[ OUR OPINION ]
Low-cost housing plan
makes good use of landAFFORDABLE rental housing could become more available under a bill enacted by this year's Legislature and implemented by Governor Lingle beyond its provisions. Lingle said she plans to use state land for construction of 17,000 units of affordable housing during a five-year period. Her plan will make best use of the legislative action, which increased the state's bond authority to raise money for affordable housing.
THE ISSUE
The governor has announced plans to use state land as sites for building affordable housing.
Lingle announced her plan last week in a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, apparently taking some Democrats by surprise. Brickwood Galuteria, that party's new state chairman, criticized the plan, saying, "A truly workable solution will require much more than choosing some sites on which to build housing." He said social services need to be increased to "help the homeless get back on their feet."
That's true, but Galuteria's flippant remarks could be interpreted as a swipe at the Democrat-controlled Legislature, which approved the bond bill unanimously. In her speech, Lingle praised the legislators for increasing her bond authority under the Hula Mae Multi-Family Housing program from $200 million to $300 million.
Lingle signed the bill earlier this month at the planned 155-unit Senior Residence project in Iwilei. "The need for affordable rental housing is intensifying," she said at the signing, promising that her administration will "shine the light on the need for affordable rentals throughout the summer." She added that the amount of construction flowing from the increased bonding authority "depends on how successful we are in leveraging with developers."
The bill did not specify that state land be used for the program, but Lingle said putting hundreds of acres to that use will more effectively enable construction of the 17,000 lower-cost rental units envisioned in the bill. They will be made available to families with incomes of as much as 80 percent of the median income -- ranging from $36,800 for a single person to $69,400 for a family of eight.
Lingle cited two 100-acre sites on the Big Island and five on Kauai, and said sites on Maui are being sought. She said the developments would address "an exploding need for affordable housing." Nearly half of Hawaii's 6,000 homeless live on the neighbor islands, she said.
Galuteria apparently is disturbed that Lingle might be observed as stealing the thunder on an issue the Democrats always have claimed to be their own -- helping the poor. His statement that homelessness has been "a chronic problem long enough" is a peculiar commentary on 40 years of Democratic rule in Hawaii.
The longtime radio deejay turned politico urged Lingle to "open the process up and abandon any political labels. Let's do it as a community." That is precisely what the governor is doing. It is unfortunate the Galuteria feels left out.
