OHA Takes Another Shot At Lifting Residential Ban In Kakaako Makai 2 The Office of Hawaiian Affairs got the land a decade ago as part of a deal with the state but says it’s hamstrung without a legislative OK to build housing.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has spent at least $7 million in the last decade on what have so far been fruitless attempts to redevelop 30 acres in Kakaako Makai received as part of a land settlement with the state in 2012.
Budget documents show OHA spent at least $4 million last year on outreach efforts and consultant work gearing up for the 2023 legislative session, where it plans to ask lawmakers again to repeal a ban on residential development on its Kakaako Makai parcels, an area the office recently renamed Hakuone.
Past attempts to repeal the ban that’s been on the books since 2006 have been unsuccessful. OHA’s trustees and administrators are hoping that the resources they’ve poured into this renewed effort to redevelop lands in Kakaako and possibly build residential towers of up to 400 feet may pay off.
