Integrated Land Use Study
OPSD Launches Hawaiʻi’s First Integrated Land Use Study
Act 187 (Session Laws of Hawaiʻi 2025) established Hawaiʻi’s first-of-its-kind Integrated Land Use Study to determine how much land is needed statewide to meet statutory sustainability, climate adaptation, energy, agriculture, and housing mandates through 2050 (including Acts 151, 175, and 176 addressing local food production, 100% renewable energy by 2045, and long-term affordable housing goals). The Study is led by the Office of Planning and Sustainable Development’s (OPSD) Statewide Sustainability Branch and will align GIS data, State and County plans, and stakeholder input to assess current and future land capacity needs.
The Integrated Land Use Study is being coordinated in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, agricultural stakeholders, and State and County agencies, with guidance from DBEDT, the State Sustainability Coordinator, and OPSD. OPSD is currently recruiting a Climate & Sustainability Land Use Planner within the Statewide Sustainability Branch and will issue future requests for proposals to support Act 187’s mandates.
The Study will also inform land siting and sequencing decisions aligned with DBEDT’s “Economy for Resilience” framework, linking workforce development, infrastructure and facilities, regulatory streamlining, and capital formation. This integrated approach will help ensure that land-use decisions directly enable value-added agriculture and manufacturing, creative industry facilities, energy resilience projects, and housing near jobs and training hubs.
Stay tuned to OPSD’s website for updates as this major statewide planning effort moves forward.
Related Links:
Act 187 (SLH 2025): https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/sessions/session2025/bills/GM1287_.PDF
Hawaiʻi Business Magazine, “Hawaiʻi Primed to Revive Agriculture,” August 2025: https://www.hawaiibusiness.com/hawaii-primed-to-revive-agriculture/
Active Recruitment:
(1) Climate and Sustainability Land Use Planner 11.2025
Deadline for applications: January 16, 2026, 4:30pm Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST)
Please send resumes to: [email protected]