• Affordable housing Affordable housing Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s new Mana‘olana affordable housing project plan is one of the most sensible public housing program we’ve seen. The plan would use state lands, maybe provided through an executive order issued by Gov.
• Affordable housing
Affordable housing
Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s new Mana‘olana affordable housing project plan is one of the most sensible public housing program we’ve seen.
The plan would use state lands, maybe provided through an executive order issued by Gov. Linda Lingle, to cut down on land costs. Private developers would bid on building the homes. And the homes would be on leased land and aimed at families who would live in them across generations.
The proposed sites that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources have pointed out to the mayor are excellent selections, too. Some homes might be built on the rise above Waimea town, offering great views as well as great value.
More details on the plan are expected to be announced in coming weeks.
Right now it is important that anyone interested in purchasing an affordable home find their way to a county booth at the upcoming Kaua‘i County Farm Fair. The mayor is gathering input from potential home buyers to see what the need is in the community. Hopefully this will take the guess work out of deciding how many units to build and where.
We hope that as this plan comes to life over what the Mayor says is about a 2.5 to 3 year time frame, that the follow-through is there to keep the project on track, that home prices are truly affordable, and that the project is completed on time. He also spoke about a streamlining of the project, or projects, as they pass through the Planning Department.
Relieving the pressure of overcrowded families living together will also take the edge off island social problems like drug abuse and family abuse.
On another note, the mayor told a gathering of reporters Tuesday that Gov. Lingle will be bringing news of help for the daily Kapa‘a to Wailua traffic jam. It should prove interesting to see what this fix is as this problem seems to grow with each passing week.
