Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Development East Hi topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DHHL updates East Hawai‘i projects; awards planned for Ponomu and large Pane'aeva parcel
Summary
Land Development Division reported upcoming orientations and awards for Ponomu and Pane'aeva, progress on subsistence agriculture and housing partnerships, and ongoing work on wastewater and water governance across East Hawai‘i homesteads.
Acting Land Development Division administrator Kalani Franda and housing project branch manager Michelle Hitzman briefed the commission on East Hawai‘i projects, telling commissioners the department will hold a blessing for 16 lessees at Ponomu on Oct. 1 and will run an orientation in February for a second phase of Honomu subsistence-ag lots with awards in April.
Franda said subsistence-ag awards do not require construction of a dwelling and are often selected by people who already have residential leases; the lots are intended for crop production and small livestock. He highlighted efforts to make parcels NAHASDA‑eligible to widen financing opportunities and said division staff are exploring alternative financing mechanisms to accelerate infrastructure ahead of legislative appropriations.
The department reported it expects to offer 600 Pane'aeva project leases in a phased process; Franda said orientations will begin in February with awards planned for March. He said planners and consultants are working on the environmental and planning analyses and on tying the offering to potential federal funding lines.
Michelle Hitzman described scattered‑lot awards and house‑building partnerships with community college construction programs and Hawaii Community Lending. She gave offer-price examples: one renovated house was offered at about $324,800 and subsequent renovation offers are being negotiated.
Franda and Hitzman also updated commissioners on sewer improvements at Kealohalā and master planning in Kalkaha, and on a Kaua‘i water fill‑station project (phase 1 completed in December) with a follow‑on PRV upgrade scheduled for phase 2. For Discovery Harbor the department noted significant difficulty getting selectees to follow through with construction and said it will look for financing partners to increase uptake of about 37 vacant lots.
Ending: Staff said many of the infrastructure items will require county cooperation and additional funding; they asked commissioners to expect phased implementation timelines of several years for large projects.
