House Speakah Scott Saiki like make kine deal wit Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) fo’ make shua no mo’ housing evah built on top da land OHA get in Kaka’ako, in exchange fo’ $165 million. ??
Speakah Saiki wen make da offer in one letta he wen send to OHA’s board of trustees aftah get togedda in pāhala n’ talk story ’bout da dream. OHA guys wen say in one statement dat da proposal get all kine pilikia dat da board gotta tink hard ’bout befo’ dey go say anyting ’bout da offer. ??
Da letta talk ’bout get one easement fo’ protect 31 acres of da land dat OHA get in Kaka’ako Makai, so no mo’ residential buildings evah goin’ be ‘lowed, an’ limit da height an’ density fo’ keep da ‘aina open an’ da views all nice. ?️?
Fo’ pay OHA back fo’ dat, da state goin’ give ’em $100 million, an’ anodah $65 million fo’ fix da damage to one wharf area on da land by Kewalo Harbor. ??
Da letta also like increase da annual payments fo’ OHA fo’ ceded-land revenue da state owe ’em to $25 million from da current $21.5 million, startin’ from July 1, 2024. Den da money goin’ go up mo’ every year, wit da kine local urban core inflation rate. ??
Da Senate Bill 1235 could be da way fo’ make all dese tings happen, if OHA like an’ da House make kine changes. But da full House an’ Senate gotta agree too, if OHA goin’ back ’em up. ?️?
Gener’ly, da senators been cool wit’ da idea fo’ let OHA build housing in Kaka’ako Makai, ’cause mo’ money goin’ come in fo’ help Hawaiians. But in da House, Speakah Saiki been da main guy holdin’ da line, ’cause plenny community peeps an’ locals like keep da ban stay. ??
Sen. Jarrett Keohokalole, from da Native Hawaiian Caucus, suppohts one compromise. “It would be shame in one second (state budget) surplus year dat we no can come to one kine agreement,” he said. ⌛?
Keohokalole stay hopeful dat get enuff time fo’ make kine deal befo’ da Legislature pau fo’ da year on May 4. “Still get time, but not plenny,” he said. ⏳?
OHA stay tryin’ fo’ make da land mo’ valuable wit’ housing, but no can. Dey wen’ try four times since 2012 fo’ get da Legislature fo’ let ’em do dat, but no go. Da Senate Bill 736 wen’ get far dis year, but wen’ pau in March. ??️
Da bill Speakah Saiki talk ’bout, SB 1235, wen’ start wit’ one OHA workin’ group, den latah, one Senate committee wen’ add $65 million fo’ da wharf. But get deadline fo’ committees fo’ make final action on top da bills dis Thursday. Speakah Saiki say get oddah ways fo’ make da proposal come true, no need only be true SB 1235. ?️?
Da letta from Speakah Saiki say da proposal stay based on top da current state budget surplus, ’bout $2 billion. But no mo’ guarantee goin’ get dis kine extra money latah on fo’ da Legislature fo’ tink ’bout pay OHA. So, gotta make da most of it now. ??️
Undah Saiki’s proposal, OHA get ’til June 30, 2024, fo’ record one kine perpetual easement wit’ da state Bureau of Conveyances. If no can, den da offah no count. ⏰?
So dat’s da whole story, brah. House Speakah Saiki tryin’ fo’ find one way fo’ settle da pilikia wit’ OHA an’ da housing in Kaka’ako Makai. Everybody like find one good solution fo’ all, an’ still get chance fo’ make ‘um work befo’ da Legislature gotta go. Let’s see how dis one goin’ turn out. ???
NOW IN ENGLISH
Kaka’ako Makai Land: House Speaker Saiki Proposes $165 Million Deal to Keep It Housing-Free ??
House Speaker Scott Saiki, one strong opponent of residential use in Kaka’ako Makai, wants to make a deal with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to prevent housing from ever being developed on the land the agency owns in Kaka’ako, mainly in exchange for $165 million. ?️?
Saiki sent a letter to OHA’s board of trustees proposing an easement on the 31 acres of land in Kaka’ako Makai that would prohibit residential development, limit building height and density, and protect public access and scenic views forever. ??️
In return for recording the easement, the state would pay OHA $100 million and provide $65 million to fix the damaged wharf area on part of OHA’s property fronting Kewalo Harbor. ??️
Saiki’s letter also proposes increasing OHA’s future annual interim payments for ceded-land revenue owed by the state to $25 million from the current $21.5 million starting July 1, 2024, and then rising each year based on local urban core inflation rate. ??
Senate Bill 1235 could be a vehicle to make this deal happen if OHA desires and the bill is amended by a committee in the House. However, the full House and Senate must support the deal if OHA agrees. ?️?
Senator Jarrett Keohokalole, co-chair of the Legislature’s Native Hawaiian Caucus, supports allowing OHA to develop housing in Kaka’ako Makai, but he’s open to compromise. He hopes there’s enough time left before the Legislature adjourns on May 4 to reach an agreement. ⏳?
OHA claims that the land it accepted in 2012 was worth less than the $200 million the state owed for unpaid ceded-land revenue. OHA is now saying that the land is worth only $43.6 million with the current zoning, based on a new appraisal. ??
Saiki wants to address this issue while keeping much of Kaka’ako Makai open and accessible to the public. “The hope is to make OHA whole by preserving open space,” he said. ??
Senate Bill 1235 or another method could be used to make Saiki’s proposed compromise a reality. The proposal is based on the current state budget surplus, which is nearly $2 billion. However, there’s no guarantee that future surpluses will be available for these payments. ??
Under Saiki’s proposal, OHA has until June 30, 2024, to record the negotiated perpetual easement with the state Bureau of Conveyances, or the offer will be voided. ⌛?
