29 Kapolei Homestead Lots Awarded Today

Posted on Apr 21, 2012 in Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Hawaiian Home Lands

April 21, 2012

29 More Kapolei “Green” Homes Offered To DHHL Beneficiaries

Hawaiian Home Lands awards first homesteads of 2012 in Kānehili

KAPOLEI, HAWAIʻI – The State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) welcomed another 29 Native Hawaiian families into its “green,” energy efficient Kānehili community today in Kapolei.

“Our mission of returning Native Hawaiians to their ancestral lands is realized again today,” said Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Alapaki Nahale-a, “We celebrate with these families who are on the path toward home ownership and self-determination.”

“We see today’s ceremony as continuing the governor’s pledge to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians,” said Bruce Coppa, Governor Neil Abercrombie’s Chief of Staff, who attended the ceremony on behalf of the Governor. “Today’s event will also mean the construction of beautiful, affordable, green homes located close to education, jobs and community recreation.”

This is the seventh phase of awards for homes in Kānehili, the DHHL’s first “green” subdivision.

The turnkey homes will be constructed by Gentry Homes, Ltd., and they range in price from the two-bedroom, two-bath Kukui model home for $227,300, to a five-bedroom, three-bath Lokelani model home for $301,000. The sizes of the homes range from 1,008 square feet of living space to about 1,675 square feet.

Each home will have provisions to accommodate the future use of electric cars as well as energy-savings measures that will help new homeowners save anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of their energy bill.

The homes all include a solar water heater, energy-efficient air conditioning, hybrid insulation, “low flow” plumbing fixtures, dual pane Low E vinyl windows, and a fluorescent lighting package.

Lessees pay $1 a year for a 99-year lease and they must also qualify for a mortgage as part of the award process. About 45 applicants qualified to be invited to today’s lot selection.

This project is also the first to complete homes under the Undivided Interest Awards program. This program provides a lease interest in a larger piece of property until it is subdivided into individual lots.

The program is designed to award a lease during engineering and site construction, thus providing at least two years for the beneficiary to financially qualify for a mortgage loan. Qualifying for a mortgage has been a major roadblock because in the past an applicant needed to financially qualify for a mortgage before they could accept a homestead lease.

East Kapolei I is a 92-acre parcel located on the ʻEwa Plains, adjacent to the University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu, which is currently under construction. On-site improvements including construction of roadways, drainage, sewer, water and electrical systems cost $31.7 million. Offsite improvements including the Kapolei Parkway extension, a 4.0 million gallon water reservoir, water transmission, water mains and sewer trunk lines cost another $26.3 million for the development.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Crystal Kua
Administrator, Information & Communication Relations Office
Hawaiian Home Lands
808-620-9591
[email protected]

Here are photos from today’s event: