While Hawaii County states that 3,400-plus affordable housing units are needed to accommodate the now homeless in our community, you might ask where will these units be built? What is considered affordable? Rent is the biggest expense for most families. I have found that an average studio or one bedroom starts around $1,000 and up, not including utilities. I hear that there is not any housing available, so I looked into it. I found one private investor has applied to build a 112-unit complex in Harbor View (a subdivision of single-family homes) off of Kealakehe Street, north of Lailani.
While Hawaii County states that 3,400-plus affordable housing units are needed to accommodate the now homeless in our community, you might ask where will these units be built? What is considered affordable? Rent is the biggest expense for most families. I have found that an average studio or one bedroom starts around $1,000 and up, not including utilities. I hear that there is not any housing available, so I looked into it. I found one private investor has applied to build a 112-unit complex in Harbor View (a subdivision of single-family homes) off of Kealakehe Street, north of Lailani.
A community meeting was held in August 2020 where the public in attendance was informed of the intent. The project was slated as 13 four-story buildings with two parking stalls per unit provided. This will contribute to 224 more cars on an already very busy roadway. These units would be offered from $450 to $750 depending on number of bedrooms. Sounds too good to be true. It turns out the property owned by West View Development TMK (3) 7-4 -004:014 and 092, needed to get rezoned from Agriculture 1 to Residential Multi-Family (RM-2), which states that 2,000 square feet of land area is need for each unit.
This zone change was approved by the County Council with little input from the public on Sept. 8. Unless you were following with the proposed project, you probably did not hear about this change. Nor did you hear about the waiving of the fees associated with the project. These fees are part of funding for infrastructure, and waiving them puts improvement of existing infrastructure, or providing new infrastructure in jeopardy. We have a lot of vacant land, with no access to water or utilities because of the lack of infrastructure. So the county has resorted to building these large affordable housing projects in already established residential areas. (maybe yours).
What are the infrastructure plans? Planning for a desirable community is essential to the residents of the Big Island. Placing large complexes in established subdivision areas is not desirable. The roadways and school facilities are already burdened by the existing population, what would be the sense of adding to the problem by building in these areas. We need infrastructure.
This project site was chosen because the first choice on Ane Keohokalole Highway did not have water and the requirement to build would mean building a water facility, which is very costly. The Honua‘ula Living Community affordable housing project barely impacts the units needed by 2025, yet it has been approved and is supported by U.S. Urban Housing and Development and one of the requirements is accessible employment with health and transportation available in the area. This project will be offered to people with an average median income of 60% or below and vouchers will be made available to offset the rent costs.
Many of the residents of Harbor View, have purchased their forever homes there, and may not even be aware of the project because it has not been widely discussed or reported on. I feel compassion and appreciation for the homeless in our community. I also feel for our young working class who would love to have a home of their own. With the limitations of available space due to lack of infrastructure, their dreams of owning is out of reach. While I give Carlo Mireles perks for his efforts to give back to this amazing community, I think he is overlooking the aesthetics of a desirable community build. I wish him success with his efforts.
However, I hope he and other builders will reconsider and insist on infrastructure being built to accommodate and provide opportunity to build affordable housing that our young local families can acquire so that they can continue to live here and raise their families in the ways that they were taught. Adding housing in any area is going to impact the community. It is our responsibility to provide opportunities to develop our communities with harmony and positive living conditions. We know well the desperate need for housing, but building healthy communities where we can raise families is the most important thing. Having a roof overhead is not necessarily a home.
Speak to your council members, neighbors and friends. Help create the best living and housing situations possible on our island for our people. Be a part of creating projects that can provide positive growth for our local people. It is up to us to monitor the growth of our beloved Big Island. This special place deserves that at the very least.
Beverly Behasa is a resident of Kailua-Kona.
