Committee votes to recommend lease to Hawaii Island Veterans Memorial for Hilo veterans housing and planned medical center

The Hawaii County Committee on Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions voted to forward Resolution 75-25 to the full council with a favorable recommendation on Feb. 18, 2025. The resolution authorizes the director of finance to negotiate a lease of real property in South Hilo identified in the resolution by tax map keys 24057029 and 24057031 to Hawaii Island Veterans Memorial Incorporated, to allow the organization to continue leasing the parcels to construct and develop a veterans center and veterans housing.

The recommendation matters because the group said the parcels host an existing affordable housing phase and are intended to support a next phase including a medical center and space for visiting specialists. Testifier Bob Williams, who identified himself as involved with the veterans memorial project for roughly 20 years, told the committee that the group has completed the first phase of housing and that "we've pulled off phase 1, which was the housing." He said the development has produced "92 units of Senior Affordable Living" and that "about 50% are veterans." Williams requested the committee's support for lease renewal to allow planned expansion and to restore site access and parking that he said had been altered by the project's builder.

Property manager Hamano Ventura spoke in support and asked the committee for a favorable recommendation. Council member Kimball moved to approve the resolution and asked Ventura to brief members; a second was made by Miss Kaguaro. Committee members offered support during the discussion: one member thanked Williams and Ventura for moving the project forward and said, "I really do appreciate your tenacity in getting this project moving, done, and actually housing people"; Council member Kane Ali'i Kleinfelder also joined in thanking the project's volunteers and operators.

When asked about the annual lease cost, Williams said the leases are structured at "$1 per year." The resolution text read into the record describes the parcels as located in "Waikia, South Hilo, County and State of Hawaii" and identifies the tax map keys noted above. The committee recorded a 9-0 vote in favor and forwarded Resolution 75-25 to the full council with a favorable recommendation.

What remains unspecified from the committee record: the transcript omitted the exact current occupancy percentage and the exact share of residents who are Hawaii state residents (Williams said a percentage but the numeric values were not specified in the record). Williams also described plans to "extend the partnership with Queen's" for medical staffing but did not provide a signed agreement or timetable; those details were not presented to the committee during this meeting.

The council committee's favorable recommendation sends the lease negotiation authorization to the full Hawaii County Council for final action; the resolution directs county staff (the director of finance) to begin lease negotiations but does not itself finalize a lease or set lease terms beyond the negotiation authorization.