This is good news for Native Hawaiian families stuck on the homestead waiting list, as two state agencies move to turn vacant waterfront land into housing instead of parking.

• The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is handing over a prime Kakaako lot to the Department of Hawaiian Homelands to build up to 400 homestead condos plus commercial space and community areas.
• Over 11,400 people are on the waiting list on Oahu alone, and leaders call the housing shortage an existential threat to Native Hawaiians staying in their homeland.
• A law passed nearly 20 years ago still blocks regular residential development in this area to stop luxury condos aimed at outside investors, but Hawaiian homestead housing is exempt from that rule.
• The land itself was given to OHA by the state back in 2012 to settle an old debt, and it's currently just used for parking.
• The project still needs government approval before construction can move forward.

Outlook: If approved, this would mark one of the first real pushes to bring Native Hawaiian housing into Kakaako, though it will take time to clear the remaining approval steps.