HAR §15-215-41. Building placement

(a) Facades shall be built either [parallel] up to the [build to] specified build-to line or within the built-to zone, with a minimum frontage occupancy as provided in Figure [1.8] 8 (building placement and encroachments), as applicable, dated [September 2012,] July 2025, made 215-46 Page: 49 Author: JacobK Subject: Highlight Date: 9/8/2025 8:07:20 AM Recommend removal in its entirety. Rationale: Building cost is in part driven by its squarefootage. Whenever a plan layout has to conform to parameters outside of the efficient organization of the spatial needs of the project brief one runs the major risk of adding "junk space" which is the normally hard-to-furnish excess space that is added beyond functional requirements and does not serve any particular purpose. Good buildings are both beautiful and efficient which can only result from letting the brief drive the plan layout. Moreover, while there is risk to the efficiency of the plan which should alarm anyone who cares about either cost affordability or resource use, these do not seem to perform any function other than placing a "sticker" on an imaginary block. There is no way, for example, to measure whether adding these elements improves any experience interior or exterior in a way that would outweigh potential cost to design and build, because there is no metric for how building form affects pedestrian experience. At the end of day, these are simply generic preferences which have no place in legislation. As we have discussed previously it appears that the intent of the rules is "activate" the frontage. We suggest that this can be achieved most easily by allowing for spaces of 10' or more than are generally low in slope. Whether covered, uncovered, above ground on a lanai or at grade as a grassed, graveled or paved area, we can see from current residential projects that all that is required to get people to activate space is the creation of space. Particularly since several of the frontage types allowed are feasibly impossible as written (galleries and arcades for example) we feel the best way to preserve the intent while simplifying the rules is remove frontage types and allow enough space for furnishing. Author: JacobK Subject: Highlight Date: 9/8/2025 8:06:48 AM Should this be Figure 5? I believe that is the one that gives the occupancy percentage. a part of this chapter, and attached at the end of this chapter. (b) For frontage occupancy calculations, single buildings that form a courtyard of fifteen feet in width or less by recessing a portion of the building from the [build to] build-to line, shall be measured as the full width of the building parallel to the [build to] build-to line. [Eff 10/27/12; am and comp ] (Auth: HRS §§206E-4, 206E-5, 206E-7) (Imp: HRS §§206E-4, 206E-5, 206E-7)