David Y. Ige

PROJECT WILL DELIVER NEW DESPARATELY NEEDED AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING FOR THE ELDERLY

HONOLULU — Today, the Office of Environmental Quality Control announced the acceptance of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Hawaii Public Housing Authority’s (HPHA) School Street Redevelopment project with its development partner Retirement Housing Foundation (RHF).

The FEIS was prepared to describe the impacts of the proposed development of up to 800 affordable senior rental units on approximately six acres of land currently used for offices, parking and a base yard at HPHA’s administrative headquarters located at 1002 N. School Street in Honolulu. The mixed-use redevelopment project will consist of elderly affordable rental housing, HPHA’s offices and possibly some light retail.

The development team is led by RHF, but also includes Design Partners, Inc., Imata Engineering, PBR Honolulu, Avalon Development Corp., Attorney Jon Pan, and Concordia. Collectively, the Master Developer Team has designed, planned, funded, developed, constructed and managed similar projects throughout the United States.

“This project represents a huge opportunity to address the tremendous need for affordable senior rental housing in our community. By repurposing state land, we’re able to lower the cost of development and can deliver more rental homes for the community,” said Governor David Y. Ige.

“All seniors deserve the opportunity to thrive in a safe, accessible, and affordable environment with the support and companionship that a robust community offers,” said HPHA Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi. “The redevelopment of the HPHA’s School Street campus will include up to 800 affordable senior rental units and assist those who are in desperate need of a place to live.”

Dr. Laverne R. Joseph with RHF stated that “We are very pleased to have been selected to build and operate this premier affordable housing community in Honolulu for older adults and are excited to partner with HPHA on this important project. RHF is committed to our residents, communities and neighborhoods that we serve”.

The FEIS fulfills the requirement of Chapter 343, Hawaii Revised Statutes and includes economic, social, and cultural impacts that will likely occur should the project move forward.

The FEIS may be viewed in its entirety at https://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/EA_EIS_Library/2018-05-08-OA-FEIS-HPHA-Administrative-Offices-Redevelopment.pdf.

About HPHA
The HPHA is the sole Statewide public housing agency in the State of Hawai`i, providing a variety of affordable housing to low-income families. The agency administers approximately 6,200 federal and state low-income public housing units on five islands, and over 2,200 rental assistance vouchers and 3,000 PBCA units.

About RHF
RHF is a 501(c)(3) corporation, mission driven, affordable housing developer and property management organization based in Long Beach, California. RHF has developed and manages nearly 180 facilities in 30 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The facilities include apartment communities for seniors and persons with special needs, as well as assisted living and skilled nursing complexes. RHF has significant experience with mixed use, mixed income affordable housing projects utilizing a variety of funding sources including low-income housing tax credits, tax-exempt bonds, HUD 202 funding and a myriad of soft money sources. Over the last 25 years, RHF has owned and operated two low-income housing buildings in Honolulu (Harry & Jeannette Weinberg – Phillip Street Apartments & Pauahi Kupuna Hale) financed by HUD 202 loans.

Media Contact:
Ben Park, Planner
Hawai`i Public Housing Authority
(808) 832-4671
[email protected]