OHA urges repeal of Kakaako Makai residential ban to build workforce housing; HCDA and AG press for planning and legal fixes

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs asked the Legislature on Jan. 29 to repeal a long‑standing prohibition on residential development in parts of Kakaako Makai so the agency can pursue workforce housing on lands it controls.

Awina Lakaako, chair of the Board of Trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, told a joint hearing of the Senate Committees on Water and Land, Hawaiian Affairs and Housing that SB 534 would permit the Hawaii Community Development Authority to approve residential development on a defined Makai corridor, raise selected Ala Moana Boulevard height limits to 400 feet and require that at least "50% plus 1" of residential units in that corridor be reserved for workforce households. "OHA is committed to responsible development," Lakaako said.

The bill would also add owner‑occupancy requirements for units, create a Kakaako Makai special fund for park and shoreline amenities, and define an "essential workforce" preference (health care, education, law enforcement, civil service, construction and hospitality) for applicants who work within a five‑nautical‑mile radius of the site. Lakaako said OHA controls about 30 acres—roughly 14% of the 220 acres in Kakaako Makai—and proposed using land value and joint ventures with developers to finance both housing and OHA programs. She described three pathways for development under the proposal: an HCDA master plan approval, use of the 201H affordable‑housing process, or a partnership with the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Why it matters: Lakaako framed the bill as a response to Hawaii’s housing crisis—high prices,…