A view of Kānehili's roads and infrastructure, with DHHL's Hale Kalanianaʻole headquarters in the distance. Photo: Darrell Ing, courtesy DHHL.

Kapolei homestead to embrace
green technologies

By T. Ilihia Gionson / Ka Wai Ola Loa

When the first families move into new homes in the Kānehili subdivision on homestead land in Kapolei, O'ahu, they will be moving into homes lauded as templates for future homes embracing environmental friendliness for affordable living. The families will also be the first success stories of the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands' Undivided Interest Awards, aimed at putting more Hawaiians with financial challenges into homes.

Ground was broken for the first phase of 111 Kānehili homes on Jan. 27. Eventually, Kānehili will have 403 Energy Star homes embracing the latest green technologies to not only help the environment, but to save homesteaders another kind of green – a family of four is projected to save 30 to 50 percent of its utility costs, or up to hundreds of dollars a month.

"We are very excited … to build homes that meet the Energy Star criteria to reduce the energy costs for our beneficiaries," said DHHL chairman Micah Kāne. "This is about affordable living and it is the right thing to do for our state."

Dignitaries gather to untie the maile lei at the blessing for DHHL's Kānehili subdivision. From left: Robert Brant, President & CEO of Gentry Homes, Ltd.; Hawaiʻi Governor Linda Lingle; Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairman Micah Kāne; State Senate President Colleen Hanabusa; Pastor Guy Kapeliela; and the first five families that are moving into Kānehili. Photo: Nella Kauwenaole, courtesy DHHL.

Solar water heating, high-efficiency air conditioning and insulation, dual pane windows to keep the heat out and the cool in, and fluorescent lighting are among the energy-saving features planned for the homes. To save water, low-flow faucets and fixtures are standard, as are dual-flush toilets that let the flusher determine the amount of water needed for each flush. And with an eye toward the future, the homes are being wired to accommodate electric car recharging stations as the technology proliferates.

"We are excited to be working with DHHL and excited about building homes that will help people reduce their cost of living," said Robert W. Brant, president and CEO of Gentry Kapolei Development LLC, which is building the homes with DHHL. "This idea of affordable, environmentally responsible living is truly what green building is about, and we have worked hard as a company to be a leader in this field."

Aerial photo of the Kānehili subdivision as home construction is set to begin. Photo: The Image Group, courtesy DHHL.

Kānehili homesteaders-to-be obtained their leases as part of the Undivided Interest Awards program, which allows native Hawaiians to lease an interest in a larger piece of DHHL property that has not yet been developed. The leases for these first homes were awarded in October 2006, two years before the lot selections began.

Qualifying for a mortgage has been a major roadblock for potential homesteaders in the past because an applicant needed to get a mortgage before they could accept a homestead lease. Some of the families that will live at Kānehili could not qualify for a mortgage in 2006, but the families improved their credit, built savings, paid down debt and improved earning capacity through DHHL's Home Ownership Assistance Program, or HOAP, funded in part by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The Undivided Interest Awards program allows applicants to accept a lease while preparing financially to purchase a home.

The Lau family, wife Deziree, daughter Anela, and husband Kamalani, poses at the dedication ceremony for the Kānehili subdivision, where they will be one of the first homeowners. Photo: Nella Kauwenaole, courtesy DHHL.

The Kānehili homes will range in size and price from the two-bedroom, two-bathroom Kukui model for $221,000, to a five-bedroom, three-bathroom Lokelani for $295,000. In addition to the 111 turnkey homes in this first phase, 10 lots were awarded to beneficiaries looking to construct homes on their own.