It is hereby found and declared that:

(1) There is a shortage within the State of lands suitable for residential use, available to persons whose incomes and circumstances are such that they do not qualify for or do not require publicly provided low-rent housing accommodations and who are able to secure financing for the construction of their own homes, but who are unable through lack of sufficient financial ability to purchase land in fee simple or to pay the premiums for the rentals under leases offered by private landowners;

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-70

  • Fee simple: Absolute title to property with no limitations or restrictions regarding the person who may inherit it.
  • Land: includes all interests therein and natural resources including water, minerals, and all such things connected with land, unless otherwise expressly provided. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-1
  • Public purpose: as used in this chapter , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, includes but shall not be limited to all public uses, the straightening of boundaries of public lands, acquisition of access to landlocked public lands, the consolidation of the holdings of public lands, development of houselots, farmlots, and industrial parks. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 171-1
(2) This group includes persons whose residential property has been taken for public purposes and who, while they have received the full and fair value of their property, by purchase or condemnation, are unable to replace the property taken with the proceeds paid or other available funds because of the shortage of similar property in the community;
(3) This group also includes those persons who are in low-rent housing accommodations and are discouraged from increasing their annual income for fear that they may forfeit their low-rent public housing;
(4) Experience has demonstrated that when public lands are subdivided and sold in fee simple at public auction, for residential use, the demands for residential property have forced the price of such lands beyond the financial reach of the persons previously mentioned, and that neither the program of opening public lands for sale in fee simple as residence lots, nor the programs for providing low-rent public housing, for urban redevelopment or for urban renewal are adequate or designed to provide the opportunity for such persons to provide themselves with decent, safe, sanitary, and uncongested residence accommodations consistent with their financial ability and necessary to provide the environment conducive to promoting their own and their children’s good citizenship;
(5) To alleviate this shortage of land suitable for residential use, to promote home ownership on as widespread a basis as possible, and to promote the accomplishment of the purposes of the programs for public low-rent housing, urban redevelopment and urban renewal, including the elimination of slum and other conditions detrimental to the public health, safety, and welfare, it is necessary that public lands be made available on terms within the financial means of those residents who, because of the shortage before mentioned, are unable to purchase public or private lands in fee simple or to lease private lands for use for residential purposes. Making public lands available for such purposes, pursuant to this part, is hereby declared to be a public purpose.