Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 19, Number 2, 1 February 2002 — OHA housing venture [ARTICLE]

OHA housing venture

On Jan. 18, OHA became the majority owner of a packaged housing manufacturing plant, Quality Homes of the Pacific, LLC, in its first-ever eeonomie business initiative to increase affordable homeownership opportunities for Hawaiians and others, With its partners, OHA will open a manufacturing plant to build steelframed houses in a leased facility at Kalaeloa (Barbers Point), īn a part-

nership with Alu Like īne, and the Hawai'i Construction Laborers' Union, the plant will be established as an organized labor union training facility and provide training and employment opportunities, The new company's first project will be to construct 45 affordably priced, three-bedroom, two-bath homes for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands at Kapolei, Habitat for Humanity and Menehune Development Co, will also assist in the completion of the new homes, "OHA has long recognized that housing remains a critical issue in the long-term well-being of the Hawaiian people and their extended families," said Chairman Clayton Hee, "Our intent is that the homes built by this company will be the most affordable and competitively priced anywhere in Hawai'i, to provide shelter for our people and the people of Hawai'i," OHA holds the majority interest (50 percent) in Quality Homes, whieh will own and operate the manufacturing plant, Minority partners are the Hawai'i Construction Laborers' Union), the nonprofit Hawaiian Community Development Board, and a Mainland firm MH Consultants, LLC,