Page 6 - MidWeek East - May 18, 2022

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MAY 18, 2022
We are in a hous- ing crisis. As many of us know all too well, housing is in short supply and the median price for a single family home on the island is above $1 million. At risk are our keiki and mo‘opuna (grandchildren), who are struggling to have a place to live and thrive.
fund affordable housing de- velopment. I have, and will also continue to, advocate for the utilization of Amer- ican Rescue Plan Act funds and have allocated more than $35 million in projects and services to invest in land acquisition; provide housing
support to at-risk popula- tions; incentivize accessory dwelling units, and build more affordable homes for local residents.
envision taxation policies that help support local families. Tothatend,Ihaveintroduced and continue to champion the need for an empty-homes tax, a means by which we can force foreign investors to stop land banking in our East O‘ahu community and instead
We need to focus our housing development in the urban core by funding affordable housing projects.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER TOMMY WATERS
East O‘ahu Residents Affected By Housing Crisis
Along with spurring the de- velopment of affordable hous- ing within the urban core, it is also incumbent upon us to
As Chair of Honolulu City Council, I am deter- mined to help create af- fordable housing where it makes sense, in collabo- ration with the East O‘ahu community. Along with many local families, I’ m the only one of my siblings who still lives in Hawai‘i, our island home. It’s terri- fying to me to fathom that my kids won’t have a place to live when they finish col- lege.
allow local residents to have a place to call home.
I also believe that it’s cru- cial that we recognize that while there is a need to pro- vide housing within the urban core, we should also support conservation and preservation in accordance with the East Honolulu Sustainable Com- munities Plan. The EHSCP envisions our district as one of the principal stable areas in the county that can support multi-generational families and aging communities with- out any significant growth in development. During my tenure at the council, we have worked to downzone land in the back of ‘Āina Haina from residential to preservation and have more recently used Clean Water Natural Lands monies to acquire a parcel in Kuli‘ou‘ou with the goal of preserving this natural re- source for future generations.
We all need to come to- gether to address O‘ahu’s af- fordable housing crisis. I look forward to continuing to fight for our community and ensure that our future generations have places to live and thrive.
Contact Councilmember Tommy Waters (D-4: Ha- wai‘i Kai, Kuli‘ou‘ou, Niu Valley, ‘Āina Haina, Wailupe, Wai‘alae Iki, Kalani Valley, Kāhala, Wilhelmina Rise, Kaimukī, portions of Kapa- hulu, Diamond Head, Black Point, Waikīkī and Ala Moa- na Beach Park) at 808-768- 5004 or tommy.waters@ honolulu.gov.
We need to focus our housing development in the urban core by funding af- fordable housing projects. To that end, the council has budgeted the largest dedica- tion toward affordable hous- ing in the city’s history. This includes the appropriation of over $200 million dollars in the capital budget to help
On May 6, 2021, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters posed with constituents with whom he collaborated with on the revised East Honolulu Sustainable Communities Plan, which was signed into law that day by Mayor Rick Blangiardi. (Back row, from left) Roberta Mayor; Davin Aoyagi; Dianne Glei; Matt Glei; Jeannie Johnson. (front row, from left) Elizabeth Reilly; Mardi LaPrade; and Waters. PHOTO COURTESY HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL
KAIMUKI • MILILANI AIEA • KANEOHE
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