Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard Designated Floodplain

and Adjacent to a Wetland

 

Date: June 23, 2025

To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals

 

This is to give notice that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Order 11988 as amended by Executive Order 13690 and 11990, in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management and Wetlands Protection. The activity is funded under the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program (NAHASDA) under HUD grant 24HBGHI0001.

The proposed project is located in the Hawaiian Homestead Community in Nānākuli and the Princess Kahanu Estates subdivision, located on the leeward coast of the island of Oʻahu within the ahupuaʻa of Lualualei, moku of Waiʻanae, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and areas of the proposed project are in the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) floodplain and lands mapped as wetlands. The extent of the FFRMS was determined using a 0.2 percent flood approach. The proposed project is the expenditure of NAHASDA funds for the rehabilitation, demolition/re-construction, and infill new construction of up to twenty percent of the 1,375 buildings on residential lots and 16 lots containing buildings that serve various community functions within the established mixed-use neighborhood of Nānākuli and Princess Kahanu Estates on Hawaiian Homestead land. The purpose of the proposed project is to provide people of native Hawaiian ancestry with safe and secure housing by retaining and increasing beneficiary housing supply in existing DHHL communities. 

A site-specific review of any project activities that are proposed on lots within the project area that are in the FFRMS floodplain or mapped as containing wetlands will also be conducted. The proposed project, which is primarily focused on rehabilitating existing single-family dwellings, will then advance on a lot-by-lot basis. As the need arises, a more in-depth assessment and action to avoid, minimize, or mitigate for any specific activities proposed on lots that are located within the FFRMS floodplain and lands mapped as wetlands will be taken. The proposed project serves the DHHL’s mission to provide people of native Hawaiian ancestry with safe and secure housing by retaining and increasing Beneficiary housing supply in existing DHHL communities while meeting the requirements of Executive Orders 11988 as amended by Executive Order 13690 and 11990.

Although most of the project area is located in Zone X (Outside 0.2%-Annual-Chance Floodplain, which is also the lowest risk flood zone in the state of Hawaiʻi), parts of the project may be located near/adjacent to or overlap with special flood hazard areas, including Zone A (1%-Annual-Chance-Flood, no BFE), Zone AE (1%-Annual-Chance Flood, with BFE), Zone AEF: (Floodway Areas in Zone AE), and Zone D (Unstudied Areas). No project development activities are proposed in Zone AEF: Floodway Hazard Areas in Zone AE.

A number of wetlands also occur throughout the project area, including Freshwater Forested/Shrub Wetland, Freshwater Emergent Wetland, Riverine, Estuarine and Marine Wetland, and Estuarine and Marine Deepwater. However, no work is anticipated to occur within a wetland. If any need arises to pursue activities within 100 feet of a NWI wetland, the USFWS and USACE will be contacted for further guidance before the activity commences.

DHHL has considered the following alternatives and mitigation measures to be taken to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial values:

1. Acquire, develop, and/or rehabilitate single-family housing on a different site, outside the floodplain and wetland areas. Oʻahu is experiencing a housing shortage across all demographics, including DHHL Beneficiaries. As noted in the Oʻahu Island Plan an additional 1,390 acres of land suitable for residential development are needed to meet the homesteading needs of applicants on the residential waiting list for the island. DHHL is actively working to add more lands and more built units to their inventory on O‘ahu. However, to more immediately meet the demand, DHHL is committed to maintaining and rehabilitating existing single-family housing, especially in older Hawaiian Homestead Communities (such as Nānākuli) with a high prevalence of homes in need of repair, maintenance, and updates. DHHL also utilizes infill new construction projects of single-family lots in existing homestead communities to increase the supply of safe, affordable Beneficiary housing. This alternative would not meet the needs of retaining and increasing Beneficiary housing supply in existing DHHL communities.
2. No action. This alternative would leave aging houses within the Nanakuli and Princess Kahanu Estates communities in increasingly dire states of disrepair. Many homes would eventually become condemned, or reach a state of disrepair where the homes may no longer be habitable, or rehabilitation is not feasible, thereby decreasing the supply of safe, affordable housing for Beneficiary families. This alternative would not meet the project purpose, nor is it in alignment with DHHL long term plans for the site which are outlined in the DHHL O‘ahu Island Plan.

 

DHHL has reevaluated the alternatives to the proposed project, parts of which may be located in floodplains and wetlands, and has determined that it has no practicable alternative. Environmental files that document compliance with steps 3 through 6 of Executive Order 11988, as amended by Executive Order 13690, and 11990, are available for public inspection, review and copying upon request at the times and location delineated in the last paragraph of this notice for receipt of comments.

There are three primary purposes for this notice. First, people who may be affected by activities in flood zones or wetlands, and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and provide information about these areas. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an important public educational tool. The dissemination of information about floodplain or wetlands can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks associated with the occupancy and modification of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government determines it will participate in actions taking place in flood zones or wetlands, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk.

Written comments must be received by DHHL at the following address on or before June 30, 2025: DHHL, PO Box 1879, Honolulu, HI 96805, Attention: Malia Cox, NAHASDA Compliance Specialist. Comments may also be submitted via email to DHHL’s consultant at [email protected].