ASD icon blue inverse lighter

ASD Staff

Hawai'i Skies

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Alice Inoue in Kakaʻako. "

The sky consistently reminds me that no two sunsets are ever the same, just as no two moments are ever the same.  This reminds me to pause and appreciate the unique beauty that’s always unfolding right where we are."

To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us 

For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up 

25 11 3 Alice Inoue

<title>Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same</title>

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Alice Inoue in Kakaʻako.

Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same

Today's Hawai'i Skies was captured by Alice Inoue in Kakaʻako. "The sky consistently reminds me that no two sunsets are ever the same, just as no two moments are ever the same.  This reminds me to pause and appreciate the unique beauty that’s always unfolding right where we are." To submit your Hawai'i Skies photo, visit us online or email: general@alohastatedaily.com For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.

Square Mike Brestovansky Headshot RGZ3736 Large

Michael Brestovansky

Government & Politics

A Maui landowner is now facing potentially millions of dollars in fines after allegedly mismanaging water resources.

Last week, the Hawai‘i Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Commission on Water Resource Management issued a 

 of alleged violations to property owner Maui Land & Pineapple Co.

Maui Land & Pineapple is already facing a legal battle on multiple fronts, having been sued in August by neighbors accusing MLP of having misused its water resources and exacerbating drought conditions.

The Commission’s notice warns that MLP has consistently been non-compliant with a 2019 order to install various infrastructure to the Honokōhau Ditch System, an irrigation system maintained by MLP. Most pertinently, those improvements include a remotely operable valve controlling the inflow and outflow of water between the ditch system and Honokōhau Stream.

The notice claims that, in 2021, the Commission had required MLP to complete installation of the valve and associated improvements within six months. While temporary modifications were reported after six months, permanent fixes never materialized.

At a Water Resource Management Commission meeting in September, MLP presented plans that “appeared to contemplate” installing a gate elsewhere within the ditch system than the Commission had previously ordered. 

According to MLP representatives, the Commission stated its expectation that MLP will submit its final engineering plans, construction schedules and supporting materials for review as soon as possible.

But with the ordered improvements not installed, MLP could face fines of up to $5,000 per day of non-compliance, the notice warns. In an absolute worst-case scenario, with maximum possible fines levied for each day since 2019, that could mean a total fine of nearly $11 million.

The missing valve is only one of the possible violations alleged in the notice. Because the valve was intended to prevent excess draining of the Honokōhau Stream into the ditch system, the Commission had also established flow standards: at least 13.3 cubic feet of water must pass through a certain point on the stream each second (or, about 8.6 million gallons per day).

If stream flows drop below that rate for three consecutive days, or for four days out of any seven-day period, MLP would once again be in violation.

The notice states that real-time monitors at the site found that 36 days between Jan. 1 and Aug. 14 fell below Commission standards, with many of those days between May and July, a particularly dry period on Maui.

“We are investigating each of those days to determine whether water was diverted offstream for other uses, including for the County, and if so, what steps could have been taken to ensure the interim instream flow standards were met,” read a statement by MLP on Tuesday.

 that it expects to install “a remotely monitored and operated diversion in Honokōhau Stream” this week. The system allows water to be retained within the stream until it exceeds minimum flow thresholds, and includes a backup gate to return water to the stream as needed.

MLP stated that the construction should continue through Friday, with additional system testing to take place next week.

In the meantime, legal actions between MLP and neighboring water users are still pending.

 against MLP by TY Management Corp. — owner and operator of the Kapalua Plantation Golf Course — and several area apartment owners associations accusing MLP of allowing water in the Honokōhau Ditch System to fall below usable levels has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 25, as does MLP’s own 

 against TY Management, which accused the latter of using excessive water to irrigate its golf courses.

, by TY Management and one of the owners’ associations from the first suit, accused MLP and its CEO of conspiring to seize control of the Kapalua Resort Association by illegal land annexations. No hearing has yet been scheduled in that case.

Maui

<title>Maui Land & Pineapple facing possible fines over water mismanagement</title>

State water commission issues notice of potential violations regarding landowner's stewardship of Maui irrigation system.

Maui Land & Pineapple facing possible fines over water mismanagement

Stephanie Salmons Headshot

Stephanie Salmons

Building on the success of Parkway Village Kapolei — a 401-unit affordable rental community constructed on city-owned land in the second city — the City and County of Honolulu is continuing its quest to build more affordable housing on O‘ahu, and in Kapolei specifically.

This week, the city issued a request for qualifications, or RFQ, seeking a partner to redevelop underused, city-owned land located along Kapolei Parkway between Wakea Street and Kamokila Boulevard. According to the RFP, the property has been subdivided into two separate lots spanning about 7.4 and 7.8 acres.

The selected developer will enter into a development contract and 75-year ground lease for the design, financing, construction and operation of a "future mixed-use, transit-oriented development project with a significant affordable housing component," 

Parkway Village was completed in just 15 months and now the city intends to "replicate that success" with these additional parcels, 

Kevin Auger, director-designate of city's Department of Housing and Land Management, said in an announcement earlier this week.

Partnering with developers to build housing on under-used city-owned land is part of the city's 

It's a "central component of our strategy to deliver more housing across O‘ahu," the plan notes, adding that by soliciting RFQs for development partners gives the city "greater flexibility to craft practical agreements with development partners that can be tailored to the individual requirements of specific assets."

There's been a lot of momentum recently around the redevelopment of parts of Iwilei and Honolulu's urban core — and with that more housing.

 for the redevelopment of the Iwilei Center. Earlier this month, 

a multidisciplinary planning and development team to prepare a transit-oriented development plan dubbed "Transforming Iwilei-Kapālama: Connecting People and Places."

 for the redevelopment of four city-owned properties in Honolulu into affordable rental housing: 1615 Ala Wai Blvd., 436 ‘Ena Road, 130 S. Beretania St. and 1421 Pensacola St.

In an emailed response to questions from Aloha State Daily, Auger said Thursday that momentum has been building by design. He notes that the city's Strategic Housing Plan prioritizes increasing housing production along the Skyline rail corridor.

According to Auger, transit-oriented development plans for neighborhoods around rail stations have been in the works for a decade or more. They've undergone "robust community engagement" and have been approved by the Honolulu City Council.

"The administration is now activating these plans," he said. "These are the areas that make the most sense for future housing development: infrastructure can be aligned to support development, they allow for the creation of walkable neighborhoods with convenient access to job centers, allowing households to be less reliant on automobiles and, in return, reducing greenhouse emissions.

"But housing is an islandwide issue, and we can’t solve it by building in just one part of Oʻahu," Auger continued. "West Oʻahu — and Kapolei in particular — plays a critical role in our broader strategy. Kapolei was planned from the outset to accommodate growth, and it remains one of the few areas with large, underutilized city-owned parcels and the infrastructure to support new development. This site sits right in the heart of Kapolei, surrounded by schools, health care, jobs and transit — exactly the kind of place where city land should be put to better use."

Auger noted that the city plans to continue its efforts to expand affordable housing opportunities across the island "and activating public lands to deliver housing where we can make the most immediate impact."

What are some of the biggest challenges the city faces in its affordable housing initiatives?

"The Department of Housing and Land Management is only six weeks old; our budget doesn't even become operational until July 1," Auger said. "But we’ve organized a solid platform that we intend to continue to build on."

established the Department of Housing and Land Management

, which consolidated key land and housing functions into a single department.

"Building housing, anywhere, is harder and more expensive than ever," Auger continued. "We understand that and we are pragmatic about the things we can and can’t control. Our approach focusses on maximizing leverage over the things that are within our control — our land, our permitting tools and our relationships — to get more done faster.

"The biggest challenge I have as the director of this platform is time. It’s the primary driver. I feel like we are racing against the clock. We have three years and six months to make up for three decades of inaction. So, I’m particularly focused on what I can do now, not five or 10 years from now. I am also focused on the platform that we will be handing off to the next team who comes in behind us. To restore functionality, to restore trust, to restore competence. Those are the things we are focused on. We owe that to our families, to our community and to Oʻahu’s future."

Auger said that responses to the RFQs the city has issued to date have "exceeded expectations," and the city anticipates "similarly strong interest" in the Kapolei property.

"We are looking for committed, highly qualified partners who are prepared to move these projects forward expeditiously to get these developments into production as quickly as possible so we can deliver more housing as quickly as possible," he said. "We are here to drive the process not kick tires and we believe the development community understands that."

Kapolei aerial view

<title>City seeks developer for Kapolei property</title>

The city issued a request for qualifications, seeking a partner to redevelop underused, city-owned land located along Kapolei Parkway between Wakea Street and Kamokila Boulevard.

City seeks developer for Kapolei property

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros Headshot

Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros

Real Estate

Aloha Spirit

As the third generation of his family born and raised on Lānaʻi, Kurt Matsumoto

 joined Oracle Corp. founder and billionaire Larry Ellison’s company, Pūlama Lāna’i, in late 2012. He said he wasn’t its first employee but came on board the same year it was formed (when Ellison purchased 98% of the island).

“The biggest change over time is that the island used to be a completely dedicated pineapple plantation. And now, there’s no pineapple grown at all. We have two hotels now, but as you drive through town, a lot of it still looks the same as it did when I was growing up.

“It’s a classic picture of rural America – kids walking to school and the neighbors all looking out for each other,” he said.

When asked what initially drew him to the role, Matsumoto said, “The opportunity to work with somebody like Larry Ellison and help the island have a chance at reaching sustainability is, of course, very attractive.”

That, and giving back to the island that raised him, he noted, adding, “I owe a lot to growing up on Lānaʻi and I look forward to continuing to create positive change.”

Pūlama Lānaʻi, a land and resource management company controlling Ellison’s holdings, aims to preserve Native Hawaiian culture and the ‘āina, as well as build community and economic opportunities, 

Delivering more affordable housing is one thing Matsumoto is proud of. “We just got done adding 150 new workforce rental homes – that’s a 10% increase in housing.”

Spanning 76 acres, Hōkūao, is the first housing development to be built on the island in 30 years. More than half of the single-family homes are affordable, with the remaining at market rates.

“Lānaʻi has some of the lowest rental costs in the entire state,” he said citing the 

The University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization

. According to report, median rent in ZIP code 96763 is $1,087 and the median single-family home price is $675,000.

For a population of over 3,000, there are more than 1,500 housing units on island. Matsumoto estimated that the island’s 

number of employed workers is close to 1,600.

ʻi directly employs 400 workers, he said. “We have an entire leasing and maintenance operation, so we

re the ones repairing homes and making housing available when new employees arrive on the island. On the commercial side, we own the grocery store, the gas station, the theater, and coming soon, a new bowling alley.

“It’s all about making the lifestyle on the island more manageable, making access to goods and services easier and less expensive,” Matsumoto continued. “Prior to us owning the gas station, gas prices were the highest in the state. Now, we're the lowest.”

In addition to a barge that brings in goods once a week, Pūlama Lānaʻi covers the cost of flying things in “to keep the shelves full,” he said.

This year, one of the company’s goals is to demolish the old, shuttered bowling alley and build a brand new one with a full-service restaurant and ’50s diner theme by November.

Other priorities include building more houses and outdoor art installations; upgrading the water system; and contining efforts to fence off 20,000 acres from mauka to makai to keep sheep and deer out and revegetate the land, Matsumoto said.

“The focus is really about making the lifestyle on Lānaʻi better for the people who live there. We’re not developing luxury homes for sale or only catering to visitors, we want to keep employment up, too,” he said.  

In 2015, Pūlama Lānaʻi and the University of Hawai‘i Maui College launched its dual credit program, which allows Lāna‘i students to earn both a high school diploma and college credit. This year, 15 high school seniors participated from Lāna‘i High & Elementary School, the only school on the island, bringing the total to more than 200 students over 10 years.

“Reaching 10 years is a significant milestone. We started off as way to supplement what happens at school. But it’s turned into a pathway for kids to save money for their families and help achieve their higher education goals.”

Matsumoto said Lāna‘i High & Elementary School’s graduation rate had been high, but the matriculation rate was “well below the state average.”

“So, this has really changed that dynamic and has had a good impact on youth on island. Being able to see the results of the things we’re committed to is rewarding," he said. "All of our projects are being funded by Larry and it's all part of his commitment to the island and residents.”

He added, Lānaʻi students have come back home after going away to college to work on island, and even with Pūlama Lānaʻi.

“Within our workforce, of the people who serve in manager and director roles, close to 50% of them are either from Lānaʻi, meaning graduated from high school here, or they lived on 

 for 20 years or more. So, yes, we do have challenges filling holes, but we really try to invest in people, train them up and find appropriate work for them, which goes back to our role of enriching the community.”

Lanai Bowl rendering

<title>A new bowling alley, more workforce housing planned for Lānaʻi</title>

Learn more about the initiatives at Pūlama Lāna’i, including its dual credit program for students on the island, a 10-year partnership with the University of Hawai’i Maui College.

Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same

ASD Staff

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge

Hawai'i Skies: Surf show

Hawai'i Skies: Last light

Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor

Most read

Hawai'i Skies: No two sunsets are ever the same

Authors

ASD Staff

More in Hawai'i Skies

Hawai'i Skies: Blocked by a ridge

Hawai'i Skies: Surf show

Hawai'i Skies: Last light

Hawai'i Skies: The sun was a paid actor

Most read