New Sky Ala Moana project moves ahead with affordable and market-priced units

Gavin Thornton, co-­executive director of the Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center for Law & Economic Justice, said he’s also against an “ambiguous condominium hotel model which allows developers to exempt from affordable housing, park dedication and other requirements.”

Thornton said the city has invested billions of dollars of public money into rail, which will benefit developers. That’s why city officials should require longer buyback periods and prioritize affordable housing for those making much less than 100 to 120 percent of the area median income, he said.

“There are places that require buyback periods up to 100 years,” Thornton said. “We need to ensure that we are providing affordable housing for a long time and that it is being built for those that need it most.”

Hawaiʻi needs 65,000 more units of housing by 2025 to meet demand, Thornton said, quoting from the 2016 Hawaiʻi Housing Planning Study. The study, which was prepared by SMS Research for the state, said 47 percent of the demand was for households making less than $45,000 a year and 74 percent was for households making $75,000 or less, he said.

“Today was a positive step, but I don’t think that the city got us all the way there,” Thornton said.