MEDIA RELEASE: Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Prepares to Award More Than 1,100 Residential Project Leases on Maui

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS

KA ʻOIHANA ʻĀINA HOʻOPULAPULA

KALI WATSON

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

KATIE L. LAMBERT

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

KA HOPE LUNA HOʻOKELE

DEPARTMENT OF HAWAIIAN HOME LANDS PREPARES TO AWARD MORE THAN 1,100 RESIDENTIAL PROJECT LEASES ON MAUI

Project Leases Previously Awarded for West Oʻahu, West Hawaiʻi

Attendees interact with project developers at recent orientation for Maui residential project leases.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 8, 2025

KAHULUI, MAUI — The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) conducted an orientation Saturday for beneficiaries on the Maui residential waitlist interested in the upcoming award of more than 1,100 residential project leases on the Valley Isle.

Residential project leases will be awarded to four subdivisions:

• Leialiʻi 1B
  • Lahaina, Maui
  • Future homestead lots: 155
  • Start of construction: 2026
  • Occupation begins: 2028
  • Project costs: $128 million
  • Developer: Dowling Company, Inc.

• Waiehu Mauka
  • Wailuku, Maui
  • Future homestead lots: 343
  • Start of construction: 2027
  • Occupation begins: 2030
  • Project costs: $95 million
  • Developer: Dowling Company, Inc.

• Wailuku Single-Family
  • Wailuku, Maui
  • Future homestead lots: 204
  • Start of construction: 2026
  • Occupation begins: 2029
  • Project costs: $45 million
  • Developer: Dowling Company, Inc.

• Kamalani
  • Kīhei, Maui
  • Future homestead lots: 400
  • Start of construction: 2026
  • Occupation begins: 2028
  • Project costs: $35.1 million
  • Developer: Gentry Homes

Project leases ­­— this administration’s take on undivided interest lease awards last issued in the early 2000s — provide a much-needed solution to the decades-long delay many beneficiaries have experienced while waiting for a homestead lease.

“The deparment is excited for the opportunity to bring more homes to the island of Maui on newly acquired lands close to infrastructure and suitable for residential development,” DHHL Director Kali Watson said. “The combination of new lands and the awarding of project leases will help our families move off the waitlist and into homes more expeditiously.”

Saturday’s orientation gave interested applicants a chance to learn more about the upcoming projects, the awards process, and next steps involved. Participants also interacted with project developers, reviewed area maps, and connected with DHHL staff to address application-related questions.

Eligible applicants consist of individuals on the Maui islandwide residential waitlist with application dates up to December 24, 2024. If you are interested in the opportunity to receive a residential project lease, please contact the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands Housing Branch at [email protected] or by phone at 808-730-0311.

The awarding of Maui residential project leases is scheduled for November 8, 2025 and December 6, 2025.

Maui’s residential waitlist currently has more than 3,900 applicants.

To learn more about the Maui residential project leases, click here.

Project Leases: DHHL’s New Approach to Addressing Waitlist

To date, DHHL has awarded more than 1,000 project leases for the following areas:

• West Oʻahu
  • Awarded: March 2025
  • Number of leases: 665
  • Subdivisions: Kaʻuluokahaʻi, Kaupeʻa

• West Hawaiʻi
  • Awarded: April 2025
  • Number of leases: 368
  • Subdivisions: Laʻi ʻŌpua, Kailapa

Project leases offer significant benefits to lease holders including the ability to secure a lease prior to the completion of a homestead development. Additionally, project lease holders have the right to transfer their lease to a qualified successor with a blood quantum of at least 25% — a critical designation for those interested in preserving a homestead for generations.

Lot development within each homestead subdivision will be guided by the financial capacities of the applicants, as project lease applicants are not required to pre-qualify for financing to be eligible for a lease. This strategy creates a more accessible path to ownership for many individuals. Options to homeownership for project lease recipients include turnkey homes, owner-builder lots and rent-to-own opportunities.

“With the support of Governor Green, the legislature and our community and development partners, DHHL will continue to explore innovative housing solutions for our families to ensure no one is bypassed when it is their time to receive a homestead lot,” Watson added.

The department aims to award more than 6,000 project leases in the next two years.

# # #

MEDIA ASSETS
Courtesy Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

Broll (TRT 1:50)

Timestamps:

• :00 Sign-in table
• :11 DHHL Director Kali Watson opening remarks
• :55 Beneficiaries interacting with DHHL staff
• 1:21 Villages of Leialiʻi 1B project map
• 1:25 Beneficiaries interacting with project developers

Link to photos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17xWnCS-XT7iAxoBnZkXyGaERjWJZI7t5?usp=sharing

Link to orientation meeting: https://youtu.be/t64eQY_7KZw

Media Contact:
Diamond Badajos

Information and Community Relations Officer

Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, State of Hawai‘i

Cell: 808-342-0873

Email: [email protected]