Problem or Solution?
The project in question is
Hale Kupuna (in yellow), a beautiful, affordable housing project for seniors located on the grounds of
Lunalilo Home, found just off of Lunalilo Home Road. It is
not a development for quick profit but a project to provide a respectable care for Hawaii’s kupuna. The project site is framed by Kaiser High School's sport fields to the North and Lunalilo Home on the West. The proposed rental units will occupy two of King Lunalilo's five acre legacy.
Opponents surmise such a development will add traffic and have a negative effect on their property value and want the project scrapped. But in a strange twist of fate, the neighbors against the project used the courts to force Lunalilo Home to sell land ownership to them in 1983. Lunalilo Home temporarily ceased operations from 1997 through 2001. Then 2005 the Honolulu city council voted to repeal a controrversial condo lease conversion law. "Government should not be involved in taking land from one private property owner to give it to another", said Councilman Nestor Garcia.
Proponents, including the Home's residents and their families, the Home's employees and people concerned about the welfare of kupuna, say that the income derived from the rents is needed to offset the rising costs of providing residential care, respite, caregiver support, adult day care and delivered meals. The Home has provided kupuna with care for 86 years and with Hale Kupuna expand its support for Hawaii's growing, fixed-income, senior population.
Do Right
Saying "no" to affordable senior housing flies in the face of Governor Abercrombie's July 23 speech at the 45th annual
Maui County Outstanding Older American Recognition Ceremony where
Maui News reports that taking care of seniors is a top priority for the governor.
"The number of folks who will be living longer past 65 years old is growing . . . (and) that has ramifications for us financially, socially, emotionally across the state in the immediate future; not 20 or 30 years from now, I'm talking about right now," Abercrombie said at the luncheon.
Home's History
Excerpts from the History of Lunalilo Home. In 1883 the original Lunalilo Home was established in Kewalo, on the island of Oahy by the will of
High Chief William Charles Lunalilo, who died in 1874 while he was king of the Hawaiian Islands.
His
will established a perpetual trust under the administration of three trustees to be appointed by the justices of the Hawaiian Supreme Court. King Lunalilo was the first of the large landholding
ali‘i to create a charitable trust for the benefit of his people.
After 44 years, the Home in Kewalo had deteriorated and became difficult and costly to maintain. The trustees relocated the home to a new 20-acre site consisting of farmland and buildings facilities in Maunalua on the slopes of Koko Head, owned by the estate of Bernice Pauahi Bishop. The Maunalua site was purchased by the Brown family (John Ii Estate, Ltd.) and given as a gift to Lunalilo Home in memory of their mother Irene Ii Holloway, daughter of John Ii, who was a close friend of King Lunalilo’s father.
Follow Up
The minutes of the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board will be posted here as soon as it is avaIlable. Meanwhile you can post your comment by clicking on the comment button below. You can also be notified when a new comment is posted by clicking on the orange RSS feed or blue Email subscription buttons.
Opposition concerns: From Hawaii Kai Neigborhood board minutes 6/25/13
- Ernie Umemoto of the Aina Lunalilo Community Association raised concern about Hale Ka Lae’s project to build 80 senior living units at Lunalilo Home. It was requested that an item be added to the July 2013 Neighborhood Board meeting for discussion of problems, solutions, and mitigations. Facts have been skewed and history has been altered in previous presentations, and the company has yet to reveal their master plan.
- John Marshall noted that the 80 proposed units could add 160 people to a dead end cul-de-sac with only one entry. Only 20 parking spaces will be provided, resulting in a decrease to the available street parking.
- Patrick Furiana warned that allowing Hale Ka Lae, a high-end condominium project, to fulfill its affordable housing requirement away from its condominium site will set a “dangerous” precedent in Hawaii Kai, and will lower the property values of the neighborhood surrounding the affordable housing facility .
- Amy Gibo noted that the project will result in increased traffic problems, especially with the increase in cars parked on the street. The additional service vehicles required by a senior living facility will put extra strain on the small road.
- Leonard Wong requested that a second entrance to the establishment be added to alleviate traffic problems.
- A community member suggested that there may be an increase in crime near the establishment, noting that speeding is already a problem nearby. A number of accidents have occurred near the blind curve on the street, which will be exacerbated by the increased population.
Honolulu by Derek Tamura July 30, 2013 - In what is expected to be a heated discussion, neighbors of Lunalilo Home will weigh whether the importance of property values or affordable senior housing is better for Hawaii Kai. The exchange will occur at the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board 7pm 7/30/13, at Hahaione Elementary School Cafeteria and may be a defining moment for the integrity and character of the East Oahu community . See: Follow Up.
