L 1990, c 160, §3; am L 1996, c 299, §1; am L 2000, c
253, §150; am L Sp 2005, c 12, §3; am L 2006, c 65, §2; am L Sp 2007, c 4, §3;
am L 2014, c 83, §3; am L 2016, c 130, §3; am L 2019, c 111, §5; am L 2020, c
45, §3; am L 2021, c 152, §7, c 153, §7, and c 178, §3]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol04_Ch0201-0257/HRS0225M/HRS_0225M-0002.htmFetched: 11/10/2026