HAR §15-215-42. Building form

(a) The height of any building or structure or portion thereof shall be measured from [ground elevation.] finish grade to the top of the roof. (b) [Attics] Height limits for attics or raised basements, masts, belfries, clock towers, chimney flues, elevator bulkheads, church spires, cupolas, domes, ventilators, skylights, parapet walls, cornices, solar energy systems, railings, or necessary mechanical appurtenances on the roof level shall be limited to the height necessary for their proper [functioning, as determined by the executive director in his sole discretion; provided, however, that notwithstanding the executive director's determination, attics] functioning. Attics shall not exceed fourteen feet in height. (c) Any part of a building which is taller than sixty-five feet [and along a view corridor street, see Figure 1.12 (view corridors), dated September 2012, made a part of this chapter, and attached at the end of this chapter,] shall be [setback] set back from the [lot line abutting the view corridor] principal frontage by [fifty feet.] at least ten feet. (d) All principal buildings shall be constructed with building elements conforming to [Figure 1.3 (development standards summary),] Figure 4 (building development standards) and Figure 5 (site development standards), both dated [September 2012,] July 2025, made a part of this chapter, and attached at the end of this chapter. [Eff 10/27/12; am and comp ] (Auth: HRS §§206E-4, 206E-5, 206E-7) (Imp: HRS §§206E-4, 206E-5, 206E-7) 215-47 Page: 50 Author: JacobK Subject: Highlight Date: 9/8/2025 8:07:37 AM Change to allow any court that is publicly accessible or "activable space" aligned to the above comment. Rationale: there are many reasons why a recess in a residential building might be more or less than 15', but this should be driven by the efficient plan layout of the unit needs. getting light and ventilation deeper into a floor plate, especially for units with more than one bedroom can get very tricky if modulation is not possible, but the building should not sacrifice these types of units - which Oahu sorely needs - in order to satisfy an arbitrary dimensional requirement. If the recess creates public space next to the pedestrian ROW, this can only serve add things like trees or recreation areas that should be encouraged. and would only serve to add to the public experience. Allowing this alone would go a long way to solving the problem that the frontage occupancy creates.