Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Resort exec aims for council, affordable housing
by Ford Gunter - THE GARDEN ISLAND
Ed. Note: This is the 10th in a series of articles profiling the candidates for Kaua‘i County Council. One will run each day until all candidates have been profiled.
As an executive with a major resort chain, it should come as no surprise that County Council candidate Jay Furfaro says affordable housing is the most pressing issue on Kaua‘i.
Throughout his two two-year terms on the county council, the 31-year veteran of the hotel industry — most recently as resort manager of the Princeville at Hanalei — has heard all about affordable housing and the responsibilities the resort developers have to provide it.
“I would certainly put affordable and workforce housing very high on the list,” the current Habitat for Humanity president. “The fact that affordability is getting away from us, we have to work with nonprofits on self-help and other opportunities to acquire land for housing.”
Furfaro favors cooperative housing, so it remains affordable, and says he supported allocating more money for the county to acquire land for the units.
“The housing department is coming up with concepts of co-op ownership,” he said. “For first-time homeowners, it’s an opportunity to keep co-op rents manageable. When you get started in a home at affordable prices, you are able to save some, and with your equity in the co-op you can make a down payment.”
Furfaro said he wants the county to work more actively with nonprofits, help lower development cost and either offer mortgage subsidies, make it easier to qualify for longer mortgages or help with down payments, all to make affordable housing a reality.
“A recent housing survey done by Ward Research said in the next six years, the affordable market housing need for Kaua‘i is about 2,600 units,” Furfaro said. “Of that, almost 1,100 are individuals who said they are in the ‘100 percent or below affordable’ category. Those 1,100 units are the ones the government needs to make land available.”
The idea is for the county to manage five state-identified parcels for housing — the development costs, purchase acquisition, even zoning.
“If the parcel is less than 15 acres, the zoning to make it residential could change at the council levels,” he said. “We don’t have to go through state agencies.”
Of course, additional affordable housing units can only be part of the solution if there is the infrastructure to support them. For that, Furfaro would like to see a larger portion of the property sales conveyance tax going to an affordable housing contribution, giving the county — which earns money based on the volume of real estate sales — a steadier, heftier income.
That way, the county can “work closer with the state on expanding or making improvements where necessary, if the county should have to fund some of the design fees,” he said.
A Princeville resident and no stranger to the pains of an Eastside commute, Furfaro supports continued improvements in public transportation, as well as encouraging resorts to offer express shuttle service to and from the airport and on-site car rental. The idea, Furfaro says is “so visitors only rent cars on the days when they actually need them.”
Unused rental cars, however, clog resort parking lots instead of island roads, and it is unlikely that visitors will willingly relinquish the freedom to leave the resort on their own unplanned timetables.
“It’s not necessary for a car to be available every day. (Visitors) would only rent a particular car on a particular day that they need to create a particular activity,” Furfaro countered. “But none of it works unless we expand some form of public bus transportation.” Furfaro also supports a comprehensive, long-term agriculture plan.
“Under the current situation, we can only budget in the year for the year,” he said. “That conflicts with making long-term strategies, which are part of the long-term plan.”
He points to an engineering study he’s backed to supply water to the Ko‘olau farming community, which recently received the go-ahead for funding.
“This ties into us moving towards sustainability,” Furfaro said. “We have to make these investments now.”
The key, he says, is public involvement, starting with opening up the budgeting process.
“There’s not public television focus on the budget, which would stimulate public interest,” he said. “We need to expand television access to that.”
While many predict a future of doom and gloom for Kaua‘i, Furfaro remains optimistic.
“We’ll still have a prosperous economy. Our lifestyle and values make Kaua‘i very special,” he said. “We can focus our energies to the host culture — that is where the essence of our place comes from.”
Seeking his third term, Furfaro was surprised at his showing in the September primary, ranking third behind fellow incumbents JoAnn Yukimura and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho.
“I’m typically not that high in the past; I was fifth the last time out,” he said. “People are recognizing that I’m taking each item for its face value.”
He acknowledged that the council has a long way to go, but has been hamstrung by the need to address the shortcomings of councils past.
“We had to work on old issues, like the circulation plan in Po‘ipu that should have been done in 1985,” he said. “We had a full agenda because many of the things we believed were executed needed revisiting, and we have accomplished that.”
On his fellow councilmembers, Furfaro says the union of seven different backgrounds and opinions is an advantage, and cultivating collaboration between them is key. Fittingly, he considers himself a facilitator.
“I have international business experience in the South Pacific with other Polynesian host cultures, and a lot of experience as to the county process,” he said. “I listen to all issues.”
The Wai‘anae Coast native studied business at Kapiolani Community College, and has been on Kaua‘i for 36 years. He and his wife of 32 years, Ema Gomez, have three daughters, all graduates of Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawai‘i.
As an executive with a major resort chain, it should come as no surprise that County Council candidate Jay Furfaro says affordable housing is the most pressing issue on Kaua‘i.
Throughout his two two-year terms on the county council, the 31-year veteran of the hotel industry — most recently as resort manager of the Princeville at Hanalei — has heard all about affordable housing and the responsibilities the resort developers have to provide it.
“I would certainly put affordable and workforce housing very high on the list,” the current Habitat for Humanity president. “The fact that affordability is getting away from us, we have to work with nonprofits on self-help and other opportunities to acquire land for housing.”
Furfaro favors cooperative housing, so it remains affordable, and says he supported allocating more money for the county to acquire land for the units.
“The housing department is coming up with concepts of co-op ownership,” he said. “For first-time homeowners, it’s an opportunity to keep co-op rents manageable. When you get started in a home at affordable prices, you are able to save some, and with your equity in the co-op you can make a down payment.”
Furfaro said he wants the county to work more actively with nonprofits, help lower development cost and either offer mortgage subsidies, make it easier to qualify for longer mortgages or help with down payments, all to make affordable housing a reality.
“A recent housing survey done by Ward Research said in the next six years, the affordable market housing need for Kaua‘i is about 2,600 units,” Furfaro said. “Of that, almost 1,100 are individuals who said they are in the ‘100 percent or below affordable’ category. Those 1,100 units are the ones the government needs to make land available.”
The idea is for the county to manage five state-identified parcels for housing — the development costs, purchase acquisition, even zoning.
“If the parcel is less than 15 acres, the zoning to make it residential could change at the council levels,” he said. “We don’t have to go through state agencies.”
Of course, additional affordable housing units can only be part of the solution if there is the infrastructure to support them. For that, Furfaro would like to see a larger portion of the property sales conveyance tax going to an affordable housing contribution, giving the county — which earns money based on the volume of real estate sales — a steadier, heftier income.
That way, the county can “work closer with the state on expanding or making improvements where necessary, if the county should have to fund some of the design fees,” he said.
A Princeville resident and no stranger to the pains of an Eastside commute, Furfaro supports continued improvements in public transportation, as well as encouraging resorts to offer express shuttle service to and from the airport and on-site car rental. The idea, Furfaro says is “so visitors only rent cars on the days when they actually need them.”
Unused rental cars, however, clog resort parking lots instead of island roads, and it is unlikely that visitors will willingly relinquish the freedom to leave the resort on their own unplanned timetables.
“It’s not necessary for a car to be available every day. (Visitors) would only rent a particular car on a particular day that they need to create a particular activity,” Furfaro countered. “But none of it works unless we expand some form of public bus transportation.” Furfaro also supports a comprehensive, long-term agriculture plan.
“Under the current situation, we can only budget in the year for the year,” he said. “That conflicts with making long-term strategies, which are part of the long-term plan.”
He points to an engineering study he’s backed to supply water to the Ko‘olau farming community, which recently received the go-ahead for funding.
“This ties into us moving towards sustainability,” Furfaro said. “We have to make these investments now.”
The key, he says, is public involvement, starting with opening up the budgeting process.
“There’s not public television focus on the budget, which would stimulate public interest,” he said. “We need to expand television access to that.”
While many predict a future of doom and gloom for Kaua‘i, Furfaro remains optimistic.
“We’ll still have a prosperous economy. Our lifestyle and values make Kaua‘i very special,” he said. “We can focus our energies to the host culture — that is where the essence of our place comes from.”
Seeking his third term, Furfaro was surprised at his showing in the September primary, ranking third behind fellow incumbents JoAnn Yukimura and Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho.
“I’m typically not that high in the past; I was fifth the last time out,” he said. “People are recognizing that I’m taking each item for its face value.”
He acknowledged that the council has a long way to go, but has been hamstrung by the need to address the shortcomings of councils past.
“We had to work on old issues, like the circulation plan in Po‘ipu that should have been done in 1985,” he said. “We had a full agenda because many of the things we believed were executed needed revisiting, and we have accomplished that.”
On his fellow councilmembers, Furfaro says the union of seven different backgrounds and opinions is an advantage, and cultivating collaboration between them is key. Fittingly, he considers himself a facilitator.
“I have international business experience in the South Pacific with other Polynesian host cultures, and a lot of experience as to the county process,” he said. “I listen to all issues.”
The Wai‘anae Coast native studied business at Kapiolani Community College, and has been on Kaua‘i for 36 years. He and his wife of 32 years, Ema Gomez, have three daughters, all graduates of Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawai‘i.
 |
||
| Koloa School spooks celebrate more than sweets |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of kauaiworld.com.
You must register with a valid email to post comments. Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here: |
Become a Registered User |
RSS