Kūmelewai Hale

A Shared Community Vision

Our Goal

Kūmelewai Hale will bring 95 rental homes for Hawaiʻi educators to the Mililani High School campus, on land the State already owns. The homes are planned to be ready for move-in in 2029.

Why Teacher Housing

Hawaiʻi faces a continuing shortage of licensed teachers, driven in part by the cost of housing. In the 2022–2023 school year more than 835 teachers resigned, nearly half of them leaving the state, and each year between 300 and 1,000 positions go unfilled. Housing is among the largest costs an educator carries, and for many it decides whether they can stay.

The Challenges

Knowing the housing is needed is not the same as being able to build it. Affordable housing on public land in Hawaiʻi has to clear six separate stages of approval before construction can start — environmental review, cultural and historic preservation review, affordable housing exemptions, land use and zoning, subdivision, and permits. Each depends on the one before it, each brings in a different set of agencies, and that sequence alone generally runs 12 to 24 months or more.

Financing is the harder constraint. It has to be secured before any construction can begin, and because borrowed money is repaid out of rent, the terms of that financing decide whether the homes end up affordable to the teachers they were built for. Time compounds both problems, because construction prices and financing terms keep moving while the approvals are under way.

None of this is unique to Kūmelewai Hale. It is what delivering affordable housing in Hawaiʻi involves, and it is the reason these projects take years rather than months. How a project like this gets built →

Why Mililani

The Hawaiʻi State Legislature identified several priority areas for teacher workforce housing, including Mililani High School, Nānākuli High and Middle School, and Waipahu High School. Mililani was selected for the State’s first teacher workforce housing development because of its central location on Oʻahu and its ability to serve multiple districts. A study commissioned by the Hawaiʻi Department of Education confirmed significant need for affordable housing in the area.

The Name

Kūmelewai was the birthplace of John Papa ʻĪʻī, one of Mililani’s most important historical figures — an educator, statesman, judge, caretaker to aliʻi, and later Superintendent of Oʻahu Schools. Mililani Town itself was named after his home in Honolulu.

Kūmelewai means “like singing water,” symbolizing life, abundance, and balance. The name was developed with the insight and guidance of Carol Puanani “Pua” Wilhelm, one of the first Hawaiian language immersion teachers in the United States and a leader in the Kula Kaiapuni movement. The hope is that Kūmelewai Hale will be a place of balance and stability for those who carry the responsibility of teaching our community’s keiki.

Role of the School Facilities Authority

Act 172 (2023) established the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority to work alongside the Department of Education in providing housing options for educators at all stages of their careers, and gave it the powers needed to develop housing on school lands. Act 204 (2025) went further, writing workforce housing for educators into the Authority’s responsibilities in statute and appropriating funds for this project specifically.

SFA is designed to be responsive and nimble, so that housing on State land can be delivered in a timely, cost-effective way. SFA leads this project and holds the land interest with the Department of Education.

Our Developer

Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation was selected through a Request for Proposals to develop the project. Founded in 1980, the nonprofit has developed or is developing more than 60 properties across all four counties, providing roughly 1,850 affordable homes for families, seniors, and people with disabilities. The design architect is WRNS Studio.

The project uses a public-private partnership, in which the developer takes on design, construction, financing, leasing, management, and long-term maintenance for a set period, with public oversight maintained throughout.

Funding and Affordability

Total development cost is estimated at $74.4 million. As filed with the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation in October 2026, funding combines a State legislative appropriation, a School Facilities Authority grant, and private financing carried by the developer. The Authority’s $2 million share comes from Act 204 (2025), appropriated for the planning and construction of this project.

How much of that cost is met by State participation rather than private debt is what determines the rents the project can offer. A larger private mortgage has to be serviced by higher rents. That structure is still being worked through with the Legislature and HHFDC, and rents will be set once it is final.

Community Input

Community voice has shaped this project. After hearing concerns about the original location on the upper campus, SFA and Pacific Housing moved the site to the lower campus near the athletic field. Engagement continues through the Mililani Neighborhood Boards as the project advances.

How a Project Like This Gets Built

Affordable housing takes longer than most people expect, and the slow part is rarely the building. Design and construction are the well-understood stages. Entitlements and financing are where the years go, and until both are settled nothing can be built.

The approval sequence

Affordable housing built on public land in Hawaiʻi moves through roughly the same six stages before construction can begin. Each one depends on the stage before it, and each brings in a different set of agencies.

Project initiation and pre-screening

Confirm the site and its zoning, land use designations and permitted uses, and identify which approvals and studies the project will need.

Environmental review

Prepare an Environmental Assessment under the Hawaiʻi Environmental Policy Act, publish it for public comment, and obtain a Finding of No Significant Impact — or prepare a full Environmental Impact Statement where one is required. Cultural and archaeological studies and historic preservation review run alongside.

Chapter 201H approval

Apply to the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation for the affordable housing exemptions that consolidate land use, zoning, building and related approvals into one review, then obtain a recommendation to the Governor and the Governor’s approval.

Land use and zoning approvals

Special Management Area use permit where required, zoning compliance or variances, community plan consistency, and parking, height, setback and density approvals.

Subdivision and site control

Subdivision approval where applicable, lot line adjustment or another site control mechanism, and recordation with the Bureau of Conveyances.

Building permits and utility approvals

Building and grading permits, water, sewer, electrical and communication service approvals, and fire department review.

12 to 24+ months

A working estimate for the approvals alone, before construction starts. Stages can overlap, but how long it takes depends on the complexity of the project, agency workloads and how complete each application is. Chapter 201H approval streamlines and consolidates this review — it does not remove the permits.

Time carries a cost of its own. Construction prices and financing terms move while approvals are under way, so a longer path to the start of construction generally means a more expensive project to build.

Why financing is the hardest part

Financing has to be secured before construction can begin, and the terms of that financing decide what the homes will cost to rent. Money borrowed commercially has to be repaid out of rent, so the more of a project that is carried by private debt, the higher the rents have to be. Past a certain point they rise above what the teachers the housing was built for can afford, and the project stops doing the thing it exists to do.

This is the dilemma at the center of every affordable housing project, and it is why public investment matters. A public contribution reduces the debt the project has to carry, which lowers the rent needed to service it. That is the mechanism by which homes stay affordable to educators over the long term.

Illustrative only — not to scale and not specific to this project. Rents for Kūmelewai Hale have not been set.

A fuller description of the approval sequence and the funding structure is available in the Documents section below.

Site & Design

The Site

Just under two acres at 95-1200 Meheula Parkway, on the Mililani High School campus. The site is currently a 48-stall overflow parking lot, and it sits within walking distance of the Town Center of Mililani, the Mililani Transit Center, schools, parks, healthcare, and shopping.

Preliminary site plan showing the proposed teacher workforce housing buildings, courtyard, surface parking, and relocated parking area on the Mililani High School campus. — Preliminary site plan. Source: HHFDC 201H certification submission, October 2026.

The Homes

Ninety-five rental homes — 56 one-bedroom and 39 two-bedroom — in two four-story wings above an at-grade parking loop, joined by a bridge. Homes are set aside across a range of income levels: 36 at 60 percent of area median income, 26 at 80 percent, and 32 at 120 percent, plus one manager’s unit. The homes remain affordable for 65 years, with priority for Department of Education teachers and education staff.

Area median income, or AMI, is the measure that decides both who qualifies for a home and the most it can be rented for. The Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation publishes income limits for each tier by household size, together with the maximum rent that may be charged at that tier — generally calculated at 30 percent of the income limit. A home designated at a given tier cannot be rented above that tier’s maximum, and the figures are updated each year.

Current Honolulu County income and rent guidelines (HHFDC) →

rental homes

56 / 39

one- and two-bedroom

65 yrs

affordability term

1.975 ac

site area

Rendering of Kūmelewai Hale from Meheula Parkway, showing the four-story residential wings set behind street trees and a shared-use path. — View from Meheula Parkway. Rendering: Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation and WRNS Studio.

Shared Spaces

A freestanding single-story Amenity Hale sits in the central courtyard, with a multi-purpose room, fitness center, restrooms, and storage. The grounds include a keiki play area, a dog park, a Teacher Resource Room, bicycle parking, and surfboard storage. The project provides 150 parking stalls, six of them accessible.

Rendering of the central courtyard at Kūmelewai Hale, with the single-story Amenity Hale, planting, seating, and a shaded walking path between the residential wings. — Central courtyard and Amenity Hale. Rendering: Pacific Housing Assistance Corporation and WRNS Studio.

Project Timeline

October 2024

Community outreach begins. Meetings follow in December with the Mililani High School Community Council, the school principal, and the Department of Education Facilities Branch.

2025

Presentations to both Mililani Neighborhood Boards. In response to community concerns, the site moves from the upper campus to the lower campus near the athletic field.

December 2025

SFA and Pacific Housing take part in a District 37 Community Talk Story session hosted by Representative Trish La Chica at Kanoelani Elementary School.

February 2026

Pacific Housing submits its application to HHFDC for exemptions under Section 201H-38, Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes.

May 2026

The Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact are published in The Environmental Notice.

June – August 2026

HHFDC accepts the application for processing. The agency comment period closes in July and written responses are issued in August.

October 2026

The 201H certification request goes before the HHFDC Board.

2027

Building permit issuance, construction financing close, and construction start are targeted for the third quarter.

2029

Certificate of occupancy is targeted for the second quarter, with move-in to follow.

Schedule as filed with HHFDC in October 2026. Dates may change as financing and permitting progress.

Documents & Presentations

Materials shared at public meetings are available to view and download.

View Documents & Downloads → Read Our Newsletters →

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority?

SFA is the State agency responsible for planning, designing, and building public school facilities, and for developing workforce housing for educators. It was established by Act 172 in 2023 and works alongside the Department of Education.

Will the housing be only for Mililani High School teachers?

No. The project is for public school teachers and educators across the state. It will be available to educators and Department of Education personnel who are eligible by income and who work at any public school on Oʻahu.

What will the rents be?

Rents have not been set, and we would rather say so than publish a figure that changes. What is already settled is how they will be worked out.

Each home is designated at a percentage of area median income — 60, 80, or 120 percent. For each of those tiers the Hawaiʻi Housing Finance and Development Corporation publishes an income limit by household size and a maximum rent, generally calculated at 30 percent of that income limit. A home cannot be rented above the maximum for its tier. Those figures are updated annually and are public, so you can look up the current limits for your own household size: Honolulu County income and rent guidelines.

Where the actual rents land within those ceilings depends on the financing the project secures. We will publish them as soon as they are determined.

What happens if more teachers apply than there are homes?

Demand is expected to exceed the number of homes. SFA and Pacific Housing will use a fair and equitable process. The property manager will manage the applicant pool against agreed criteria, and if applicants exceed availability a lottery will be conducted. Remaining applicants go on a waitlist used to fill vacancies.

What is a public-private partnership, and why use one?

It is a formal collaboration between a government agency and a private party to deliver public infrastructure. Here, SFA is partnering with a nonprofit developer to help fund, build, and manage the project more efficiently, while public oversight is maintained. The structure shifts much of the project risk to the private sector.

Was an environmental review completed?

Yes. The Final Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact were published in The Environmental Notice on May 23, 2026. The Draft EA public review period closed in February 2026, and the comments received helped shape the final document.

Was a traffic study required?

Yes. The Final Environmental Assessment includes a Traffic Impact Analysis Report, which evaluated existing conditions and the potential effects of the project on the surrounding roadway network.

How can I get involved or stay informed?

SFA and Pacific Housing continue to provide updates and engage through the Mililani Neighborhood Boards as the project advances. You can also sign up for SFA updates or share your manaʻo with the project team.