DHHL staff outlines regional visioning steps; community offers agriculture site and presses on past funding decisions

DHHL staff opened a community workshop by saying the proposed regional plan needs a vision statement and community values created by beneficiaries, not the agency, and described staff’s role as documenting implementation steps so priority projects become actionable. The staff member said the process typically involves three community meetings where beneficiaries craft values and project lists, followed by a fourth meeting to review a draft that will be taken twice to the Hawaiian Homes Commission — once for information and a second time for adoption.

The meeting front‑loaded a short list of previously identified priority projects, including developing an agricultural and water plan; a multi‑purpose evacuation, education center or shelter; the Kaha Enterprise Center; renewable energy projects compatible with agriculture; and agricultural uses for Hanipe farm lots. Staff emphasized that once beneficiaries select regional priority projects, staff will outline the practical steps for each project (required funding, environmental compliance or assessment, historic‑preservation review, and any commission decisions) so proponents and commissioners share the same expectations.

Community members raised several practical questions. One attendee asked about a 2017 subdivision proposal in the Pool Pie area; staff replied that recent homestead development focused on Act 279 funding (the meeting referenced a $600 million allocation awarded in 2022–23), that Pool Pie was not included among Act 279 projects, and that Act 279 funds have been fully expended. Staff acknowledged frustration among beneficiaries on out‑island allocation, saying the lion’s share went to Maui projects and that Act 279 rules limited spending to new homesteads rather than improvements to existing ones — a restriction residents said left old homesteads underfunded.

On homesteading types, staff described a category discussed in the meeting (referred to by participants as off‑grid or kurana homesteading) that reduces the department’s infrastructure requirements (for example, gravel access roads and limited utilities) and can allow a more expedited process and different expectations for maintenance and service levels. Staff said that if beneficiaries prioritize homesteading in Pool Pie, the regional project description should specify whether it means conventional subdivision homesteads or off‑grid/agricultural lots so the implementation steps reflect those choices.

Staff also explained how beneficiaries will decide voting parameters and participation: the group will set who may vote (current residents, applicants on the wait list, or another defined group) and which voting methods to use. The meeting listed four voting options: an online Google form, mailed paper ballots, telephone voting and email, with typical voting windows between two weeks and 30 days. Staff said the community will decide how many candidate projects are sent to the vote and how broadly to solicit participation.

In public comment, Harold Vina, president of the Westside Ranchers and Farmers Association, said the association acquired 100 acres in Kaha adjacent to an existing DHHL phase and plans to subdivide and lease parcels for local agriculture; he invited beneficiaries to a community meeting and said the association expects to bear no participant costs for the first five years. Vina said water improvements are expected when KAA receives its funding, which would support agricultural use of the site.

The meeting closed with staff restating the next steps: beneficiaries will work on community values and a draft vision at the next meeting, then refine and vote on priority projects in subsequent sessions. No formal motion or vote was taken at the meeting; the next scheduled steps are further local meetings to finalize values, prepare a draft plan for public review, and then present the draft twice to the Hawaiian Homes Commission for eventual adoption.