2014.05.16 thesis presentation

7/21/2019 2014.05.16 Thesis Presentation

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QUESTOR LAUCandidate for Doctor of ArchitectureUniversity of Hawaii School of Architecture

May 2014 Final Presentation

BLACK BOXES and GRAY SPACES:

How Illegal Dwellings Find Regulatory Loopholes


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REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT(In Honolulu)

The Black Box Building Permits

Add unknowndelays

Add unknowncosts

Response Big Data

Measure

Use + Structure

Civic Engagement

Image Source: http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jun/20/bz/bz04a.html

Homeowner


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BACKGROUNDHousing in Honolulu

8thAnnual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey: 2012. Ratings for Metropolitan Markets. Australia, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom,

United States, by Performance Urban Planning. http://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf Last Accessed October 08, 2012.

Honolulu is Expensive In 2013, Honolulus Affordability

score (9.4)

Honolulu #1 unaffordable

housing market in the US.

Housing Cost vs Income(relative, not absolute)

#1 #4

#3

#2

Honolulu


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Top 3:Hong KongVancouver

Sydney

Housing Affordability & Land

Regulation

Median Home Prices 1991-2010

Honolulu prices remain

higher than US

Graph modified from http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-2011/January-2011/Hawaii-2011-Housing/ andhttp://www.demographia.com/dhi.pdf Comparing Australia, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Ireland, NZ, UK, US.

DO REGULATIONS MAKE HOUSING EXPENSIVE?Housing in Honolulu

Regulation Restricts Supply Supply-Demand imbalance

Honolulu:

not enough housing

prices remain high


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http://www1.honolulu.gov/env/wwm/honoluluwastewater2012investorpresentation07192012.pdf


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ILLEGALACCESSORY DWELLINGS: GRAY SPACESCompare: Use vs Structure

Structure Built with a permit

Built to code: location, layout, dimensions

Suggests intent

Use Occupancy, how space is used

Doubles density in residential zone

I llegal

Accessory

Dwel l ings

Degree of Suspicion

No change in physical Structure. Change in Use

Accessory dwelling becomes

illegal when people move in.

Permit as a Rec Room used

as a dwelling unit.


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CASE STUDYTypology: EmbeddedAccessory Space

Single-Family Separate Entry

Extra Parking

1-story

2-story

Kitchen + Wet Bar

Required Affidavit

Affidavit Common variable


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RESEARCH METHODSGathering the Data

Building Permit Data 2011

Suspicious Plan

Actual occupancy NOT verified:

Tracking changes in use difficult, invasive,

difficult to measure.


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Punchbowl

UH

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERN (2011)Preliminary Findings

Within Primary Urban Core, most

Suspicious Plans occur within the

Ohana Zone (green).

In Kailua, most

Suspicious Plans occur

beyond the Ohana Zone

Data expanded to look for trends 2005 to 2012 (8 years )


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Black Point$3.8 M avg

sales price

DiamondHead

PROBLEM SCOPESuspicious Plans occur even in the most expensive neighborhoods


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PROBLEM SCOPEHow Many + Where is the incursion?

Univ of HawaiiSchool of Architecture


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Industrial

Military Base

Military/Airport/Harbor

Military Base



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Total % Type

5,680 37 % Illegal Accessory Dwellings

9,726 63 % Single and Two-Family Dwelling Units

102 < 1 % Ohana Dwellings

Annual New Residential Housing* Inventory (2005-2012)

Honolulu County

THE SYSTEM ISNT WORKINGShadow Inventory of Housing

100 %


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COMPARING RULESPolicy favors illegal uses

MOST/LEASTIllegal Accessory Dwlg:

leastrestrictions;

least costs

Ohana Units:

mostrestrictions,

mostcosts

REGULATIONS Infrastructure

Parking

Fees

IllegalAccessory

Dwellings have no

requirements

Il legalAccessory Dwelling


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Research Findings

No. of Bldg Permits IssuedHonolulu County

One & Two Family Dwellings:#Permits Issued vs Construction Value

Ohana Dwellings:#Permits Issued vs Construction Value

size limitremoved

Source: Dept of Planning & Permitting (figures rounded)

Qty

Co$t


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Gamma Map Diagrams

2ndfloor

1stfloor

Source: Plans redrawn from HonsadorLumber

LOOPHOLEIts not what is built that is illegal its how it is used

Legal Illegal

Accessory Single-

Family

Single-Family

Suspicious Layout Predesigned kit home

Separate entry

Easy to rent separately


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1st

FLOOR

Wet bar

Kitchen

7-0 CasedOpening

Suspicious Layout? What does the plans say

LOOPHOLE

Source: Modified from an actual permit


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LOOPHOLEIs this a single-family dwelling?

Source: Modified from an actual permit


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IMPLICATIONSIs the Census is Wrong?


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HOUSING UNIT

(US Census Definition) A housing unit is a house, an

apartment, a mobile home or trailer,

a group of rooms, or a single room

that is occupied, or, if vacant, is

intended for occupancy as separate

living quarters in which theoccupants live separately from any

other persons in the building and

which have direct access from the

outsideof the building or through a

common hall.

http://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms/housing.html
http://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms/housing.htmlhttp://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms/housing.htmlhttp://www.census.gov/popest/about/terms/housing.html


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+


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IMPLICATIONSDiffering trends in urban growth pattern


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Single- and Two-Family Dwellings Illegal Accessory DwellingsUnits

(iADUs)

STATISTICAL HOTSPOT ANALYSISDiffering trends in urban growth pattern


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NewIllegalAccessory Dwellings

(2005-1012)

NewSingle- and Two-Family(2005-2012)

DIFFERENT TRENDS IN URBAN GROWTHUrban Futures

GreenM

ap:Modifiedfromh

ttp://www.oahum

po.org/download/additional_ortp_

20

35_

materials/OahuHouseholdsMap.pd

f

BrownMap:ModifiedfromC

ity&CountyofHonoluluDeptofTransportationServicesShortRangeTransitPlan,August2010

.

ProjectedHousehold Growth(2007-2035)

Workersby Primary Job

(2010)


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CIVIC ENGAGEMENTUrban Policy vs Urban Need

Maps Invite discussion

Address fears of change

ie. Parking

88% of illegal accessory dwellings

close to bus stop


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HH 3+ Vehicles Avail

HYPOTHESIS #3Null: The #iADUs created is unrelated to

Data provided by US Census: ACS 2011 (3-year) by tract


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Households w/3+

Vehicles Clustered at urban fringe

and North Shore


SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP of VEHICLES to iADUsVehicles per Household


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iADU overlay suggests 3+ vehicle HH

not associated with

iADUs, but perhaps

Single-family homes

SPATIAL RELATIONSHIP of VEHICLES to iADUsVehicles per Household



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Ohana Zone

HYPOTHESIS #1People Build iADUs because they were denied an Ohana Dwelling Permit


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Ohana Zone iADUs



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Ohana Zone iADUs Intersect



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Ohana Zone iADUs Intersect

Within

N=1,699



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Ohana Zone Intersect iADUs

Random Sample

Sample Size CL 95%

n=42 15



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SEWER CAPACITY NOT CHECKEDCapacity Not Checked

w/in Ohana Zone 5approved for SFD TFD

37built an iADU without checking sewer capacity

(potential legal Ohana Dwelling)


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RepresentativeRandom Sample (n=42, 95% CI) Ohana Zone + iADUs (N=1,699)

0 of 42 rejected for Ohana (sewer capacity).

5 of 43 (11.63%) approved for a 2nddwelling

(non-Ohana)

Within Ohana Zone, people who build Rec

Rooms are not applying for an Ohana

Dwelling 1st.



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CORRELATION: iADUs and SFDsNull: The #iADUs created is unrelated to #SFD/TFD units created

R=0.84

P


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COMPARISON OF SOLD PRICE (2012)Single-Family, fee simple

Of the 112 new Ohana Units, only 4 were sold in 2012 not enough to do inferential statistics. Incidentally, sale prices of the 4 were: $1,082,500,$907,500, $665,000, and $1,280,000all above the median sales price, suggesting that legal Ohana Units do sell for substantially more than iADUs.

Caveat: sold homes are likely to contain iADUs that were either issued before 2005 or the home may have been configured into separate units without

obtaining a permit (ie. a doorway was added at an interior stairway, creating an up and dnstairs unit). Therefore, some noiADU properties may beclassified as iADU=yes.

Homes Sold w/ and w/o an iADU Indep Samples Ttest

iADU: $750,000 (9.85% higher)

noiADU: $615,550

All Homes: $625,000


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PROPOSALADUs in Hawaii Kai: Aging-in-Place where Sewer Capacity is available


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How to use this data? Strict Enforcement

Encourages illegal units

Verify housing units

Verify urban growth &infrastructure needs

Engage policy and people

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTSSocial Normativity and the law

I llegal

Accessory

Dwel l ings


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Thank you!

A portion of this research was supported by a grant from the

University of Hawaii Graduate Student Organization

2014.05.16 thesis presentation

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