Final Notice and Public Explanation of a Proposed Activity in a NWI Designated Wetland on Oʻahu

To: All interested Agencies, Groups and Individuals

This is to give notice that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) under 24 CFR Part 58 has conducted an evaluation as required by Executive Order 11990, in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR 55.20 in Subpart C Procedures for Making Determinations on Floodplain Management and Wetlands Protection. The activity is funded under Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant Program for HUD grant number 26HBGHI0001.

The proposed project is located on the Island of Oʻahu, within the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine communities on Hawaiian Home Lands in the Moku of Kona, Ahupuaʻa of Honolulu. The project area is generally bounded by Auwaiolimu Street and Kalāwahine Place, and is located within tax plats 22015, 22053, 24034, 24039, 24040, 24041, 24042, 24043, 25021, and 25022. The project areais located in a National Wetland Inventory (NWI) designated wetland. The location and extent of the wetland was determined using data from the NWI web-based map tool. About 6.8 total acres of freshwater forested/shrub wetlands occur within the project area.

DHHL has considered the following alternatives and mitigation measures to minimize adverse impacts and to restore and preserve natural and beneficial functions and intrinsic values of the existing wetland:

1. Acquire, develop, and/or rehabilitate single-family housing on a different site, outside wetland areas. Oʻahu is experiencing a housing shortage across all demographics, including DHHL beneficiaries. As noted in DHHL's Oʻahu Island Plan, an additional 1,390 acres of land suitable for residential development are needed to meet the homesteading needs of applicants on the residential waiting list for the island. DHHL is actively working to add more lands and more built units to their inventory on O'ahu. However, to more immediately meet the demand, DHHL is committed to maintaining and rehabilitating existing single-family housing, especially in older Hawaiian Homestead Communities (such as the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine communities) with a high prevalence of homes in need of repair, maintenance, and updates. DHHL also uses infill new construction projects on single-family lots in existing homestead communities to increase the supply of safe, affordable beneficiary housing. This alternative would not meet these immediate and pressing needs of retaining and increasing beneficiary housing supply in existing DHHL communities.

1. No action. This alternative would leave aging houses within the the Papakōlea, Kewalo, and Kalāwahine communities in increasingly dire states of disrepair. Many homes would eventually be condemned or reach a state of disrepair where the homes may no longer be habitable or rehabilitation is not feasible, thereby decreasing the supply of safe, affordable housing for beneficiary families. This alternative would not meet the project purpose, nor is it in alignment with DHHL's long term plans for the site as outlined in the DHHL O'ahu Island Plan.

DHHL has reevaluated alternatives to the proposed project, parts of which may be located in wetlands, and has determined that it has no practicable alternative to developing the project at the proposed location. No work is anticipated to occur within a wetland. If any work included within the project activities as described above is determined to occur within 100 feet of an NWI-designated wetland, DHHL will initiate further consultation with US Fish and Wildlife Service to assess, avoid, and/or mitigate any potential impacts to wetlands and species common to wetland habitats. Environmental files documenting compliance with Executive Order 11990 are available for public inspection, review and copying upon request at the times and location delineated in the last paragraph of this notice for receipt of comments.

There are three primary purposes for this notice. First, people who may be affected by activities in wetlands and those who have an interest in the protection of the natural environment should be given an opportunity to express their concerns and provide information about these areas. Second, an adequate public notice program can be an important public educational tool. The dissemination of information and request for public comment about wetlands can facilitate and enhance Federal efforts to reduce the risks and impacts associated with the occupancy and modification of these special areas. Third, as a matter of fairness, when the Federal government determines it will participate in actions taking place in wetlands, it must inform those who may be put at greater or continued risk.

Written comments must be received by DHHL at the following address on or before September 22, 2026.

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Attention: Malia Cox, NAHASDA Compliance Specialist

PO Box 1879

Honolulu, HI 96805

Comments may also be submitted by email via DHHL's consultant at [email protected].