New DHHL Rules Allow Rentals, More Options

PC: DHHL

Gov. David Ige today signed new administrative rules for planned communities, multi-family complexes and rental housing within the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL). The new rules will take effect 10 days after the signed rules are filed at the Office of the Lt. Governor.

DHHL submitted its final rules to the governor in June after nearly two years of efforts that will expand residential lease offerings to include multi-family housing, along with rental and kupuna housing opportunities.

“I’m excited about this set of administrative rules because it really expands the options for beneficiaries,” Ige said. “We continue to work with beneficiary communities in every county to pave the way to homeownership for more families across the state. I believe developing Hawaiian Home Lands is an essential part of addressing the state’s affordable housing crisis.”

“Today’s culmination of this rule signing is something we wanted to get done as quickly as possible under the Ige administration,” said DHHL Chair William J. Aila, Jr. “These rules offer an excellent tool in our tool chest for serving DHHL beneficiaries.”

The adoption of the new rules will create the addition of Chapter 10-7 to the Hawaii Administrative Rules (HAR)—DHHL’s governing rules that implement the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act.

DHHL’s approval of beneficiary consultation on the proposed rules was given by the Hawaiian Homes Commission at its December 2017 meeting. From April 2018 through July 30, 2019, DHHL conducted statewide beneficiary consultation meetings with beneficiaries to discuss the proposed rules and gather feedback.

Recent awards have included turn-key home lots, the most sought-after product on O‘ahu, as well as vacant lots. Efforts are underway to award subsistence agricultural lots in addition to Kuleana Homestead lots. The former Bowl-O-Drome site in Mo‘ili‘ili will be DHHL’s first urban high-rise project where these new rental rules will be implemented.

In 2019, the department will have awarded 395 lots. DHHL has more than 1,300 lots in its production pipeline that are scheduled to be completed over the next five years.

For more information or to view the rules in full, visit www.dhhl.hawaii.gov.