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Waipoli residents say DHHL draft relocation plan risks displacing local workforce
Summary
Residents at the Courtyards at Waipoli urged the Hawaiian Homes Commission to require island‑specific relocation comparables and clearer funding during public testimony, saying a draft plan by consultant InterWest relies on statewide market data and a timeline that conflicts with DHHL acquisition rules.
Lourdes Torres, a resident of the Courtyards at Waipoli, told the Hawaiian Homes Commission on Feb. 19 that a draft relocation plan prepared by InterWest for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is causing “tremendous amount of stress” because it may obligate tenants to move off Kauai.
“More than 80% of the people that responded to a questionnaire want to stay on Kauai because they work here,” Torres said. She said tenants were told InterWest’s approach uses a statewide market analysis to determine relocation payments rather than Kauai rents.
Torres said that could leave households without sufficient funds to find comparable housing. She said petition signers — 47 households representing more than 50 tenants — asked that relocation payments be calculated using Kauai rental prices rather than statewide averages. The petition, she said, also argues the plan’s current relocation budget of 1.9 (unit not specified in testimony) is too low; residents’ local estimate is 6.8 (unit not specified in testimony).
Torres noted another constraint: under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, she said, DHHL cannot renew or extend non‑Native leases once it takes possession, and new leases must be issued to eligible Native Hawaiians. “That puts us in jeopardy,” she said, because many current tenants would not qualify and leases will expire before the department completes relocation steps.
Torres asked the commission to require assurances that relocations will prioritize comparable units on Kauai, to base relocation payments on Kauai market data, and to clarify whether DHHL can allow residents to remain until comparable units are secured. She said InterWest told residents a relocation window could last 18 months to two years, but that “that’s not possible” if DHHL will not extend leases after acquisition.
Acting Chair Michael Kaleikini requested Torres forward her petition to the InterWest consultant and copy DHHL and the chair so staff can review the concerns raised.
The commission did not take formal action during the public‑comment period and asked staff to follow up on the petition and correspondence.
