HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

114

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

Urging the governor to consolidate the oahu community correctional center within the halawa correctional facility, facilitate the redevelopment of the land currently occupied by the oahu community correctional center, and partner with the private sector where necessary to benefit the Kalihi community and the state.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, built in 1916, the Oahu Community Correctional Center no longer properly serves the needs of its overall inmate population or the surrounding community of Kalihi; and

 

     WHEREAS, as the largest jail facility in the State, the 16-acre, 950-bed Oahu Community Correctional Center has outdated security infrastructure and is overcrowded, which has contributed to conditions that have allowed multiple inmate escapes; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Oahu Community Correctional Center cannot accommodate current and projected detention needs, and this situation has prompted the State to request more information on the construction of a new, 1,125-bed Oahu Community Correctional Center to be relocated from the current Kalihi site; and

 

     WHEREAS, Kalihi is not an appropriate place for the Oahu Community Correctional Center since its immediate surrounding area contains a park, schools, homes, small businesses, and other commercial establishments; and

 

WHEREAS, the Director of Public Safety has stated that rebuilding the Oahu Community Correctional Center at its current Kalihi site is not a viable option and that the administration has expressed willingness to consider its relocation; and

WHEREAS, the presence of the Oahu Community Correctional Center has historically discouraged development in Kalihi and currently jeopardizes the Kalihi community's opportunity to benefit from transit-related development and redevelopment projects; and

 

     WHEREAS, the State is currently evaluating proposals that would expand the Halawa Correctional Facility, including by combining it with the Oahu Community Correctional Center, to take advantage of the efficiencies of consolidation; and

 

WHEREAS, consolidation is fiscally prudent because upgrading the aging Oahu Community Correctional Center has the potential to be equally or more expensive than building a new facility in another location; and

 

     WHEREAS, relocating the Oahu Community Correctional Center would generate land development opportunities on the current Kalihi site and spur private-public partnerships that could improve Kalihi and offset the cost of a consolidated jail without an undue fiscal burden on the State through the sale or long-term lease of the Kalihi site; and

                

WHEREAS, if developed appropriately, the Kalihi site is well situated to become a major center of economic activity, generate tax revenues and lease-rent income for the State and property tax revenues for the City and County of Honolulu, and benefit from private development related to transit-orientated growth; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, that the Governor is urged to:

 

(1)  Consolidate the Oahu Community Correctional Center within the Halawa Correctional Facility; and

 

(2)  Facilitate redevelopment of the land that is currently occupied by the Oahu Community Correctional Center to benefit the Kalihi community and the State, including through partnerships with the private sector, to generate revenue and innovative development opportunities; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Public Safety, and chairperson of the Kalihi-Palama Neighborhood Board.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Halawa Correctional Facility; Oahu Community Correctional Center; Consolidation; Redevelopment; Private-Public Partnership