Maui Land Use Committee approval of Kahoma Residential Subdivision, a fast-track, all-affordable housing project
reprinted courtesy Maui News 11/17/11
by Chris Hamilton - Staff Writer, The Maui News
WAILUKU - The Maui County Council Land Use Committee voted 6-2 Wednesday evening to recommend approval of the Kahoma Residential Subdivision, a fast-track, all-affordable housing project in West Maui.
Council members voting in favor of the project were Joe Pontanilla, Bob Carroll, Danny Mateo, Don Couch, Mike White and Gladys Baisa. Members Riki Hokama and Elle Cochran voted no. Council Member Mike Victorino was absent for the final vote and excused.
The nearly 17-acre project in Lahaina by West Maui Land Co. Inc. and Habitat for Humanity should result in the construction of 68 single-family lots, and eventually homes, on which owners could build themselves or with Habitat for Humanity's help.
The developers sought approval of an affordable housing development on a sliver of agricultural land located next to a flood-control channel and between Honoapiilani Highway and the new Lahaina bypass.
But council members worried about whether construction would get under way, despite the developers' reassurances. They said again and again how they'd been burned in the past by developers and may go so far as looking into revoking entitlements given to long-stagnant projects.
"Just because you get subdivision approval doesn't mean you're going to get construction. We know this," said Baisa, who voted with reservations.
Several committee members presented conditions to the proposal. Those included:
* Subdivision construction should be finished within seven years later.
* In order to qualify, homeowners must earn up to 160 percent of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development income standards.
* Homes must be built and occupied within three years of the close of escrow for a lot owner.
The homes would be priced between $298,100 and $685,515, according to the proposal from West Maui Land Co. and within HUD guidelines.
West Maui Development Co. consultant Rory Frampton said he was concerned about the deadlines, especially with more difficult lending practices today since the economy flat lined.
Sixteen people signed up to testify at Wednesday's meeting, most of whom supported the project.
"I'd love to have my own home," said Josh Guth after his testimony. He is working two jobs to get by. "I've been living on my parent's porch for the past 2-1/2 years. It's a nice view, but I would like to have my own place."
Guth also said he has brothers and sisters on Neighbor Islands who want to buy these houses.
"They want to come home," Guth said.
The nine-member Land Use Committee is made up of the entire County Council. That means Wednesday's vote will very likely reflect the outcome when it goes to the full council.
Officials in Mayor Alan Arakawa's administration endorsed the project, including Public Works Director David Goode.
The project's traffic-mitigation plan calls for the development to be accessed via Keawa, Kuhua and Kalena streets. The biggest public criticism of the project remains concerns about increased traffic.
Most of the council members complained about the state's fast-track approval process, which gives council members only 45 calendar days to review projects before voting. It's just not enough time to weigh the pros and cons properly, some members said.
The fast-track process also allows the developer certain exemptions from the long version of processes such as updating the community plan and zoning.
Council members still have the authority to put requirements on the developer before they get their subdivision approval.
One exemption the project received was county water meters because it is 100 percent affordable housing, administration officials said.
The former sugar cane plantation land is designated as agriculture and as open space in the community plan, and the developers need urban and residential zoning and state land use designation for it to move forward. The project includes a public park.
Cochran, who holds the West Maui residency seat, said she is pleased that the developers will build roads and sidewalks inside Kahoma. But she said she would like to see matching sidewalks and other road improvements in the neighborhoods nearby.
Hokama said he doesn't oppose Kahoma, but he expressed frustration with its location, while Cochran said she thought it circumvented the work of previous councils on the West Maui Community Plan.
Hokama also was one of the members upset with previous developers' long delays. He discussed a possible future crackdown on all those who have been given county entitlements in recent years for hundreds or thousands of housing units but still haven't built any homes.
However, Habitat for Humanity board member Gary Passon guaranteed that the nonprofit would build 10 of its homes.
* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
reprinted courtesy Maui News 11/17/11, original link www mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/555392.html
reprinted courtesy Maui News 12/3/11
by Chris Hamilton - Staff Writer, The Maui News
WAILUKU - The County Council approved resolutions Friday that allow the fast-tracked, 68-unit Kahoma affordable housing development to move ahead in West Maui.
The vote was 7-2 on the nearly 17-acre project that will be mauka of Honoapiilani Highway and makai of the planned route for the Lahaina bypass. The developers intend to market both ready-made lots for building as well as completed homes, all of which must fit within federal standards as affordably priced.
"This project will provide much-needed affordable housing in West Maui and do so in a timely manner," said Council Member Robert Carroll.
Carroll recently oversaw the Land Use Committee's deliberations over the project.
According to conditions in the agreement with the county, the developers, West Maui Land Co. Inc. and partner Habitat for Humanity, need to begin construction in the next three years and be done with the entire project in seven.
Council Members Elle Cochran and Riki Hokama voted no, just as they had opposed the project while it was in committee, saying the state's fast-track housing process to promote the construction of affordable homes goes too fast and doesn't allow enough time for discussion and serious contemplation by policy makers.
Council members had 45 days from formal introduction to make a decision, or add conditions. The deadline to vote was next Thursday, or the project would be approved as presented.
No council members said they were pleased with the tight deadline, and some said they could do a better job of reviewing such a project with more time.
The law provides for certain exemptions from county zoning, planning and construction standards for subdivisions, such as not needing to provide its own water source. The development can tap into the county's domestic drinking water and wastewater systems. But under the conditions, the developer must pay for the improvements needed to accommodate the subdivision.
The builders have pledged to follow all the conditions, such as restraints on allowing people to buy a cheaper home and turn around and resell it for a profit. They also said they intend to do all they can to mitigate traffic congestion and will construct sidewalks and trails in the subdivision's community park.
Mayor Alan Arakawa's administration offered its input during the process. For instance, Department of Public Works officials evaluated the traffic-impact studies and declared that the project would not have a significant impact.
The departments weighed in on the conditions, too, such as calling for the developers to construct lots up to 12,000 square feet for affordable homes. Habitat for Humanity has pledged to build 10 of those.
The conditions state that the finished lot and home sellers must use U.S. Housing and Urban Development guidelines to decide what is affordable, which are between 80 and 160 percent of a Maui family's median income. The completed homes would be priced between $298,100 and $685,515. A lot could go for as little as $60,000.
A couple of other conditions for the Kahoma Residential Subdivision project are that affordable homes must be built within three years of selling a lot and the developers must pay school impact fees for West Maui.
* Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.
reprinted courtesy Maui News 12/3/11, original link www
www mauinews.com/page/content.detail/id/555902.html
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