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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN CRCOC 2023/06/20 (2022-2024) Committee on Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight 9th Session West Hawai`i Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i June 20, 2023 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Communications, Reports, and ORDER: Council Oversight was called to order at 12:24 p.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Acting Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Chair Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Vice Chair Ms. Cindy Evans, Member Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Absent and Excused: Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Relinquish Chair: At this time, the Chair relinquished the chair to Vice Chair Kagiwada. STATEMENTS The Acting Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) COMMUNI- The Acting Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 322: QUARTERLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING REPORT: JANUARY 1 — MARCH 31, 2023 From Housing Administrator Susan K. Kunz, dated May 31, 2023, transmitting the above report pursuant to Section 11-19 of the Hawai`i County Code. Motion to Close File: Mr. Inaba moved to close file on Comm. 322. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz. CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 Recess: At 12:28 p.m., the Acting Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 12:35 p.m. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Alright, I'm calling back the Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight Committee back in session. I believe we have our Housing Administrator Susan Kunz available. There she is, on Zoom, to present the Housing report for this quarter. Thank you for being here. Go ahead. (Note: At this time Housing and Community Development Administrator, Susan Kunz came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. KUNZ: Hi, good afternoon, everyone. Susan Kunz, Housing Administrator. Thank you very much for this opportunity to present our quarterly report. So, you will see that we do not have any additional numbers to report for this quarter. I do want to point out that, based on our last meeting, we did incorporate some additional information to this report. If you look at the listing of affordable housing inventory, we've added in AMI (Area Median Income) level column onto that report. Also, as requested, we included other housing types, or I should say, separated out other housing types to show the different categories. So, you'll see permanent supportive housing categories, emergency shelters, and transitional housing categories. I do want to point out, a little oversight in the reporting of our rental housing where you see,Na Kahua Hale 0 Ulu Wini. We reported a total of 96 units, which is the total number of units for that property, but because it's under rental housing, we should have listed only 73 units there because there is another category of housing which is the Emergency Shelter, more specifically, the transitional shelter units, which we have 23 at Ulu Wini. So, we should be reporting 23 units there on that report, as opposed to a total of 96. So, we'll make that correction for the future going forward. The last item that was requested is we included a copy of the Ordinance 23-20, as Exhibit 4 in this report. So, I'll take any questions if you have any at this time, thank you. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Thankou Administrator. Do anyof Y � my colleagues have comments or questions? Council Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Thank you. Administrator Kunz, thank you. Just want to share how this is useful for us to see what we have here in our County and I think would be good as you continue to work in your office to see these numbers grow. So, mahalo for providing us this report. Chair, I yield. Page 2 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Alright, thank you. Council Member Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha, thank you for being here, Susan. And for, you know, taking the time and putting the energy forth into kind of creating these new parameters to provide definitions for us. I just have a couple of questions for clarification. In looking back at the historical quarterly report from October 2022 to December 2022, on Item No. 3, which is an Accounting of Significant Actions taken under Authority of this Chapter including but not limited to the following; it says affordable housing rental units constructed and being rented. The number 60 shows up there, and we were just trying to figure out where are these incorporated in the next report, or in that report, in general. So,just trying to marry together the numbers here. MS. KUNZ: Sure. So, it is my understanding that what I'm reporting here is for this period. So, the last quarter, we reported 60, and I believe that's to activity p reflect the new units at Kaiaulu 0 Waikoloa in Waikoloa Village. So, they are not included—hold on just a minute, are they in my rental unit numbers here? Yes, actually, Kaiaulu 0 Waikoloa, you will see those 60 units in our Exhibit 2 of the Rental Housing Affordable Housing Inventory under Rental Housing. But we will no longer report it in that section, Section 3, because it's not new to that period. That's my understanding. MS. VILLEGAS: No worries. That's totally helpful. We were just trying to marry them together and see where they end up based on the different time periods. Perfect. So, that answers that. That's fantastic. So, the Emergency Shelter& Transitional Housing, Exhibit 3, that's included in this report did not exist in the prior report from October to December, correct? MS. KUNZ: I'm sorry, Council Member, can you repeat that question? MS. VILLEGAS: Sure. Exhibit 3, time period's report includes Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing, and this is a new section of acknowledgement of this housing. But this didn't exist in the prior report, these lived under—where did they put the 274, prior. MS. KUNZ: Yeah, it was listed under Rental Housing. We had it—so what we tried to do in this report is separate out those categories that you all asked for us to identify. I hope that works. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So, I've just been trying to find out—I don't see East Hawai`i Domestic Violence Shelter listed in the prior report. Page 3 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 MS. KUNZ: Okay, hold on, let me take a look. But you see it on this one? MS. VILLEGAS: I see it on this one, but I didn't see it on the prior. MS. KUNZ: Yeah, it does not look like we reported it before, but because we were breaking out into these categories, I think the staff did a little deeper dive into existing facilities that fell under those categories. I hope that works for you. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah actually, you know, it's better news if we're finding out there are more facilities and whatnot. So, I'm grateful for the initiative of some of my colleagues in asking for that breakout because it looks like it's creating for a more all-inclusive list which helps all of us. One other quick question here is the Kuleana House. It just says one bed. MS. KUNZ: Okay, hold on. Which section is that under? • MS. VILLEGAS: I'm under Emergency Shelter & Transitional Housing, Exhibit 3. It just jumped out at me because it seemed odd to have one bed. MS. KUNZ: Yes, it does. Can I follow-up on that? MS. VILLEGAS: Sure, no problem. Thank you. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: If I may, it looks like there are three different, maybe, programs under one roof, at 357 Waianuenue Avenue in Hilo, and that's one of the three. So, I'm guessing maybe you can figure out maybe it's a funding source or something like that. MS. KUNZ: Oh, you're right. Thank you for pointing that out. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: There's another one below. MS. KUNZ: So, what that would tell me is that there are different programs going on at the same location. MS. VILLEGAS: So, we have a men's shelter, a family shelter, and transitional housing at the same location. MS. KUNZ: Potentially, yes. But I would like an opportunity to dig a little deeper into how that program is run. But that's what it looks like, yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah, these all seem to fall under Hope Services' responsibility. So, that would be greatly appreciated. MS. KUNZ: Okay, no problem. Page 4 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. Okay, and then one last question. So, we have Special Needs Housing, is also some of that transition of creating this new listing? MS. KUNZ: Yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Fantastic, and that's the 105 total beds that was moved from Rental Housing? MS. KUNZ: Yes, so you can better see the specific population that they're trying to serve there. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, great. Thank you. This helps and takes care of the questions that I had, and great haircut by the way. And with that, I yield. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Thank you, Council Member Villegas. Council Member Evans. MS. EVANS: Thank you for including the ordinance. That's very insightful and I'm focusing on the quarterly reporting under Subsection(3). So, it looks like there's been no significant action in accordance with these categories. So, no affordable housing, no finished affordable lots, no developed land conveyed, no density homes granted. So, nothing in that quarter happened in these categories? MS. KUNZ: Correct. MS. EVANS: Do we have anything that is in motion that's like coming down the pike that we might see? MS. KUNZ: We were actually watching the Waikoloa Family Affordable project that's going on in Waikoloa, because they had started their waitlist. We had anticipated that they were going to start leasing up at the beginning part of the year, but obviously, they've had some delays. So, we've been watching that one. My staff is telling me that they are anticipating to be reporting that one in the next report. There's another small project, Kukuinui Subdivision in Kona, which has three lots. We were hoping to be able to report those in the next quarter as well. That one looks like it's going to be finished lots, and it is a developer's affordable housing requirement. So they already completed two, they're working on their third. MS. EVANS: Okay, thank you. I yield. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Thank you, Council Member Evans. Anybody else? Questions for the Administrator? No, okay, I have just a couple. Page 5 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 So, when do you think we might see, like some significant action? Looking in your crystal ball and looking towards the future with some of these major things we've asked for reports on, which is developing new affordable housing construction lots. Are we talking a couple years, are we talking five years? MS. KUNZ: No, we'll see some activity this year. If you give me just a second, I am looking if I can find a particular report that we did that kind of outlines some of the activities that we're seeing by the end of this fiscal year and into the next fiscal year. Give me just a minute. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Great. MS. KUNZ: Sorry, I wasn't prepared to do this and then of course, the numbers are so small. I'm having a hard time seeing this. Okay, so projects that we're anticipating to complete at the end of this year are about a total of 169. It's not a big number, but that's what we've got. So, Waikoloa Family Affordable is in that number for 110 units. The Sacred Heart Project out in Pdhoa for 12 units. Phase II of Villages of La`i`Opua in Kealakehe, Kona for 24 units. Let's see, a self-help project out in Paradise Park, 20 units. And the three lots that I told you about in Palisades, Kona for 169. Projects that we're anticipating to complete in the next fiscal year look like about 164 units. So, Kaiaulu 0 Kapi`olani in Hilo for 64 units and Kaloko Heights that started about a month ago for 100 units. This is a number that I would like to give you because it gives me a little more hope. Projects anticipated to commence next year in 2024. So, we're looking at about 625 units that are going to start construction. So a lot of these projects we've been working with, we're trying to make their way through entitlement issues, funding, a lot of funding holdups, but we're looking at Hale Makoa Kamakoa Nui, which is a parcel within Kamakoa Nui for 140 units; we RFP'd (Request for Proposal) this one at the beginning of this Administration. We hope to see Ho`omalu start next year for 229 units. Phase III for the Villages of La`i`Opua for 32 units. Kuakini Heights, right behind Lowe's in Kona for 120 units, and Hualdlai Court in Hilo for 104 units. What's on this list is also, Kamakoa Nui, but it's the beginning of the construction of the Mini Loop road, which will eventually lead us to about 668 units. So, that's what we have in the immediate pipeline. There are a total of 6,000 units in the pipeline. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Great. Thank you so much. That really gives me a better picture. Page 6 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 The one other question I have is going back to Exhibit 2, Special Needs Housing. Can you just give a general overview of what special needs includes there? I see like mental health and stuff, but can you just maybe list off some of the things included? It doesn't have to be specific to each of these programs, but what do you mean by special needs? MS. KUNZ: So, special needs could include any type of housing for those with disabilities that could be mental, it could be physical. You can see that there are domestic violence shelters that are included in this special needs category. That's really as much as I can give you. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Okay, thank you. That gives me something to think about there. Alright. So, thank you so much for being here and presenting the report. It sounds like you're going to get back to us with a little more specification about that one property that has multiple programs. MS. KUNZ: Sure. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Okay, thank you so much. We appreciate you being here. Alright, seeing no further lights here, we have a motion to close file on Communication 322. All those in favor? Vote on Comm. 322: The motion to close file on Comm. 322 was carried (Filed) by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kagiwada—6. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kimball, and Lee Loy—3. Excused: None. Page 7 CRCOC-9 June 20,2023 ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 12:53 p.m., Mr. Inaba moved to adjourn the MENT: meeting. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kagiwada—6. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kimball, and Lee Loy— 3. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KAGIWADA: Thank you so much. We are adjourned at 12:53 p.m. Approved: r; / 12517-3 'e°• cca Villegas, Chair (Date) Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight Committee RV/dt Page 8