Posted on: Wednesday, March 6, 2002

EDITORIAL
Kupuna complex a model for others

It may not shorten the Hawaiian homesteads waiting list of 19,000 names, but there's ample cause to celebrate the long-delayed completion of the Waimanalo kupuna housing project.

In the works since 1994, the pilot project to house elderly low-income Hawaiians — many of whom have been languishing on the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands waiting list — has overcome numerous hurdles, including developer changes, financing problems and concerns about sewage capacity, traffic and security.

At times, it looked as if the development was doing the dance of death. But teamwork among the DHHL, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, various trusts and financial institutions kept it alive.

By all indications, the unique Windward side project appears to be a great deal for seniors who want their own place but don't want to be isolated. Aside from its scenic location across from Waimanalo Beach Park, the $11.5 million development offers 85 one-bedroom garden apartments on a 5.9-acre site and a senior center.

Rent ranges from around $300 to $545 a month. Next door is a community center offering educational and recreational services and more. Tenants include Kamehameha Schools, Queen Lili'uokalani Children's Center and the Waimanalo Hawaiian Homes Association.

To qualify, renters must be 62 or older, at least half Hawaiian and must earn no more than 80 percent of O'ahu's median income. They still are eligible for Hawaiian homestead leases and need not give up their place on the waiting list.

The Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921 set aside some 200,000 acres for people who are at least half Hawaiian. But moving Hawaiians onto the land proceeded slow as molasses for at least the first 60 years. Under the last three DHHL administrations, the effort has speeded up. But the needs of homesteaders in waiting, particular the older ones, have changed and so have their options.

And so, if all goes well in Waimanalo, we'd like to see this project duplicated on the Leeward Coast and other parts of the state.