DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

NEIL ABERCROMBIE
GOVERNOR

JOBIE M.K. MASAGATANI
DIRECTOR

NEWS RELEASE
Dec. 3, 2013

Maui Homesteader Appointed to Hawaiian Homes Commission

•  Download a PDF version of this release

HONOLULU, HAWAI‘I – Today, Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed Doreen Napua Gomes to represent Maui Island on the Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC), the nine-member board tasked with overseeing the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL).

The 64-year-old Hawaiian homesteader from Kula, Maui, is an active board member of the Waiohuli Hawaiian Homestead Association and played an integral role in the development of the Waiohuli Community & Recreational Center, which has been under construction since last summer.

Gomes is employed as a building permits facilitator for Palekana Permits, but finds time to serve as president-elect of the Maui Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce, whose mission it is to enhance the socio-economic status of native Hawaiians in business. She also serves on the board of the Kula Community Association, and is an active member of the ‘Ahahui Ka’ahumanu, a civic club dedicated to caring for the elderly and the ill.

“Pua Gomes is a shining example of an active Hawaiian homesteader with her finger on the pulse of the Hawaiian homestead community on Maui,” said Jobie Masagatani, HHC Chair and DHHL Director, “We look forward to tapping into this experience at the Commission.”

Born and raised on the island of Maui, Gomes retired from Hawaiian Telcom in 2005. Gomes is no stranger to government agency oversight. She currently serves as commissioner for the Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety, and from 2005 to 2010, Gomes served on the Maui Police Commission, spending her last two years as Chair. She also served on boards at the Boys & Girls Club of Maui and Hui No Ke Ola Pono, a native Hawaiian health non-profit.

In addition, Gomes is an advocate for the American Cancer Society and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and she has been a Maui County Health Volunteer since 2007. Gomes earned an associate’s degree in general studies from the University of Phoenix.

Gomes fills the seat left vacant by Perry Artates, who resigned in August 2013. If confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate in January, Gomes will serve the rest of Artates’ term, ending June 30, 2015.

ABOUT THE HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION

The nine-member Hawaiian Homes Commission consists of three residents of the City & County of Honolulu; two residents of the County of Maui, with one being a resident of Moloka‘i; two residents of the County of Hawai‘i, one being a resident of East Hawai‘i and the other a resident of West Hawai‘i; one is a resident of the County of Kaua‘i; and the ninth member is the Chairman. Members must be residents of the State at least three years prior to their appointment. At least four of the members must have not less than one-fourth Hawaiian blood. The Chairman serves as the full-time administrator of the Department; other members of the Commission serve without pay.

(For a high-resolution image, click here)

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Media Contact:
Punialoha Chee
Public Information Officer
(808) 620-9591
Punialoha.Chee@hawaii.gov
dhhl.hawaii.gov

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PUBLIC NOTICE TO SUCCESSORS

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS
HOMESTEAD SERVICES DIVISION
APPLICATIONS BRANCH

NOTICE TO POSSIBLE SUCCESSORS OF THE FOLLOWING DECEASED APPLICANTS, WHO DIED ON OR AFTER OCTOBER 26, 1998, AND FAILED TO DESIGNATE A SUCCESSOR TO THEIR HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS APPLICATION RIGHTS UNDER HAWAIIAN HOMES COMMISSION ACT, 1920, AS AMENDED.

• Please see our 2013 Public Notice To Successors page for the 2013 list

Relatives of the above-named decedents including spouse, children, and grandchildren; parents; widows or widowers of the children; brothers and sisters; widows and widowers of the brothers and sisters; or nieces and nephews, who are at least eighteen (18) years of age and are descendants of not less than one-half (50%) part of the blood of the races inhabiting the Hawaiian Islands previous to 1778, are hereby notified to present their claims for the Hawaiian Home Lands Application Rights of the above-named decedents. Written claims, with duly authenticated and certified copies of Hawaiian blood quantum verifications must be presented tothe Applications Branch of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, 91-5420 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, Hawai’i 96707 or at any of the District Offices of the Department, within one hundred eighty (180) days from the last day of publication of this notice, or such relatives may be forever barred from succeeding to the Application Rights in question.

Last Publication Date: November 24, 2013

Dated: 10/16/2013, Honolulu, Hawaii

Jobie M.K. Masagatani, Chair
Hawaiian Homes Commission

November 17 & 24, 2013
HS&CPN

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On November  17 & 24, 2013, the 2013 Public Notice for Deceased Applicants will be published in the legal ads sections of five newspapers of general circulation in the State of Hawaii:

• The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
• The Maui News
• West Hawaii Today
• The Hawaii Tribune-Herald
• The Garden Island

There will be 59 names published for a total of 86 applications.  Attached is the public notice ad and the form to succeed.  Successors must submit their written requests, time-stamped received by any DHHL District Office by May 24, 2014 or else the application(s) will be cancelled via Hawaiian Homes Commission meeting some time after the deadline.  Eligible successors must be 50% native Hawaiian, 18 years of age, and an eligible relative to the decedent — spouse, children, and grandchildren; parents; widows or widowers of the children; brothers and sisters; widows and widowers of the brothers and sisters; or nieces and nephews.

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DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

NEIL ABERCROMBIE
GOVERNOR

JOBIE M.K. MASAGATANI
DIRECTOR

NEWS RELEASE

Hawaiian Homes Commission Supports Panaʻewa Community Center
and East Hawaiʻi Loss Mitigation Pilot Projects

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  November 19, 2013
• Click to download a PDF version of this release

KEAUKAHA, HAWAI‘I – The Hawaiian Homes Commission (HHC) voted yesterday to issue a license for approximately 13 acres of Hawaiian Homes Trust lands to a Pana‘ewa Hawaiian homestead organization for the construction of a community center that will include a community garden, incubator kitchen and classrooms.

The Kamoleao Laulima Community Resource Center is the vision of the Pana‘ewa Hawaiian Home Lands Community Association (PHHLCA), a non-profit corporation serving Hawaiian homesteaders in Pana‘ewa.

The PHHLCA, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi secured a $605,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the planning, design and construction of the community center. Despite receiving professional planning and design work at pro bono or reduced rates, the PHHLCA is still $200,000 short on the cost of infrastructure.

The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) is working with PHHLCA to investigate options to assist in financing necessary infrastructure improvements. Upon completion of the site work, DHHL will propose a 30-year license to the HHC for consideration and approval so that the construction of the community center can finally begin.

The HHC yesterday also approved a pilot program that has the potential to prevent lease cancellations for severely delinquent Hawaiian homesteaders on East Hawai‘i.

East Hawai‘i homesteaders were identified as the most severely delinquent on DHHL direct loans in a report by the State Auditor released in April. Outreach by DHHL staff set up interim repayment plans with 67 percent of delinquent East Hawai‘i lessees.

In the pilot project, lessees who have set-up interim repayment plans will explore loss mitigation options using federal funds provided under the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant to refinance, pay the past due amount, and/or defer partial repayment, in an effort to get out of delinquency.

However, 19 percent of East Hawai‘i lessees in delinquency did not respond or expressed no interest in making an effort to address their delinquency, and will therefore be referred to the Department’s contested case hearing process. The remaining 14 percent of lessees are already in the lease cancellation process.

The Commission reconvened today at the East Hawai‘i District Office in Keaukaha. For a copy of the HHC Agenda and for more information, visit dhhl.hawaii.gov/hhc.

ABOUT THE KAMOLEAO LAULIMA COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER

The Kamoleao Laulima Community Resource Center is planned for 12.77 acres in Pana‘ewa along Puainako Street, between ‘Ohu’ohu Street and Railroad Avenue. The goal of the community center is to provide low- and moderate-income native Hawaiian youths, adults, and families with community-based education and training in: financial literacy, micro-enterprise business development, food cultivation, environmental stewardship, and Hawaiian culture and language. Construction plans include a 1,800 square-foot incubator kitchen and classroom building, and a two-acre community garden.

ABOUT THE EAST HAWAIʻI LOSS MITIGATION PILOT PROGRAM

Eligibility criteria for participation in the pilot program include: (1) having income that does not exceed 80 percent of the area median income; (2) having a direct loan that has never been refinanced; (3) enrolling and successfully completing financial literacy education; (4) being disabled; (5) experiencing hardship and other mitigating factors.

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Media Contact:
Punialoha Chee
Public Information Officer
(808) 620-9591 Office / (808)282-9031 Cell
Punialoha.Chee@hawaii.gov
dhhl.hawaii.gov

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DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

NEIL ABERCROMBIE
GOVERNOR

JOBIE M.K. MASAGATANI
DIRECTOR

NEWS RELEASE

DeBartolo Kapolei Mall Project Moves Forward
Ka Makana Ali‘i will be O‘ahu’s third largest shopping mall

• FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
• November 14, 2013
• Click to download a PDF version of this release

KAPOLEI, HAWAI‘I – DeBartolo Development was granted a one-year time extension in a unanimous vote by the Hawaiian Homes Commission today, allowing the developer of the $500 million Ka Makana Ali‘i regional shopping center in East Kapolei to finalize its design and financing for the project.

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has been in ongoing negotiations with DeBartolo regarding the conditions of the agreement, primarily due to the economic climate. The affirmative vote by the Commission moves the project forward.

“I’m optimistic about this project and the positive impacts it will have on our programs and our ability to place native Hawaiian families on the land,” said Jobie Masagatani, chair of the Hawaiian Homes Commission and director of DHHL. “I commend the Commission for their thoughtful stewardship and thank my staff for their hard work and efforts in bringing us forward.”

Under the agreed upon terms, DeBartolo will pay DHHL more than $600 million in rent over the course of 65 years for use of 67 acres of land between Kapolei Parkway, Roosevelt Avenue and Kualaka‘i Parkway in Kapolei. Revenues from the master lease will finance the building of hundreds of homesteads for native Hawaiians adjacent to the center and open up other homesteading opportunities statewide.

In responding to community concerns, DeBartolo agreed to a community benefits package estimated at $5.5 million for the first 25 years of the project. In addition, the developer agreed to construct a community park in the Hawaiian homestead community of Kānehili, the details of which are to be negotiated between DHHL and the beneficiaries of the Kapolei region.

DeBartolo plans to break ground for construction of the 1.4 million square-foot project on 67 acres of DHHL land next year, with Phase I scheduled to open in 2015.

Upon completion, Ka Makana Ali‘i will be the third largest regional mall on O‘ahu, after Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center. The project is expected to bring an economic boost to West O‘ahu, creating thousands of jobs in construction and retail. Development plans include a major department store, a movie theater, retail stores, restaurants, two hotels, and office space.

ABOUT DEBARTOLO DEVELOPMENT, LLC

For more than six decades, the DeBartolo name has been an icon in the real estate industry. Founded by legendary entrepreneur Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., DeBartolo pioneered the mall concept and built some of the most well-known shopping meccas in the nation. Led today by Edward J. DeBartolo Jr., former owner of the five-time Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers and three-time Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and his brother, Edward Kobel, DeBartolo Development is one of the largest privately held real estate development companies in the country. With years of work in ground-up development, joint venture projects and asset management, DeBartolo Development has extensive experience in a wide range of capabilities. From basic retail centers to the most modern mixed-use environments, to reliable investment opportunities, DeBartolo Development continues the family tradition with a suite of solutions created to meet the unique challenges of today’s market. For more information about DeBartolo Development, please visit our Website at ww.debartolodevelopment.com.

ABOUT DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

Created by the U.S. Congress by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920, assimilated by the State of Hawai‘i in 1959 as part of the Statehood Act, the Hawaiian Homes Commission exists to administer the Act and the 200,000 acres of land set aside for native Hawaiians. The Commission consists of nine commissioners, including the Chair, who also serves as the Director of the state agency known as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.

Artist’s rendering of Ka Makani Ali’i.

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Media Contact:
Punialoha Chee
Public Information Officer
(808) 620-9591 Office / (808)282-9031 Cell
Punialoha.Chee@hawaii.gov
dhhl.hawaii.gov

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FOR THE RECORD

The following are questions (in bold) subitted by Rob Perez of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and our verbatim answers to those questions.

• See also: Dept. Achieves 82 Percent Compliance On Commercial Leases

At my request, Commissioner Renwick “Uncle Joe” Tassill provided me with a list distributed at last week’s commission meeting showing the revocable permit holders who were in default.

I’m working on a story about this and was hoping you could answer some questions regarding the permits on the default list and other related issues. If you could get back to me by Thursday morning, Nov. 7, I would appreciate it.

Here are the questions:

In July, the department said 80 percent of the RP holders were in compliance, with the remaining 20 percent not in compliance. The default list I have has 24 permit holders. That’s roughly 13 percent of the nearly 180 permit holders. Can you explain the difference between the 20 percent who were not in compliance in July and the 13 percent in default as of last week? Did some of those non-compliant permit holders from July take steps to return to compliance, reducing the numbers actually in default?

Nine RPs, or 5 percent, were not renewed either by the permitee or DHHL.  Notification via certified mail went out to the remaining 24 former RP holders, or 13 percent, who were found to be non-compliant and have been given until Nov. 29 to remedy all outstanding violations.  The remaining 82 percent were compliant with the conditions of their leases by the time notices were sent out.

What is the status of the 24 cases on the list? Are any of them close to correcting the defaults? If so, please elaborate on those cases.

Permitees who were found to be non-compliant with the conditions of their agreements have been given until Nov. 29 to remedy all outstanding violations.

I’ve been told that Stuart Hanchett has taken down or is in the process of taking down his home on the Kauai RP parcel. What is the status of his permit and the illegal structure on that parcel?

Mr. Hanchett will not be considered for any land use disposition, including a right-of-entry, without first bringing his current parcel into compliance with the terms of his permit.  It is our understanding that Mr. Hanchett is in the process of removing his illegal structure.

For RP 173, the violations include unauthorized boundary expansion, non-compliance with use provisions and illegal structures. Please elaborate on the extent of the unauthorized boundary expansion, what non-permitted uses were occurring on the parcel and how many and what types of illegal structures were on the property.

DHHL does not take this matter lightly, and has conducted a thorough investigation into these violations.  We understand that you may have received information regarding this matter from other parties.  However, we have been advised to not comment at this time because this matter may involve litigation.

Similarly, for RP 321, please elaborate on the extent of the unauthorized boundary expansion, what non-permitted uses were occurring on the parcel and how many and what type of unauthorized structures were on the property.

DHHL does not take this matter lightly, and has conducted a thorough investigation into these violations.  We understand that you may have received information regarding this matter from other parties.  However, we have been advised to not comment at this time because this matter may involve litigation.

A couple of the cases list subleasing as a violation. Are RP holders generally prohibited from subleasing any portion of their parcels to other tenants?

RP holders are prohibited from subleasing without departmental approval.

Please elaborate on the PASHA Group’s default violations listed for RP 309.

DHHL does not take this matter lightly, and has conducted a thorough investigation into these violations.  We understand that you may have received information regarding this matter from other parties.  However, we have been advised to not comment at this time because this matter may involve litigation.

For the RP holders with rent delinquencies, please detail the amount each RP holder was in arrears as of the compiling of this list.

Have all 170-plus RPs been converted to ROEs, including the ones on this default list?

The RP accounts that are identified for conversion to ROEs are still being processed.

What is the status of the effort to come up with new regulations for a reformed RP program? Does the department expect to have the revised program in place by a targeted date?

Review and formulation of recommendations for a revised Revocable Permit program is continuing with the assistance of the Attorney General’s office, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the Department of Budget and Finance.

Is a RP moratorium still in effect or has DHHL resumed approving revocable permits? If so, please elaborate.

The department is still in the process of re-formulating the program.

My series in May revealed that the commission about four years ago revoked the permit for the Correa Ranch property in Waimanalo, yet the two brothers still had use of the property. That was six months ago. Has that situation changed? If so, please elaborate.

This matter continues to be with the Attorney General’s office.

The series also mentioned that four homes and five other structures were on a Big Island (Waimea) homestead parcel leased by Flora Solomon even though DHHL regulations permit only one home per homestead lot and, under certain circumstances, a worker’s quarters. DHHL said at the time that the department had been discussing the issue with the lessee. Has that situation changed over the past six months? If so, please elaborate.

The department is still in discussions with the lessee.

Please provide any other information to help explain the status of the above cases and the effort to reform the revocable permit program. Also, please send me a copy of the list showing which RP holders are in default. I want to verify that the list I received is complete.

Finally, please provide an overall statement about how the planned changes are expected to improve the RP program.

Revenue generated from DHHL lands, which includes the RP program, is an important component that allows the department to build new infrastructure supporting the placement of native Hawaiian beneficiaries on the land while at the same time generating resources to maintain and repair the infrastructure of our existing communities. Although the Revocable Permit program is still under review, DHHL looks forward to an improved land management tool that will increase revenues through a competitive selection process.

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