Nonprofit has eyes on project on Kuhio Highway in Waipouli

WAIPOULI — Within 10 miles of a proposed Waipouli Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity site, there are over 1,000 names interested in buying, Executive Director Milani Pimental said Tuesday.

Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity is seeking to make a small dent in the county’s housing crisis with the construction of 17 two-story housing units in Waipouli. The proposal was approved Tuesday by the county’s Planning Commission under recommendation by the county Planning Department.

The two-story units, which will break down to eight duplexes and one single-family residence, will include 12 three-bedroom and five two-bedroom units.

At least 13 will be sold at or below 80% of the county’s average median income, which is about $57,100 for a single person and $81,550 for a family of four, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The plans are for the remaining units to be sold at or below 115% AMI.

Because of the property’s location, Kaua‘i Habitat had to submit for a Special Management Area Use Permit application to develop the affordable-housing project, which covers 36,861 square feet in two adjoined parcels.

The property is proposed to be accessible through Wana Road, off Kuhio Highway, which raised concerns regarding parking and traffic. Many of those who spoke in opposition stated ownership at Kaua‘i Kailani, which is next door.

Kaua‘i Kailani Association of Unit Owners represents 57 units, board Chair Garry Weber said.

In testimony, Weber and the board pointed to safety concerns for the ingress and egress of Wana road, which “is already heavily used by the Kaua‘i Kailani residents and our neighbors along Niulani Road.”

Weber also pointed to the concern of putting the development “squarely in the middle of an area utilized primarily for short-term rental/vacation purposes.”

In written testimony, Weber continued to say that neighbors only recently became aware of the Planning Commission’s agenda item, where the developer may have had more time to work on the proposal.

“We are both perplexed and frustrated the developer made no effort to make connections with, or contact, those of us nearby neighbors in the more-than-450 days while they have prepared and formulated their intentions,” Weber said.

Commissioners, on the other hand, felt questions were sufficiently answered by the application.

“I’ve heard the concerns of the residents around the area, and it appears as though they don’t have all the documents that we on the commission may have,” Commissioner Glenda Nogami-Streufert said. “One of the issues that has come up frequently in both the written and oral testimony is the lack of parking. The documents that we have indicated that each unit will have a garage with two spaces in it.”

Placing the development in Waipouli, Pimental said, may actually reduce car use, as residents may find themselves taking up jobs within walking distance.

“While our previous projects have happened to be located right near schools, with affordable housing the priorities really are with, not necessarily school location, but ‘communities of opportunity,’ which certainly the Waipouli area as proposed presents that huge community of opportunity for local workforce within walkable access certainly to some 5,000 and more jobs in the area,” Pimental said.

Leona Sa McDermott, a Habitat homeowner and board member, said she had been on the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands wait list for a home for 29 years, but because of Habitat was able to achieve homeownership.

“This is only 17 families that will benefit from this project, and not enough to suffice for the rest of the 3,000-plus on our waiting list, but it’s better than nothing,” McDermott said.

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Sabrina Bodon, public safety and government reporter, can be reached at 245-0441 or sbodon@thegardenisland.com.