Repeal of lease law likely
Advertiser Staff
After months of debate on the divisive issue of the city's leasehold condominium conversion law, the City Council today is poised to repeal the law.
Throwing out the 1991 law would require five votes. Mayor Mufi Hannemann yesterday said he still favors repeal but would wait to see what the council does before commenting.
Hannemann
On Jan. 13 the council's executive matters committee, which includes all nine council members, voted 6-3 in favor of a bill to repeal the law.
The law, known as Chapter 38, lets the city force landowners to sell to qualified condominium owners the fee interest in the land under their condo units. More than 9,000 units in 127 buildings on O'ahu are on land that could be subject to conversion under the law, according to an April report.
The law is popular with those who want full ownership of the condos they live in, but is staunchly opposed by some landowners who see it as an unfair taking of their property.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, more than 50 people had signed up to testify on the controversial measure.
Meanwhile yesterday, a second lawsuit was filed by condominium leasehold owners against the city asking that they be allowed to complete converting their units from leasehold to fee simple.
The suit was filed by six Honolulu residents with leasehold units in the Admiral Thomas condominium building on Victoria Street. On Monday, the first lawsuit was filed by owners of leasehold units at 4999 Kahala Ave.
