A new high-rise apartment building in Honolulu will be the first rental tower to serve beneficiaries of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL), an agency dedicated to returning Native Hawaiians to ancestral lands. The 23-story Hale Moiliili project, developed by Stanford Carr Development, will offer 278 units with rents ranging from $675 to $3,461 per month, reserved for households with low to moderate incomes.
Despite initial concerns from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) about potential vacancies, DHHL commissioners approved a 65-year ground lease for the project. HUD had pushed for broader tenant eligibility if demand from beneficiaries fell short, but later abandoned this provision.
The project, set to begin construction in December and finish in two years, aims to provide affordable rental housing for DHHL beneficiaries who may not be able to afford homeownership. With a waitlist of 28,700 beneficiaries seeking homesteads, many of whom have waited for decades, Hale Moiliili offers a unique opportunity for those in need of housing.
While some commissioners were hesitant about expanding tenant eligibility, others saw the project as a positive step towards utilizing DHHL-owned land effectively. The project’s success will depend on the demand from beneficiaries, with income limits in place to ensure that the units are occupied by those in need of affordable housing.
Overall, Hale Moiliili represents a milestone in providing rental housing for DHHL beneficiaries, and stakeholders are optimistic about its potential to address the housing needs of Native Hawaiians in the region.
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Photo credit www.thegardenisland.com
