Building affordable housing nearby is crucial reason for rail
If there’s one thing we can all agree upon in Honolulu, it is this: We don’t have enough choices when it comes to housing. I hate to use the term “affordable” since it gets caught up in government red tape about how much money a family earns as a percentage of this or that. The simple truth is that we desperately need more reasonably priced residences — condos and rental apartments — that most of us can afford.
And not just housing based on price. We need more housing choices that allow more people to live closer to where they live their lives: work, schools, shopping and entertainment.
That’s why I support the Honolulu rail project, all 20 miles of it. Yes, it’s a transportation solution, an important way to deal with the terrible traffic on our highways for those who commute to and from town from central and west Oahu. Yes, it’s a critical component in our ability to direct growth along the mostly urban rail route and away from our dwindling open spaces.
But most importantly, the Honolulu rail project is our best opportunity in decades to deal in an impactful way with the shortage of homes that most people can afford. Thanks to policies that encourage diversified growth around the system’s 21 planned stations, the likelihood is high that developers will be keen on building a wide range of housing options, including badly needed rentals, around the rail stations.
In doing so, we can avoid the bureaucratic sleight of hand that currently allows developers to build “affordable” housing away from their fancy market-priced condos. The rail stations will be the magnets — thousands of people moving through each station every day — for housing developers, as well as a host of businesses.
In fact, if we look ahead 30 or 40 years, and consider how much investment in new housing and businesses will likely follow the rail route, I think it’s safe to say the Honolulu rail system could be the biggest economic development driver in Hawaii since statehood. That’s how big the potential is, and with that will come more tax revenues for both city and state governments.
But it starts with completing the rail system from Kapolei to Ala Moana Center. We must have a workable transit system in place to drive the full potential of developing integrated communities around the rail stations.
I understand the financial and political issues that dominate today’s discussion of rail. I’ve been at this long enough to know that those are critical considerations and making the right decision — to ensure funding for the complete route — will require political leadership with courage and vision.
I hope our leadership will think of the rail system’s future in a broad context: what it means for economic development, for housing choices, and above all, for improving the quality of life for tens of thousands of Oahu residents.
The Rev. Bob Nakata is a long-time leader of Faith Action for Community Equity (FACE Hawaii), with particular focus on housing issues; he is a former state legislator.
42 responses to “Building affordable housing nearby is crucial reason for rail”
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“Yes, it’s a transportation solution, an important way to deal with the terrible traffic on our highways for those who commute to and from town from central and west Oahu.” The city’s own assessment said that rail will reduce traffic by a mere 2%. Mr. Nakata, does this mean your article is useless because you are wrong on rail reducing traffic?
No, the article was about needing housing. The author says so because it is clear that our community is suffering. Too bad you are too blinded by your prejudice against rail to see what is being said. It is an awful burden on you and those of your ilk to fight like this, to be disrespectful to the opinions of the good reverend – all becuse you believe you have to protect us against this project. It is clear that you are willing to throw any and all side benefits away if it serves to get rail built. Forgive me if I put words in the mouth of the good reverend, but I think he would tell you in response to your comment that housing is the community’s number one priority, above almost all others, including rail. Indeed, we the people need shelter much more than a shorter commute. AND, it just so happens that a shorter commute means a lot more housing. That means a lot less of your neighbors will be suffering a lack of shelter. Forgive me if I put words in your mouth, but I bet that when you get up in the morning and look at the rail being built, you probably say stupid, corrupt, ugly, expensive. I get up, see that and say hooray – here comes affordable housing, first and foremost. Meaning that the high-rises around the stations provide an opportunity for my kids and their friends to get a starter house, a place where our seniors have a safe comfortable home, can live on a pension, get to their doctors easily quickly and cheaply, etc.
from_da_cheapseats says: “to be disrespectful to the opinions of the good reverend”
I would worry too much about “the good reverend.”
It was him and FACE who got $2,000,000.00 from the failed Hawaii Health Connector for oh-so-vague “community outreach.” In fact FACE and “the good reverend” are frequently the recipients of grants from city and state and the reverend and his organization like to bless their boneheaded ideas. I assume it’s the price of doing business.
Now, when can I find that $2,000,000.00 worth of community outreach?
Wow,sounds like a typical trumpy.
Kalaheo = Trump
Bib is yet another misguided individual in this rail scam. Rail was never proposed as a transportation or traffic solution. It was promoted as an “option”. Another “option” could have been buying a fleet of helicopters to fly west side residents to work. That would have been cheaper than rail.
Those who blindly defend rail must use feel good anecdotal stories like our grandchildren’s future, or our city infrastructure and other opinion based stories.
Those who oppose rail have specific facts and numbers. 6 years behind schedule. Nearly 6 billion dollars over the original budget. A crushing monthly operation and maintenance costs which might range from 20 million monthly or more. The additional GET, levied on food and medicine is hurting the poor and middle class to build a rail from nowhere to a luxury mall.
Those are indisputable facts.
The entire RAIL CORRIDOR will turn into SLUMS & GHETTOS. With that said the reality will be increased crime in many forms from pickpockets, Rapists, Robberies etc. etc. etc. Would you allow your wife or daughter to ride on a driverless train through the newly created Slums of Waipahu Area at 10 O’clock at night???? Look at Waipahu Now the buildings & commercial Storefronts are shuttered and the homeless have invaded. What used to be a vibrant shopping area is now deserted, the meridian that used to be beautiful palm trees and foliage is now a GIANT CEMENT GUIDEWAY that will become loud and screeching as the STEEL ON STEEL HEAVY RAIL BOONDOGGLE CONTINUES TO DESTROY OUR WAY OF LIFE.
Providing affordable housing and rentals will alleviate the rising costs of housing and rentals, and reduce the number of people forced to move away or into homelessness
“Providing affordable housing and rentals will alleviate the rising costs of housing and rentals, and reduce the number of people forced to move away or into homelessness.”
To: The People of China, India, Egypt, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and elsewhere
From: Governor David Ige, Honolulu Mayor Caldwell, and Rev. Nakata
The taxpayers of Honolulu promise the following to any inhabitant of Earth who can afford a one-way ticket to Honolulu Airport: a secure place to sleep, a nutritious diet, unlimited emergency room care and medication, and schools for your children.
P.S. Vote Democrat.
Vector is spouting the BS the rail folks want you to believe.
Rail construction has been going on for years and there’s no signs of affordable housing coming as a result of TOD.
wondrmn, shut your TRAP.
The people who live in the affordable housing and rentals along the rail guide way will be using the metro to get back and for the to their homes, jobs, markets, stores and businesses along the 20 mile guide way. They will not be as dependent on cars to get back and forth between the west side and east side. The rail corridor is transiting through the most densely populated areas of the State, and the areas with increasing development and growing populations. The areas along rail guide way and around and near the metro stations will grow and develop and economically thrive.
Contractor talking about the slum he wants to create
Baloney… Sunny boy is lying.
The rail guide way crossing H-1 near the HECO Waiau Plant, really is a graceful and beautiful wide span arch, and a structural engineering and construction feat.
Vector says: “The rail guide way crossing H-1 near the HECO Waiau Plant, really is a graceful and beautiful wide span arch, and a structural engineering and construction feat.”
Has that stretch been inspected yet for faulty rusty cables holding it together, shoddy crumbling plastic parts supporting the rails, and cracked concrete yet? Because if you’ve been following the news, that’s become something of an issue. It probably looks fine from your car though.
It’s good to go. No need to get crabby.
What a WASTE of MONEY. If you want to build affordable then BUILD. WE DO NOT NEED A RAIL.
Rail was SUPPOSED to help traffic ? Remember .
Affordable housing has been built in Kaakako, and is now being planned in areas around the future metro stations. Affordable housing built around the metro stations are affordable because the developers are allowed to build in greater density, higher, and are required to build fewer parking stalls, as the metro is taken into account for the transportation of the people along and near the metro line.
IRT Vector, You are an I-*D^I*O#T and the RAIL IS A UNION WELFARE PROGRAM AT THE EXPENSE OF THE TAX PAYERS OF OAHU
THAT HAS NO BUISINESS IN HAWAII. Chances are Vector like Ukuleleboo does not live on Oahu but has his hand in the MONEY POT
Let’s make things clear. Rail was never presented as a traffic solution, but simply another “option” for commuters.
So many people including Bob Nakata, are misguided into thinking rail was a traffic solution. It’s not,
Because express buses will be cut once rail is running, those west side commuters will have longer commutes because they’ll need to go bus/rail/bus and repeat to get home.
The rail might make traffic worse because frustrated west side residents may resort to driving when the express buses get cut.
Fire Keolu. He lies
Wow, reading Keolu and wondermn1 is an eye opener, as in it opens my eyes that this is an election year, when anyone will say anything to win. Regardless. Trump voters. Or Trump wannabees. Proclaiming facts that lead us no where.
Mr Nakata,
There is absolutely nothing keeping developers from building affordable apartment right now. They continue to build high priced luxury condos because that assures them the highest return on their investment.
“Transit Oriented Development” is just a code word for apartment buildings at don’t have to follow code or zoning with regard to height and parking. Again, if you want to do away with height and parking requirements, then we can do that without wasting 10 billion dollars on a train from a developer’s newest sprawl to the luxury tourist mall whose cost hits the people you purport to serve the hardest and benefits the rich and powerful the most.
Speaking of which, what ever happened to the Two Million Dollars the Hawaii Health Connector gave your organization for “outreach?”
Actually, there is absolutely something keeping developers from building affordable housing. It’s called an acceptable return on investment. Banks won’t lend on rental housing, affordable for-sale housing, heck any housing where there’s an imbalance between risk and reward. Period. If there was a return, if this risk/reward was in balance, there’d be a ton of such affordable housing. But there is not. There is no shortage of homelessness. So there is a shortage of shelter, shortage of housing. Not just this year. Not just this decade. Not just this century. In the last 30 years. Kalaheo1, how old are you? Do you own your own home? Do your parents? Think about the sacrifice to own a home in Hawaii is. Think about those who don’t have.
What does any of that rant have to do with a train from DR Horton’s newest sprawl to the luxury tourist shopping mall?
If you think we should change height restrictions and parking requirements, then push for that. We don’t need a 10 plus billion dollar mall train to do that. And maybe local families would have more money for housing if everyone wasn’t having to pay thousands for this gift to Ala Moan Mall and DR Horton.
Since you’re changing the subject, and avoiding the question, I assume you’re still living at parents home
Kalaheo1, you like Trump are living in an alternate reality, one where fact and logic does not exist.
from_da_cheapseats says: “Since you’re changing the subject”
I think you need to go back and read our exchange. I’m on topic and you are trying desperately to change the subject and make silly assumptions.
One more time, What does any of your rant have to do with a train from DR Horton’s newest sprawl to the luxury tourist shopping mall?
Vector says: “Kalaheo1, you like Trump are living in an alternate reality, one where fact and logic does not exist.”
Then it should be a simple matter for you to prove that. I’m not the one who has made a series of outrageous, wrong, and debunked claims. That would be the Mayor and HART.
What topic. Oh, yes – you started out saying there’s nothing keeping developers from developing affordable housing, demonstratively false, Trumpianesque. Proceeded to rant about the rail, running as fast as you can away from housing. The topic of the column, which I assume you read. And can read.
You fail to keep in topic. This discussion is about development around rail stations. And not about real estate development four homes.
The Daly City BART station construction, early 1970s, proved it is NOT possible to do “affordable housing” near rail stations in a cost effective and legal way. The City fathers tried it anyway, went so far to send out condemnation notices, and went to prison because there is no legal and cost effective way to obtain the land. The neighborhood today, is just about as it was then, single-family housing, occupied by older folks that have their property tax increases limited to US COLA. “Prop 13”.
The City could try Kelo v. City of New London. Used once since 2005?
Maybe the train stations will be the housing for the homeless?
Brilliant idea from Keolu
But the State is NOT building along the rail line. I posted on another editorial how the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is planning 1,000 low and mixed-income units on its School Street property — which isn’t anywhere near the rail line! 1,000 units is a heck of a lot of housing to add to an area with already overly-congested streets (and, given the geography and existing developments, there isn’t even room to expand the streets in that area, even if the State wanted to). So why is the HPHA building on School Street instead of along the rail line? Does ANYBODY in this State know what they are doing?
There are three affordable residential and rental towers already being built in Kakaako along the rail guide way and another 590 unit affordable rental tower being built on Ward Ave across from Sports Authority. Another huge affordable project will be built on Dillingham, across from Honolulu Community College near the metro station.
Small potatoes compared to the project I’m talking about.
Oh, and also – how do those smaller projects IN ANY WAY address the traffic mess that will be caused by the gigantic School Street project?
By similar logic…..financing a new lear jet is good reason compelling my need to invest in treasury bonds.
Well then, you pay for it.
The Rev. Nakata says we have a “shortage of homes that most people can afford” and then says that “developers will be keen on building a wide range of housing options, including badly needed rentals, around the rail stations”.
We have one development being built at Ho’opili with a planned 11,750 homes but only 30% of those homes will be “affordable”. Most of the other rail stations are in areas with high cost land so the developers will likely build even less “affordable” homes. With that, it appears that rail is not a boon for “affordable” homes. Even calling them “affordable” does not make them within the financial reach of the average person.
I’m delighted to see so much strong pushback against Bob Nakata’s ridiculous essay. Not I hope the push backers will deliver the same treatment to Friday’s editorial that supports charter amendment #4. Rail opponents should vote NO on #4, to stop the rail from swallowing up The Bus.