Updated at 10:31 a.m., Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Affordable-housing discussion under way at conference
Advertiser Staff
About 260 planners, developers and affordable housing advocates gathered this morning to discuss barriers to creating affordable housing in the Islands.The Housing Hawai'i conference at the Hilton Hawaiian Village goes through 3 p.m., with a panel talk led by Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona.
This morning, Pamela Patenaude, U.S. Housing and Urban Development assistant secretary for community planning, spoke about federal initiatives to affordable housing and regulatory barriers to development.
"I was shocked at how many barriers there are in Hawai'i to create affordable housing," Patenaude said.
Housing Hawai'i is a coalition of nonprofits, state and county officials and for-profit developers.
It was created after a conference in 2005.
