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Joint House committees defer DHHL parcel bill after agency requests more due diligence
Summary
The joint House committees on Housing and Higher Education deferred SB 1553 SD2 at the request of the Department of Hawaiian Homelands, which asked for additional time for due diligence and coordination with the University of Hawaii; the university provided context on past use and short‑term leases.
A joint meeting of the House committees on Housing and Higher Education on Wednesday deferred Senate Bill 1553 SD2 after the Department of Hawaiian Homelands (DHHL) asked for more time to complete due diligence and further coordinate with the University of Hawaii.
Oriana Leao, speaking for DHHL, told the committees the department "would like to rescind our testimony in support and also request that this bill be deferred" to allow additional dialogue and due diligence with the university and other stakeholders.
Michael (University of Hawaii), director for strategic development and partnership, said the university is the landowner of the parcel in question and has been coordinating site access and assessments. He explained that the property had been acquired to support Honolulu Community College’s aviation program, which operated until about 2016 and was later constrained by restrictive covenants that were removed around 2020. Since then, the university issued solicitations and entered a short‑term agreement with the City and County of Honolulu for Honolulu Fire Department and Honolulu Police Department aircraft operations as an interim use; that short‑term agreement runs through April 2029.
Housing committee leaders and Higher Education Chair Garrett said they supported the intent of the measure but agreed with DHHL’s request to defer until due diligence and stakeholder discussions are completed. The committees voted to defer the bill.
Ending: With DHHL requesting additional review and the university describing past and interim uses of the parcel, both committees deferred SB 1553 SD2 to allow further coordination and studies before any decision on disposition or long‑term use.
