PRESS RELEASE: Community invited to town hall on affordable apartments in Lahaina
http://mauicounty.us/housing/lahainaapts/ (copied below) ****** For Immediate Release: February 10, 2022 Press Release by: Tamara Paltin, Councilmember Maui County Council [email protected] Community invited to town hall on affordable apartments in Lahaina LĀHAINĀ, Hawai‘i—Councilmember Tamara Paltin announced today she will host an in-person community town hall on Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center Amphitheater to discuss upcoming affordable-housing opportunities in Lahaina. Discussion will include comprehensive information regarding the application, lottery and lease process, and construction updates for Kaiāulu o Kupuohi and Kaiāulu o Kūku‘ia apartment projects developed by Ikaika Ohana. Paltin encourages West Maui residents earning 60 percent or below the area median income to learn about and apply for the projects. “I anticipate this meeting to serve as a great resource for Lāhainā residents who would like to know how to prepare to apply for these crucial low-income housing units,” said Paltin, who is in her second term holding the council’s West Maui residency area seat. “Ikaika Ohana recognizes that many in our community are anxiously awaiting these projects and are committed to equipping our eligible residents to apply.” Paltin said income qualifications can be reviewed at page 9 on the county’s online Income Limits and Affordable Rent Guidelines: https://tinyurl.com/LahainaApts. The town hall will also include an update on Front Street Apartments, Paltin said. Seating will not be provided. Participants are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets, and sit in family or household groups to adhere to social distancing. For more information, contact the Office of Councilmember Tamara Paltin at (808) 270-5504. ###
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DHHL, Spend Your Money!
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) administers about 200,000 acres of public lands to be leased to native Hawaiians, upon which they may live, farm, ranch, and engage in commercial or other activities. The department, led by a nine-member commission, must provide financial and technical assistance to native Hawaiians (those with at least 50 percent Hawaiian blood), which enables them to enhance their economic self-sufficiency and promote community-based development. According to the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, by doing this, the traditions, culture, and quality of life of native Hawaiians will be self-sustaining. In practice, however, moving native Hawaiians to homestead lands has been an agonizingly slow process. The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement reported that the list of Native Hawaiians awaiting homestead land leases has been growing steadily from nearly 26,000 in 2010 to more than 28,700 today. It’s no exaggeration to say that scores of Hawaiians have died on the wait list. Back in 2015, we wrote about agencies that received federal grants but were unable or unwilling to spend the money. DHHL was listed at that time as having $55 million in federal housing funds awarded for Native Hawaiians but unspent, resulting in HUD suspending additional funding. House Bill 2511 and its companion Senate Bill 3359 in this year’s Legislature propose to provide a historic amount of funding, $600 million, to DHHL. If enacted, this would be the single largest state or federal investment in the program in any one year in the 100-year history of the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act. The bill currently has great support in both chambers of the Legislature. We want to make sure that DHHL will be able to use the money for their mission. Some statistics on their website, however, make us concerned. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides a Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program. DHHL is the sole recipient of such grants. In 2014, DHHL was sitting on about $55 million in federal funds unspent, as a result of which HUD stopped providing additional funding in 2016. Recent news reports say that the federal money is still not flowing. DHHL’s website, http://dhhl.hawaii.gov/nahasda/, shows its current grant status: 2014 14HBGHI0001 $9,700,000 $7,736,927.94 (80%) expended 2015 15HBGHI0001 $8,700,000 $59,575.66 (0.007%) expended 2016 0 No federal appropriations 2017 17HBGHI0001 $2,000,000 No expenditures/encumbrances 2018 18HBGHI0001 $2,000,000 No expenditures/encumbrances 2019 19HBGHI0001 $2,000,000 No expenditures/encumbrances It’s 2022, and the agency is still working on 2014 and 2015 money. We need to understand the problems that are preventing this money from doing some good here in Hawaii. We can’t throw a great deal more money at it blindly. When these statistics were presented to the Legislature, DHHL was motivated to respond to us by saying that the block grant funds were all obligated, and that the available balance of block grant funds was slightly over $14 million. They also noted that the U.S. Treasury recognized DHHL as a high performing grantee in expending funds for rental assistance provided through the Consolidated Appropriations Act. Just to be clear, we are not at all opposing a historic level of funding for DHHL. We just want to make sure the money is put to good use and does not languish. So, we need to understand the operational challenges and we need to address them directly if we want to do the most good. Email sent to WMTA:
Aloha West Maui Taxpayers Association Staff, The State of Hawaii Department of Transportation, Highways Division (HDOT) is planning improvements to Honoapiilani Highway (State Route 30) between Launiupoko and Ukumehame that would address the roadway’s vulnerability to coastal hazards and sea level rise. HDOT anticipates preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Planning Act (NEPA) and Chapter 343 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS 343), Hawaii’s environmental impact statement law, to evaluate and disclose the project’s potential environmental impacts and identify permitting requirements. Prior to preparing a HRS 343 EIS preparation notice (EISPN) or NEPA Notice of Intent (NOI), which formally note the start of the environmental review process, we are gathering information from stakeholders and agencies who may have knowledge of the project area. At this time, we are seeking input on the proposed project as well as information related to any environmental, social, or economic concerns related to the project or project area, which are described in greater detail below. A location map showing the general project area is attached. Both State and federal funds will be used for this project, including a $22 million Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) construction grant. This grant was competitively awarded by the US Department of Transportation for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. Overview of Proposed Project HDOT is proposing improvements to a 6mile stretch of Honoapiilani Highway between Ukumehame, at approximately milepost 11, and Launiupoko, at approximately milepost 17. Honoapiilani Highway, which is part of Maui’s Belt Road system, is a two-lane principal arterial highway that provides sole access to communities along the west coast of Maui with the rest of the Island. The Highway currently runs along the coastline and is chronically threatened by erosion, high wave flooding, and sea-level rise, as well as other less frequent but potentially devastating natural hazards such as tsunami and hurricanes/storm surge. The project will look at alternatives to address the susceptibility of the highway to these occurrences. Request for Input HDOT welcomes any comments and input you may have on the purpose and need for this project, possible alternatives, or any information related to any environmental, social, or economic concerns related to the project or project area. We kindly request that information or responses be provided in writing via email to me at: [email protected] by March 8, 2022. Upcoming Townhall Meeting Community town hall meetings will be held on-line as follows: Tuesday, February 22, 2022 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Online Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84932844163 or Join by Phone: 888-475-4499 (Toll-free) Meeting ID: 849 3284 4163 Thursday, February 24, 2022 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Online Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82088238611 or Join by Phone: 888-475-4499 (Toll-free) Meeting ID: 820 8823 8611 Meeting details are also on our project website – www.honoapiilanihwyimprovements.com. Please check back regularly as the website will be updated as the project progresses Please contact me with any questions and thank you in advance for your input. Sincerely, Genevieve Sullivan Project Manager To request language interpretation an auxiliary aid or special services (e.g. sign language interpreter, materials in alternate format), please contact me prior to the meeting dates. Please submit requests in a timely manner to allow an adequate period to fulfill requests. Genevieve Hilliard Sullivan Planner VI, HDOT Highways 808-587-1834 | [email protected] http://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/ 869 Punchbowl Street Room 301, Honolulu, HI, 96813 |
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