2026 04 30 Joint Special Executive Management & Housing Homelessness & Parks

The Honolulu City Council held a joint special executive management meeting on April 30, 2026, focusing on housing, homelessness, and parks. A key procurement-related discussion centered on leveraging county-owned land for affordable housing development, presented by Patrick Spence from the National Association of Counties. The presentation highlighted strategies such as public-private partnerships, ground leases, and transit-oriented development (TOD) to reduce housing costs by utilizing public land, potentially lowering unit costs by approximately $150,000 per unit. The council discussed specific sites, including a pilot project near Pearl Ridge, and explored the feasibility of issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to developers to advance affordable housing projects. Questions addressed financing structures, soft costs, and the need for coordinated inter-agency efforts to audit public land and prioritize development goals. The Department of Housing and Land Management acknowledged staffing limitations but expressed commitment to advancing these initiatives. The meeting underscored the importance of policy and staffing support to enable effective procurement and development of affordable housing on public land.