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County council tours West Hawaii sites and flags flood risk to parcel eyed for affordable housing
Summary
On Oct. 15 the Hawaii County Council conducted a limited field meeting in West Hawaii to inspect flood corridors that presenters said repeatedly inundate parcels, including a tract described in testimony as Lot 25 that was said to have been intended for county affordable housing. Council members asked the Department of Public Works to attend the next hearing to clarify ownership and technical details.
The Hawaii County Council on Oct. 15 conducted an on-site tour of multiple properties in West Hawaii to inspect flood corridors and drainage infrastructure that presenters said have repeatedly caused serious damage and could affect county plans for affordable housing.
At the first stop, a presenter described a major flood corridor that runs through parts of Kona and said recent channelization work in a neighborhood “was a complete failure,” noting the corridor had in a recent flooding event sent water across the highway and “caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.” The presenter said the parcel under discussion is roughly 67 acres and walked council members past culverts, basins and outlets that she said direct water through neighborhoods and toward the highway.
Why it matters: Council members were viewing a property that presenters said had been intended for county-provided affordable housing. At Stop 4, the presenter identified a parcel she said was “Lot 25” and stated that the portion intended for housing lies largely within a drainage way, raising questions about its suitability for development without significant mitigation.
Council follow-up and process: Council participants directed staff to ensure the Department of Public Works (DPW) is available for the next hearing to supply firm ownership records and technical information. The presenter said DPW’s involvement is needed to clarify ownership boundaries and to assess the extent and performance of prior flood mitigation work.
Other observations from the tour included: a cement retaining wall at a proposed access point that appears compromised; two mapped flood corridors at the same elevation that converge downstream; recent brush growth that limited visibility to cultural sites referenced in prior testimony; and nearby developments such as Kona Vistas and Pulani Estates, where presenters noted changes in parcel ownership and past affordable-housing allocations.
Quotes from the tour captured the tenor of concerns. The presenter said, “This flood corridor…was directly responsible for flooding [the highway] recently in feet of water, a few years ago, caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.” On the county housing parcel, the presenter said the property “was the property intended to be given to the county to build affordable housing on,” and added that much of that portion “is a drainage way.”
No formal votes or motions were taken during the field meeting. The council’s action was procedural and investigatory: to observe the sites and request technical follow-up. Next steps specified on the tour record include scheduling DPW to appear at the next hearing with ownership records and technical data so the council can determine whether the parcel is usable for housing or requires engineering work and legal clarification before any transfer or development.
The council’s limited meeting and site tour concluded after six stops; participants returned to the West Hawaii Civic Center and confirmed the next procedural step: a staff-led update with DPW and relevant records at the subsequent public hearing.
