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Affordable housing in Kona

State plan for 272 acres hinges upon roads, water

by Bobby Command
West Hawaii Today
bcommand@westhawaiitoday.com
Saturday, February 23, 2008 7:20 AM HST

A proposed mixed-use community of affordable homes would be designed for its residents to rely heavily on riding the bus, walking or using bicycles to commute to work or school.

The close proximity of people to the employment center of Kailua-Kona would help to reduce heavy traffic on regional highways caused by those who must now travel long distances between home and work.

However, many of the benefits of the Keahuolu Affordable Housing Project being pitched by the state's Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. are contingent upon a major roadway project with a cost of more than $13 million a mile and employment centers that are only in their earliest conceptual stages.

The proposed project would create between 1,020 and 2,350 dwellings on a 272-acre parcel in the area between Palani Road and the Hawaiian Homes community of Kaniohale. The community, which would offer homes to families whose incomes fall between 80 percent and 140 percent of the county's median income, would also include an elementary school and a town center with 197,000 square feet of commercial space.

Stan Fujimoto, project manager, said the draft EIS for the project establishes parameters that a potential developer can use to assemble an answer to the state's RFP, or request for proposals.

Such an RFP was already advertised by the state in December, and Fujimoto said the Housing Finance and Development is in the midst of studying a number of proposals. Fujimoto said he expects the state to select a developer sometime before summer begins.

But actual development of the Keahuolu Affordable Housing Project would depend upon a number of infrastructer improvements, significantly the Ane Keohokalole Highway. The draft EIS says it also would be subject to a concurrency proposal being considered by Hawaii County.

"Obviously, this entire project will not work without the highway being built," said Fujimoto. "Perhaps we could build 20 to 25 percent of the project with the existing roads, but beyond that it will need that highway."

To that end, Fujimoto said part of the development process would be for Housing Finance and Development to lobby the state Legislature for capital improvement projects funds that would bring the county-planned Ane Keohokalole Highway to fruition.

According to the draft EIS, about 4,500 feet of the Ane Keohokalole Highway would cost more than $13 million, and it would still leave a gap of about 2,000 feet between that portion and the existing 3,500 feet of the highway that connects Kealakehe Parkway with Kealakehe High School.

"We realize we need to play a role in this," said Fujimoto, who added that the Keahuolu subdivision will also require the development of a well to provide drinking water to the community. Additional infrastructure also would be necessary for power and wastewater.

The draft EIS states that all internal roadways, including water, sewers, drainage, electric and cable television would cost more than $120 million.

Another integral component of the project would be the extension of Makala Boulevard. Fujimoto said that project would likely be the responsibility of Queen Liliuokalani Trust, which he said is also in the process of assembling a master plan for its holdings makai of the proposed Keahuolu property.

According to the draft EIS, released last week, Housing Finance and Development undertook a master plan process in early 2007 and developed three alternative concepts for the 272-acre housing project. Along with the low and high ends of the range, three alternatives were developed with 1,840 homes at the middle-range alternative.

The major access to the project would be along the future Ane Keohokalole Highway, which would intersect Henry Street at Palani Road and travel north, makai of Kealakehe High School, mauka of the new increment to the Kaloko industrial area and north until it eventually tied into the access road to the University of Hawaii's West Hawaii Center.

According to the draft EIS, the project is meant to fill a strong demand for affordable housing in the North Kona area. A 2006 update of the Hawaii Housing Policy Study predicts that more than 7,000 households will want to make their homes in Kona during the next few years.

"While Kailua-Kona is an employment center, its workforce is scattered throughout West Hawaii and even East Hawaii," the draft EIS said. "The county has identified the development of housing near job centers as a planning priority in order to lessen regional road congestion."

However, the cost of housing has been a major burden in West Hawaii, with a quarter of all families spending 40 percent of their monthly income for housing.

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my2c wrote on Mar 8, 2008 8:16 AM:

" Thanks chuckf. "