Affordable housing is booming in Hawai‘i, especially at the urban epicenters of Honolulu and West O‘ahu. Now the attention is expanding to other islands, as both urban and rural areas across Hawai‘i are getting their own affordable communities.
Contracted to Albert C. Kobayashi Inc. (ACK), Hōkūao is a housing development consisting of 150 single-family homes near the heart of Lāna‘i City, 76 of which are designated affordable. The project’s permits were expedited under H.R.S. Chapter 201H, allowing construction to accelerate during the final phases, completing all units in under three years.
NO TIME WASTED
Hōkūao spans 80 acres, with the current build-out totaling approximately 14,000 square feet. All homes follow a two-bedroom, two-bath, open-concept floorplan, with a kitchen and living room situated in the center.
“Off to both ends, the right- and left-hand sides, is a bedroom and a bathroom,” says Alika Fujimoto, Pūlama Lāna‘i project manager. “And the bedrooms were both the same sizes.”
Planning began in 2017, starting with environmental assessments. The site had a community garden that needed to be moved and a vehicle substation to demolish. The soil had traces of pesticides and petroleum that needed to be removed before construction could officially begin.
“We actually started the … full-on civil clear-and-grow activity towards the end of 2021, and then we phased the project,” says Fujimoto. “We would turn over homes in … 20 to 40 units at a time.”
Starting with civil work and underground utilities installation, contractors didn’t start working on individual units until summer 2022. Because they were waiting for permits to be finalized under Chapter 201H, only six homes could be completed in the first 90 days. However, at the tail end of 2023, contractors were pushing out about 47 homes per phase.
“Was no more than four houses [per week],” says Wasa Electrical Services Inc. Project Manager Billy Griffiths. “At least three or four people per house, depending on [the stage]. I had one crew roughing and then they would move into the next house, roughing in, meaning they would be running the wires, the conduits, the raceways. … Then the next crew would be doing … the closets and stuff, electric rooms outside.”
All houses also came fully furnished along with other amenities such as a flat screen TV, utensils, dishware and condiments in the refrigerator.
“It was kind of a special thing for the residents. And when we actually opened it, it was very nice to see families and how they’re so excited,” says Fujimoto. “ … We had sourced the materials from a partner of ours, … from all over the world. So China, the Philippines, U.S.”
“We didn’t want to make the community feel like this is a low-income area or anything like that,” Fujimoto adds. “With the fact that it’s both affordable and market, you’re … not segregating the community at all, keeping everyone together.”
SOLAR POWER
Hōkūao’s owners, Pūlama Lāna‘i, wanted the community to not only offer state-of-the-art homes, but also greener living solutions. Pūlama Lāna‘i brought in Tesla to provide and install their solar shingles, making each home powered only by solar energy.
“So we would prep everything for [Tesla], … give them a raceway from the closet up to the roof,” says Griffiths.
Beachside Roofing LLC was contracted to lay down sheet metal and roofing membranes prior to the shingles being installed, according to Scott Ai, Beachside Roofing vice president of estimating.
Griffiths shares that coordinating schedules with Tesla was relatively challenging, as the Wasa team had little control over when the shingles would be installed and had to adjust their own installation schedules accordingly. However, ACK’s constant communication mitigated any major scheduling issues, making the overall experience generally positive.
“As far as the individual [Tesla] crews, everybody got along with everybody,” says Griffiths. “And, you know, Tesla realized that for them, we’re their lifeline because we were the ones providing the routes, so we had a good relationship with the electricians that came from Tesla.”
Getting potential occupants came rather easily as well, with contractors and owners having heard nothing but positive reviews from current residents.
“Tenants have to recognize that they can’t be taking a bunch of long showers at night and cooking and washing clothes, you know; try to do it during the day when the sun is up,” says Fujitmoto. “For the most part, people seem to love it. There are waiting lists to get into the homes, so I think word has spread on-island that it’s a nice place to live.”
Now, all houses are currently occupied.
All of Hōkūao’s two-bedroom homes are currently occupied. PHOTO COURTESY PĀLAMA LĀNA‘I
All of Hōkūao’s two-bedroom homes are currently occupied. PHOTO COURTESY PĀLAMA LĀNA‘I
MAKING THE TRIP
Because of the scale of the project along with its remote location, Pūlama Lāna‘i brought most of the workers from outer islands. Instead of providing on-site accommodations, the owners opted to place workers in housing among the rest of the Lāna‘i community to avoid isolation.
Workers would be flown out every Sunday to stay on Lāna‘i for the week and then return home for the weekend. An O‘ahu resident himself, Fujimoto understood the importance of community integration and the ability to see family during the project.
“We appreciate the sacrifices. They are always away from their families. We try to make it as comfortable as possible,” Fujimoto says. “We’ve had isolated projects, … and then you basically set up in a camp-type. That can be emotionally draining on a person.”
Aside from workforce travel, shipping materials to the island was also a major logistical challenge for both the general contractor and subcontractors, as most materials came from international locations or the continental U.S.
“The houses were built … from Japan; so they preset the houses over there and then sent it over here. ACK would just have to facilitate,” says Griffiths. “And then the other thing was … just getting the lighting fixtures and stuff — getting it here [and] being ready for us.”
“Not until recently did we actually get a construction supply store on-island. So it’s not like you can go to Home Depot to go get stuff,” Fujimoto adds. “Nearly all the material for the construction project needs to be either shipped in, marched in or flown in.”
COMMUNITY-CENTERED
Hōkūao’s neighborhood is now thriving, says Fujimoto, but its final form is far from finished.
“The next thing will be that we’re starting to add on a 500,000-square-foot community center, with a three-acre community park adjacent to it,” shares Fujimoto. “We’re starting to do the civil work of it now.”
Along with the community center and park, Pūlama Lāna‘i is also adding various common areas and pocket parks between an expanse of walkways.
Construction of the new additions is slated to wrap by the end of 2026.
While there are many aspects the project team is proud of, the most rewarding part is seeing the positive effects on the community.
“Just seeing the faces of families moving in for the first time and taking pictures in front of their homes, and then now seeing … the kids ride around on their bikes or scooters throughout the community, going up to school, coming back from school — it gives you a sense of pride that you built something that the community can use and take advantage of,” says Fujimoto.
Hōkūao
List of subcontractorsin alphabetial order:
Alaka‘i Mechanical Corp.
Beachside Roofing LLC
Commercial Plumbing Inc.
EB Style Inc.
Evergreen Pacific Steel LLC
Foundations Hawaii Inc.
Gima Pest Control Inc.
Goldwings Supply Services Inc.
Goodfellow Bros. LLC
Group Builders Inc.
Kula Glass Company Inc.
Meiken Lamwood Corp.
Pavimento Inc.
Takano Nakamura Landscaping Inc.
Tesla Inc.
T Square Engineering & Construction LLC
Wasa Electrical Services Inc.
The Zelinsky Company
