Plan divides residents
of Ewa Villages

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Star-Bulletin

A plan that would steer the city away from an Ewa Villages bailout has residents of the former plantation community split.

Three resolutions tied to the plan -- involving the purchases of homes from two nonprofit agencies -- were moved out of the City Council's Policy Committee in a 7-0 vote yesterday.

Some residents are distrustful of the city's partners, citing their poor track record. Other residents, however, say it's time to complete the rehabilitation project started nearly a decade ago.

The revamped plan calls for the city to sell 88 unrehabilitated single-family residential units in Tenney and Renton villages to the Ewa Villages Nonprofit Development Corp. for $5.28 million, or $60,000 each.

The organization would fix up the homes and sell them at rates designated as affordable housing. Preference would be given to longtime Ewa Villages residents. The group would also purchase six refurbished model homes for $1.08 million.

An additional 41 houses in Tenney and Renton would be sold for $3.9 million to the Pacific Housing Assistance Corp. for its affordable rental and rent-to-own program. Homes would have to be completely rehabilitated in 24 months.

Some $4.67 million in unexpended federal funds would be available to the developers as no-interest loans under the city's housing partnership program.

"At the end of the loan, whatever monies are left over would be returned to the city so the monies are reinvested in the community," Malcolm Tom, city deputy managing director, said after the Policy Committee's meeting.

The city has been in partnership with both agencies in the Ewa Villages revitalization effort.

The new plan turns over ownership to the nonprofit organizations, city officials said.

"What this does is get this off the city's books and onto somebody else's," Deputy Corporation Counsel David Laxson told Council members.

"We've closed the loop," Tom said.

Louis Maria, president of the Old Ewa Villages Community Association, said a majority of the members of his organization are against the deals. The city has not asked for the community's input on the deals, he said.

Maria echoed others who believe the development corporation, in particular, has been guilty of shoddy workmanship and unresponsiveness. A petition signed by more than 70 Ewa Villages residents called on the city to not enter into new agreements with the development corporation.

Maureen Aberdondo, a purchaser of a home rehabilitated by Ewa Villages Nonprofit Development Corp., said her house is filled with structural faults.

"I feel like we've been shafted," she said. "It's like they used cheap materials."