July 21, 2004
Developers brainstorm with Lingle on affordable housing
Howard Dicus
Gov. Linda Lingle, who told the Chamber of Commerce
of Hawaii last week that she wanted to huddle with
developers to
consider solutions to the state's homeless problem, reveals
she has now done so.
The governor's office said Tuesday that Lingle met Monday "with
several private land developers" to brainstorm to
create
17,000 affordable rental housing units in six years,
and recommended that the state combine financing, permitting,
constructing
and managing of affordable rental projects under the
aegis of a single entity using private money from the
business community.
Such a plan could require legislative enabling at the
outset but would dodge time-consuming political and bureaucratic
processes thereafter, especially since no state funds
would be required.
"We're doing this because there's a need and it's
the right thing to do," said developer Stanford
Carr. "If we don't address it
now, and do it together, we will face serious social
and economic consequences."
"For years service providers like us have worked
to help the homeless, but we've never met with developers
who build homes
that these people need," said Carol Ignacio, with
the Office of Social Ministry of Hilo. "I'm encouraged
and hopeful."
Gov. Lingle will next host a meeting with county officials
to enlist their aid in speeding up the process. Several
of the most
time-consuming steps in developing housing involve county
governments.
Lingle administration officials, meanwhile, will continue
to work on identifying specific parcels of land that
can be used for
affordable housing. Last Thursday the governor told the
chamber that two sites had been identified on the Kona
side of the Big
Island, five sites had been identified on Kauai, and
discussions were well underway on Maui.
"Meeting participants said there is a need to focus
on the urban core of Oahu and other islands, where jobs
and services are
most accessible," the governor's office said Tuesday. "The
private sector participants committed to approach private
land
owners, including various trusts, about donating parcels
or leasing land for nominal amounts."
There were about 20 people in the meeting, the governor's
office said. Among them, representatives from the following
public
and private organizations:
- Schuler Homes Hawaii
- Stanford Carr Development
- Haseko Construction
- Ko Olina Co.
- Castle & Cooke
- Armstrong Properties
- Bank of Hawaii
- Honsador Lumber Corp.
- Housing and Community Development
Corporation of Hawaii
- State Department of Hawaiian
Home Lands
- State Department of Land and Natural
Resources
- Institute for Human Services
- Kalihi Palama Health
Center
- Office of Social Ministry
- Chamber of Commerce of
Hawaii
"The homeless problem facing our state has grown
too large for any one organization or company to solve
on its own," Lingle
said Tuesday in a statement. "We have ignored
this issue for too long."
SMS Research estimates that there are 6,000 homeless
people in the state, of whom 3,300 are on Oahu,
1,100 in Maui County,
1,200 on the Big Island and another 300 on Kauai.
There were only about 3,000 homeless in Hawaii
as recently as 1999, SMS
says. Fewer than 17 percent of people surveyed
cited drug abuse as a factor in their homelessmess,
while 41 percent cited
eviction for inability to pay their rent.
"The lack of affordable rentals is a serious
problem for many working families, so this is a
critical issue for the business
community," said Christine Camp Friedman,
the new chamber chairwoman.
When the problem is called "affordable housing" instead
of "the homeless," it suddenly gets bigger.
For every homeless person
in Hawaii there are several who still have homes
but work multiple jobs to meet the rent.
"We are bringing our resources together and
developing a comprehensive, coordinated approach
to addressing this critical
issue," said HCDCH Executive Director Stephanie
Aveiro. Her agency will hold a public forum on
the issue at the State
Capitol next month.
Reach Howard Dicus at hdicus@bizjournals.comhdicus@bizjournals.com
Pacific Business News (Honolulu) - July 21, 2004
http://pacific.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2004/07/19/daily33.html
© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.
|
