Developers of the proposed Hoomalu at Waikoloa affordable housing project are asking the county to exempt them from three development requirements as a way to help keep the units affordable.
Resolution 599, to be heard at 3 p.m. Tuesday by the County Council Planning Committee, would exempt the project from the zoning density cap of 142 units to allow construction of 229 units. It would also exempt project developer Stanford Carr Development LLC from fees for plan review and building permits.
Stanford Carr said the process so far, including the round of comments from agencies, has been very positive.
“(The county Office of Housing and Community Development) has been supportive and refreshingly wonderful to work with!” Carr said. “It’s been a collaborative effort to bring affordable workforce rentals to the Waikoloa Resort community including a childcare facility.”
The proposed development will also include a community center, childcare center and recreation facilities. The 25.8-acre site is part of the Waikoloa Beach Resort with proposed access off Queen Kaahumanu Highway via Waikoloa Beach Drive; a private roadway.
The community center will host a function room, a recreation deck with a playground, BBQ areas and a swimming pool as well as a gym, restrooms, mail center and administration offices for management and services. Komohale Services, Stanford Carr Development’s nonprofit service connector, will coordinate outside wellness, finance and job training service providers to the residents.
In addition, a childcare facility, open to residents and the community at large, will be located in the community center complex. Four classrooms and up to 100 preschool children will have a licensed childcare provider operating with all required amenities, developers said in the plan.
Waikoloa Land Development Co. is donating $3.1 million in land for the project, which is estimated to cost $125.4 million to construct.
The Hoomalu at Waikoloa project is envisioned to target a wide range of household incomes, with 161 units available to those households making $18,000-$30,000 annually for a single person or $25,700-$51,360 for a family of four, which is in the 30% to 60% range of the median area income. The remaining 68 units will be for those up to 100% AMI. Developers pledged to keep the units affordable for at least 65 years.
“Affordable housing is critically needed in our state, and especially here on the Island of Hawai’i. Hoʻomalu at Waikoloa will be a significant step to improving wellbeing and creating opportunities for our island residents to climb the housing ladder,” officials with the Waikoloa Land Company and The Waikoloa Foundation said in a joint statement. “We look forward to seeing many of our friends, family members and neighbors benefit from the plans Stanford Carr Development is advancing to build a community in the resort’s core.”
The developer, through consultant PBR Hawaii & Associates Inc., has been through a round of consultations with a myriad of state and county agencies to ensure the project meets their requirements. Most have returned favorable responses, but some wanted the developer to do more, according to the 499-page submission to the County Council.
The county Department of Environmental Management, for example, balked at the developer’s request to exempt landfill fees.
“Absent additional funding to the Solid Waste Fund to cover the shortfall caused by the acceptance of unspecified amounts of construction-generated waste, the Solid Waste Division cannot provide a favorable recommendation for this exemption request, as it could negatively impact its ability to deliver on necessary solid waste management and disposal services, plus landfill diversion and recycling priorities, for the County of Hawaii,” Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour said in a response.
The state Department of Transportation offered a suggestion, while finding the project within its scope.
“The HDOT does not object to the proposed application and finds that the project does not appear to significantly impact the state highway system,” said Highways Administrator Sergio George G. Abcede. “We recommend the Traffic Assessment should provide more detailed plans for multimodal access within the proposed development and connectivity to the rest of the area.”
A request by county Mass Transit Director John Andoh for the developer to install a bus stop wasn’t acceded to, however.
“As an affordable housing project receiving federal and state subsidies directed at such use, Hoomalu cannot underwrite, nor afford to support, a bus stop on an off-site location that serves the general public,” Ann Bouslog, PBR Hawaii project director, responded.
The council earlier this year approved two bills paving the way for Waikoloa Land Development Co. to develop 900 new timeshares at the Waikoloa Resort, allowing developers to do away with nine holes of golf and add affordable housing for workers. North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas and South Kona/Ka‘u Councilwoman Maile David, the council chair, voted no, saying developers didn’t offer enough concessions to address community concerns.
“The exemption requests are in line with other (state affordable housing law) applications we have seen,” Inaba said Tuesday. “However, I look forward to the discussion and understanding exact amount of permitting fees being exempted.”